Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-02-03

New Thing-Now 1t Influenced the Ac-
tions OF Robespierrc.
AZ all tho great crises Of French life
the element Of preternatural suspicion
has played an important part Like
some mischievous Puck it hovers over
tho land, Whispering doubts here. mis-,
givings there, converting tho whole ma.
ton into moucharas, whose business it
Is ia set u watch ON their neighhors day
and night. We have such u profound
admiration FOR many qualities Of tho
French people, such n sincere belief in
the necessity of powerful French fac.
tor in tho complex mesh of modern
civilization, that we can afford to bring
this charge OF undue suspicion against
France as Il whole. No student of
French history can fail to SEQ tho con-
fusion ii has wrought, IL is not tho
growth of yesterday, but il is almost rs
evident in tho memoirs of tho Franco
Paris houlovards ~ the present moment
II pervadod tho court and tho official
classes i'll tho timo VI Richelieu, IL was
constantly present in the mind of MaZa-
rim when negotiating with Cromwell,
aud IL is visible NIL through the pages
of tho memoirs of Do Reta This spirit
Of proternatural suspicion naturally at
tanned its climax in tho French rovolu-
tion, when, for the first time, tho mon.
nrchv was involved IN it's infinite on
tanplements,
From the moment when tho national
assembly met ut Versailles to tho day
when Napoleon was hanished to Elba
universal suspicion filled tho air and
dictated tho cruel aspect of French pol
icy The queen was, OF course, suspect
cd, and justly, in political matters, and
perhaps IL was not altogether unroason-
able that tho suspicion IN which she
was onveloped should have attached to
her weak hut perfectly honest husband.
who was assumed to DO absolutely UNI.
der her fatal influence.
Tho attack ON tho Bastille was ami
mated not merely by memories of tho
past, not in the least because of actual
oruoltes Mt tho time. for there was
none, but mainly because 1t was sos.
pocted that tho Bastillo was to bo utilized
MS an armed fortress TO overnwe Paris
Tho day Of tho "blaok cookndos" and
tho march Of tho Maenads Ito use Car
lyle's graphic vhrnsoology) woro duo to
excited suspicion, The assembly had
scarcely organized itself before tho
demon OF suspicion spread its dusky
wings over that body, and Mirabeau and
Barnavo, ut first popular idols, became
suspected Of intrigue with tho court.
Tho vigorous personalities who oamo
to tho front all suspected ono another.
To them tho famous warning which
Benjamin Franklin addressed to tho
founders of tho American republic,
"Gontlomcn, wo must hang together or
we shall hang separately : would have
boon useless. They could not hing to.
gothor, aud thoy did hang, or were
guillotnod, separately. Ii was Danton's
suspicion of nh aristooratio plot which
caused tho September massaores. II was
puro suspicion that created tho most re-
voting and unjust of all tho rovoln.
tionary exeesses, tho tribunal Of Fou.
quier.Tinyille Danton in his turn was
suspected and fell. =
We may, of course justify tho suspi-
cion Of Dumouriez, but what possible
explanation can BIO given Of tho suspi-
cion uf the harmless astronomer Bnilly,
with his procisinn virtues, who paid
with his head for tho dangerous folly
Of moddling with things ho did not un.
dorstnndY II was obviously n question
Of war to tho knife between Jacobin and
Girondin, for oach took an absolutely
different view of both foreign aud in.
tcrnal politics: but why could not tho
struggle have been confined To party
warfare within tho walls Of the oonf'
vention? Why was II necessary to dooi.
mato tho Girondin chiefs? Tho only
answer that can BIO made is that suspi.
cion had grown to such pitch that tho
very existence Of Girondism was con.
siderod incompatible with tho security
Of tho republic. Men had become fren.
aiod, insane, through constant spying on
one another's actions and perpetual Mt.
tompts to fathom one anothers inward
thoughts, aud tho law Of suspects"
was simply n formal expression Of ma.
tional crazincss. That way madness lies.
In tho person Of Robespierro preternat.
ural suspicion attained Its most com.
pleto incarnation. His feline nature was
ever on tho dart for its prey. Ho could
not hear good word said Of any man
but no instantly began to revolvo in his
mind tho question as TO whether there
were not como concealed motive In tho
praise. The shout Of triumphant relief
which reverberated over France when
Robespierre's head fell into tho basket
marked the break of the straining point
Of that suspicion which had created and
sustained the terror. When we reinem-
Der that but for an accident Carnot
would have fallen victim to Robes.
pierro's suspicious and that this suspi-
cious disposition had led a man Of senti
mental virtue TO become wholesale
murderer. we can understand that feel
ing Of relief. London Spectator.
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The House Buiided on tho sands