The sun., 1897-09-12

|
the necessity Of q jury trial on All occasions.
lie opposed tho laws relating to suspected per
sons both that OF April, 1892. levelled by Saint
Jus. a0ainst the nobity, and that OF Juno in the
| Bamo year, which deprived accused persons OF
| protection. and was the exclusive work of
| RobespIerro and Couthon. Rarely, too, did he
neglect the opportunity OF smoothing the neces-
sary severities OF the politics OF the time. His
usual plea was that such or such person
| deserved to be spared on the ground OF public
| services BarArc himself estimates that the
number OF exemptions from executions ho thus
| obtained was over 6.OOO. Ha exerted himself
particularly on behalf OF scholars. artists. and
| literary men. Here surely sufficient proofs
| that tho charge OF cowardico 10 not justided; it
| does not follow that. amid the stress and tu-
| multi OF the times. Bararc did not evince ten.
| dency to tack about and an absence Of moral
| hrmness.
When tho Committee OF Public Safety was
| formed Barere was made member, and event
| ually Its President. For a timc he shared the
| work of the Foreign Office with Danton, but
| afterward did most OF II himself The Admiral.
| ty was also confded to him for some month";
| during which he was likewise In command OF
| the Public Education Office, the Charities, Mon
umcnts. Theatres. sc, His military reports
alone were over 200 in number. In addi
tion. he found timo to attend tho sittings
OF the Convent tion, and TO speak frequently
in tho political campaigns. Such quantity
and variety of work not only needed the
extreme facility which nobody denies to
Barere, but also implied much less dissipa
tion than he has been generally taxed with.
II. indeed. he were able to perform his almost
Herculean tasks while leading life Of pleas
urc, he must have been colossal genius,
greater even than Mirabcau. His indefat-
gable activity was highly appreciated by
the committee. The following opinion Of him
was expressed by Robespierre: "Barere may
have committed mistakes. but he is an honest
man who loves his country and serves 1t better
than any one. AS soon as work is TO be done, he
is ready to undertake It, He knows everything.
he is acquainted with everybody. he is fit for
everything" Another Of Barere's colleagues,
Prieur of the C6te-d' Or. explained the nature
OF the services rendered by Barere in the discus
sions which occupied the committee when,
after several hours Of animated debate, which
kept us till late at night, our tired intellects
could only with difficulty recall the course OF the
discussion and we were about to lose sight OF
the principal points, Barcre used TO speak, and.
after quick. clear, summing up. he placed the
question squarely before us. and wo only had to
! say word TO solve it, The office OF
porter was a natural consequence Of such
cummings up. The duty OF reporting
the decisions of tho committee to the
Convention almost always imposed
upon Barerc, and he performed it with indis-
putable cleverness. The fact probably explains
why he became the object OF 30 much hatred.
He was often compelled to express. in the namo
of the committee, opinions by no means his own,
which, indeed, he may have opposed. but for
which he obliged 10 find apology. Hence
he has often been held morally responsible for
what was not his and 1t has been possible to
irt of hy
trasting apparently contradictory opinions.
Perhaps one but Rarere ever placed in
such exRcting circumstances The committee
may often have been divided in opinion, yet hav-
Ing once arrived at a decision, it had to exhibit
a solidarity before the Convention. Otherwise it
would have been deprived of all influence. Thus
condemned 10 be a party to everything whether
approved Of by himself or not Barere had to
present 1t all TO the nation under favorable col
ors. His war reports formed his chief occupa-
tion. Carnot, Prieur. and Lindet furnished him
almost daily with the materials OF some speech
on the successes Of the French arms What
| they worked at in tho silence OF their offices
they lett to their colleague the pleasure OF pub
fishing. The public and the Convention were so
accustomed TO consider him bearer Of good
news that his presence in the House excited an
unimRginable enthusiasm. His entrance was
greeted with cheers and everybody cried.
Barere to the trbune!' The debate in hand
would be interrupted to listen TO him. His re-
ports when read aloud in the camps. electrified
the soldiers, ana he himself relates. with par.
donable self.satisfaction, how they have been
heard to rush upon the enemy with shouts OF
Barere to the tribune!" One may read in the
memoirs how much this Committee Of Public
Safety which was obliged to fight the whole Of
Europe. thought. nevertheless. OF the duties of
peace; and it is impossible to doubt that, had
the country enjoyed peace. many public works
would have been carried out As it was the
bcautifying of the Tuieries and the Champs
dElysee. the completion Of the Louvre and the
housing Of the National Library seriously occu-
pied the time OF the committee. 1t is a matter
OF regret that Barere should have left incom-
pete his History OF the Committee OF Public
Safety" We are told that BArtre said one day,
while chatting with NJ. David: "Some great
events never repeat themselves. l should like
TO SEQ picture representing the little room
where the Committee OF Public Safety used to
meet. There nine members worked day and
night, without President, round n table with
green tablecloth. while the walls were OF the
same color. Often. after a few minutes sleep
snatched from work, would fnd heap of pa.
pers in my place; they were the reports Of our
armies. After reading them. drew up a report
that used to read Immediately from the tribune
in tho Convention. Our soldiers, with their WOOL
len cpaulettes fought the enemies OF France and
| when ono OF them did anything brilliant they
gave him piece OF paper on which was written
the resolution Of the Assembly that he deserved
well OF his country. The Committee Of Pub
lio Safety was tho sublmest creation of the
revolution. The employment OF this band of
specialists was the only way to make France
victorious and it would have succeeded in fix
ing the republic on firm basis and In freeing
FurOne II RphnaDiarra had n Ipta ,.,t.t
| his Unsuitable ambition and his offended vanity
to thw rt our work. said just now that great
events 90 not report themselves. So France
will never have to fight the whole OF Europe
again. and the Reign OF Terror will no more re-
turn than will exclusive despotism. visconti
once said to mo: What the men OF your age
have done beats the deeds of the ancients De-
mosthen In his speeches struggled to make his
fellow countrymen rep lse the seductive offers
OF Philip: Cicero fought against Catiline; but
you fought civil war and a whole Europe in
arms. No doubt, when all the material we left
has been put In order. we shall appear giants"