Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-11-18


kissing of vinegar flung upon white-hot
iron. The Red Flag finds some pretty
strong language for the expression of
its opinions about William. and Bis
narck. and Moltlle, and the hordeS Of
black helmets yonder; but this language
is mild as compared with the venom
which il splits upon the Empire that
is vanished the Man OF Sedan. the
Man of Metz, the Emperor who snr-
rendered Empire and a;sy-all that
could be surrendered i'm the first hour
of reverse; the general who kept the
flower Of the French army locked up
within the walls of q beleaguered city.
tied hand and foot, when they piuing
to be mp and doing, hupgerng for the
fray. eager to fling themselves into the
teeth OF the Zoe, to cut their way 10
liberty or to death, only to hand them
over TO the enemy like a flock OF sheep
which he found that his impcrialist
game was played out, aud the stakes
lost irrctrievably
At last came that which seemed the
browning humiliation. cap. ulation
which, to the soul OF the patriots. was
more shameful than that of Sedan.
more irreparable than Strasburg, more
fatal than Metz, Paris surrendered her
forts, and opened her gates 10 the in
vadCr; France gave up her provinces,
and pledged herself to the payment Of
La monStrouS indemnity The flag of the
Gcrmauic Confederation floated above
Mont Nalerien, and the Guard Of the
Emperor Of Germany deflcd along the
Avenue of the Grand Armee to cnCamp
in the Champs ElySces. Dark and
mournful was the aspect Of Paris on
that er-tobe-forgottep day. The
populacc held themselves aloof from
the region occupied by the invaders,
rs from the scene Of a peStilenCe.
Those who came rs captors were as
prisoners in the conquered city. The
theatres were closed and Paris mourn
ed in gloom and silence for the ruin
OF France And on the morning Of dc-
partrc when, after an occupation ~
only twenty -four hours, the barbarUus
food swept back, the Partisan gamin
was seen pursuing the rear-guard of
Williams soldiery, burning perfumes on
red-hot shoyGs, as if to purify the air
after the passage Of some loathsome
beast
Unhappuy for Paris there were worse
enemies than William and his square.
heads lurking in the background, enc.
mics long suspected and feared. ana
now to he revealed IN all their power
for evil.
I with The opening Of the gates began
an emigration of the respectable classes
Husbands and fathers FASTENED % re-
join their families, proyincials returned
to their provinces one hundred thou
sand Of the National Guard, good citi
zens, brave, loyal devoted to the cause
Of order, are said TO have left Paris
at this time Those who remained be
hind were for the most part an armed
mob demoralized by idlcness, by drink
by the teaching Of a handful of rabit
Republicans, the mastcrspirits of Belle
vile and Montmartrc.
Too soon the storm burst There h
no darker day in the history of Frame,
than the 18th Of March 1871, on whcl
Paris found itself given over 70 horde
of which it knew neither the strength
nor the ma'ignity, but from which II
feared the worst Ilideous faces, which
IN peaceful times lurk in the depths OF
a city. showed themselves in the opcr
/ day, at every street cornd, irony or
I thc lips and menace in the eye. A dag
/ which began with the seizure OF the
cannon at Chaumont and Montmarr'
by the Commuuards, and the deseruoi
of the troops II the Line to the insur
gents. ended with the murder of Gen
erals Iac0mte and Clement Thomas
and the withdrawal Of the government
and the royal troops to Versailles,
When night fell Paris was abandoned
+ to new power, which called itsel
\ Central Committee Of the Federation
and Vt seemed that two hundred am
fifty h4ttalons of the National Guar
had become Fedrals, They were 70
the most part Fcdcrals without know
ing why or wherefore. They kneY
as little Of the chiefs who We're {
. command inen as thdl NOolicu VI. VI
on which they were too soon to etal
fish a reign of ignominy and terrol
But the Central Committee sustaine
by the International and its powerfl
organization, was strong enough to con
mand IN disorganized and abandonc
, CITY; and on the 10Th Of March bega
fhe great orgy Of the commune III
rule Of blood and fird. The Offal
, journalism, the scum Of the goals, 81
/. in the seat Of judgment Rigault Ferr
, Eudes. Scrizicr- Blanbuisters, Herber
, lstcs-thesc were now the masters
Paris. They hold the prisons; the
g commanded the National Guard. The
: made laws ana unmade them; the
= drank and smoked and riotcd In II
, Hotel de Yille; they held their obsccf
] orgies in palaces, in churches IN Z
, public Offices, and the goals, when Il
! innocent aud the noble were lang1is
ing in q shameful bondage, waitiI
4 for a TOO probable death There WEI
|, those who asked whether William ~
: Bismarck would not have been bett'
fhqu fhpgp