Workmen's advocate., 1886-07-25
MIME. DELESCLUZE.
l Confirmed from first poye l


 public, it's work. had been recognized in the terms of the exploitation. and the Peace Committee, with it's power of at torney to settle with the Prussian was but an incident of that revolution, whose embodiment was still armed Paris The great obstacle to the success of any plot of the monarchists was this armed Paris emaciated by famine, heart broken by death, and pierced and bowed by humiliation, but still terrible to the political banditti. They determined that the National Guard must be disarmed Nlnoy was instructed to make q secret nocturnal sortie on the barracks of the Guards at the Iiuttes Montmartre
 he attempt to get possession of the artillery of the National Guard failed and, after struggle the rdppei-tI ( danger signal and call to arms of the Guards was sounded in every street
 This was the plan of attack A move ment was to be made simultaneous on Montemartre by Gen. GusbIelle of the I'd army corps; another by Gen. Faron on Belleville; third by Gen. Wolf of the lst army corps, on the Place de la Bastlle; and fourth by Gen. Harrison on the ctfe. Mitrailleuses were in bat tery, en-pounder guns were planted m every street leading to Montmartre, and soldiers of the lne were posted in the streets at distant points to prevent any person from applo aching the Buttes.
 Well, this secret, creeping, cowardly attack so artfully planned on the sleeping clty, came to naught by the bravery of the Guards. The artillery taken by the line was recaptured, and at four a. m. all Paris was m the streets. III eitpH o'clock C. m., ustead of the g0refHmem blocktng up ere1g street aud yhaciug C c0fdon of soldiers urouJld NOhtntuitie, Thh ca"noHS poitting up, Me insargeats Tere blo.hoding Them nor with barricuieS and batteries, ia Thjeh rere gttas y,oiat- mg dorm '
 This last paragraph is taken from the testimony Of fetrldge, the cahlmnious historian of the struggle. who recounts the above facts with fearful regret.
 In order to give a false cOlol'lng to the attempt of the usurping Peace Commit tee to disarm the Guard, Thers published manifesto covering them with epithets and declaring that they were unlawfully retaining the artillery and arms belong Ing to the government This was untrue The artillery was the private property of the National Guard furnished by sub scflption among themselves. As their prvate property 1t was officially recog- nlZed in the terms of the exploitation of the 2Sth of January.
 But this fragrant lie was the only pre- text which the monarchlcaI conspirators could give for disarming that Paris which had driven out the government of the Bonaparte. A
 The usurping Peace Committee, after their failure, fled from Paris to Versailles, and immediately occupied themselves in flooding the world with dispatches through the press, calling the insurgents ,f this memorable 18th of March, "the scum of Paris, 'the tatterdemallions of the slums, ''the thieves who had been released from prison to aid the war of Sedan" etc, etc. The telegraph wires connecting Paris with the outer world were cut, and the penalty of death was threatened to anyone carrying the proclamation of the victorious National Guard to any of the towns of France
 On March 18th the Central Committee of the National Guard posted on the walls of Paris the following proclamation. which may be found in Fetridges book:
 "ClTlzENs:-Thep people of Paris have [ shaken oil the yoke sought to be imposed 1 upon It. Calm, impossible i'll its strength, 1t awaited without fear as without prov ocation the shameless maumen who would | destroy the Republic.
 This time our brothers of the army | were unwilling to lay a hand on the sa- cred ark of our liberties. Now, let Paris ! and France together establish a basis of | Republic ucciutHied WHh aU its roH&- 4uences, the only government that will | forever close the era of inyasiOns and | civil wars.
 The state of siege is raised. The pol | ulation of the capitol is conyoked in its | sections for its communal meaning mu- nicipal elections. The safety of the cit | izens Is assured by the assistance of the National Guard.
 A large number of the soldiers of the | line witnessing the heroic determination of the Guards the night before, had re- fused to fire on these haggard faced men, the large majority of whom were work men, skilled craftsmen, who. emerging from famine, were still ready to upiit their thinled hands and weakened arms in defence of liberty.
 Thus began the struggle of the Com mune of Paris for local liberty ao a safe guard against centralized despots,n in the hands of the appropriators of wealth al power. The title 'Commune of Pa means only "the municipality of Pal as any dictionary Of French and English will show
 If the municipal council elected on the 26th of March, Il, drew up plan of government. which was substantially "a Republic of Labor, 1t was because after long barley ing by means of committees. anC through the Paris deputies seated in chamber at Versailles. they were con