Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-03-15

monte organization of Labor, which, az
he rightly observed. was the only object
of the Revolution, To gain time, his
colleagues of the Provisional Govern
ment replied that while this object was
full admitted and had been duly pro-
claimed, 80 that it was, in principle. the
recognized fundament of the Republic;
yet the practical organization of Labor
required not only a definite plan but le-
gislatlve measures and appropriations of
money, which the National Assembly
to be elected by the whole people would
alone be competent to provide. But they
made him the president of a commits
sion empowered to study, discuss, talk
and do nothing. At the same time,
fearing an outbreak of the hungry, they
created the famous National Shops ate
tiers Ndt2ono1L) and placed them under
the direction of an agent of the bour-
geoise, who pledged himself to so con-
duct them as to break down the infu-
ence of Louis Blanc and defeat the OBJ
ject of the Revolution.
Singular to say, the notion has long
prevailed, and to a certain extent is still
prevailing among people who ought to
know better, that the national shops
by Louis Blanc; whereas they were not
only planned, organized and conducted
against him, as | have just said, but
were also in every respect the opposite
of his economic conception. Undoubt-
eddy, his personal behavior in the criti-
cal DAYS of lS4S and 1871 shows that
LOUIS Blanc was deficient in the quail.
ties of bravery and consistency which
a revolutionary leader is expected to
possess in the highest degree. On that
account his memory may not be held in
very great respect. But this should
prevent no one from acknowledging his
real value as a thinker. Now the fact
is that Karl Marx, Ferdinand Lasalle,
the international Association of Work
ingmen, and all the later Collectvists,
great as their work has been in consti-
tutng and prOpagating social science,
have added very little to the solution of
the social problem as given by Louis
Blanc.
cannot here undertake an exposition
of his social scheme. This | may do
later in special study of the subject
must low contne myself to the broad
statement that it involved: 1.-The
thorough organization of all social func-
tions on a basis of mutual interdepend-
ence, and 2-the consequent regener-
alton of the "State"-that is, the trans
formation of political government into
apure industrial administration; whereas
the National Shops, so called, were a
mere device to prevent such organiza-
ton and, by their very failure, to per
petuate the political government of the
bOurgeolsie.
One hundred and twenty thousand
men of all trades and no trade without
work and without bread, flocked to
those so.called shops. They were EN-
ployed, when employed at all, in wheel
ing dirt and wheeling it back at 40 sous
a day. Tired of such charity, disguised
with legislative inaction, alarmed by
suggestive threats, reused by prepare
tons more suggestive still, they remon-
strated, first gently, then angriy, then
went to the Assembly in body, were
beaten back by the National Guard and
saw their most popular leaders, Barbes,
Blanqui, Raspail, arrested and impris-
oned. Then they knew that their Revo-
luton had been spirited away; and
when, few weeks later, the Assembly
suppressed the national shops, offering
in exchange a free ticket to distant,
desert and unproductive region of
France-well, in the words of one of
them, the proletaires, ready to die free
men, inscribed on their flag: Dread or
Lead" and silently erected barricades.
You all know the sequel-how they
fought; how they lost | shall not give
you dry summary of those moment
Gus events; nor can |, in a short lecture,
undertake to describe them. | must
contine myself to few sweeping gener-
alizations, which, | believe, can bear
the test of every fact within reach.
AT no time in the previous history of
| nations can we find such q vast array of
talented men in the service of a cause
as we find on the side of Labor in the
few years immediately proceeding the
Revolution Of lS4S..
At no time did the talent in the serv-
ice of a cause prove 50 powerless to do
anything for it on the day of its triumph.
The suddenness of the Revolution as
sured its success; the unreadiness of its
leaders caused its ruin.
In conclusion of this first part of
my subject 1-Revolutions are spon-
taneOu5. They come, 1--WE do not know
when, we do not know how" 2-True
revolutionary talent consists not in in
ducing the people to make revolution
but in being ready when they make one.
10 be concluded neUt ueeI.)