Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-07-25

but not until long after Marat had
preached it and lie himself had frown-
ed 1t down.
Early in the revolution Mirabeau
said of Robespierre after one of his
speeches, THAT young man believes
what he says, therefore he will 90 far"
The young man" was then above 80
and had won distinction In the defense
Of Ben Frankins lightning rods and
also by his cspousal of the humane
principles Of Rosseau, which caused
him to side with the people against no
bility and clergy and to advocate the
abolition of capital punishment.
At college RObespierre had had for
companions DantOn and Desmoulins,
yet when elected deputy to the states
general he was one of the most modest
of revolutioniStS. He then lived on his
stipend of Is francs a day and support
ed his sister from It. Studious and alb
stemious, with but a single coat to his
back. and that worn threadbare, he
cOurted retirement and when drawn
out of himself was SO mysterious and
outspoken as to be feared by his col
leagues His radicalism at that time
consisted In advocating the rights OF
citizens to serve upon juries and in the
national guard and in sharing political
rights with the blacks In the colonies.
Said he, Let the colonies perish rather
than a principle" When the constitu-
ent assembly ended in 1891, Robes
pierre was hero of the Paris sections.
A decree proposed by himself prevent
ed former deputies serving in the next
legislature. He travelled In the interior,
frcQucntcd the Jacobin club and began
TO publish revolutionary journal. MI
rabeau died at this time, and Robes
pierre succeeded him as the popular
idol but there were too many jealous
les at work among leaders to permit
one man TO take the reins.
The uprising Of the Paris sections or
the commune, August, 1892, brought
the young lawyer again into promi-
nence and power. He appeared before
the assembly as the spokesman OF a
deputation of citizens which demanded
the establishment of a criminal court
for the trial of the enemies Of liberty.
The court was promptly organized and
Robespicrre named as presiding judge,
but he refused to serve on the ground
that it would not be right to make him
Judge of those whom he had already
denounced as enemies of the country.
Against the massacres which soon fol
lowed under the inspiration Of Danton
he vigorously protested and ceased to
appear ut the meetings of the COM
mune.
Robespierre was elected TO the ma
tional convention from Paris and soon
afterward the Girondins accused him
Of aspiring to dictatorship. Marat de
Tended his rival on this charge and at
the same time disclosed the motives of
these two men. He said that at his first
meeting with RObeSpierre the latter
had drawn him into declaring that he
would send certain judges to the stake,
pouiard Lafayette, burn the king in his
palace and strangle the traitorouS rep
! resentativeS in the convention. Said
NlIIil VI llllS llltl ' l'h lNODNSpl'iiN
| listened to me with terror. He grew
| pale and was silent for some time. This
| confirmed me In the opinion that | al
| ways had of him, that he united the
| knowledge of the wise senator to the
/ integrity of a thoroughly good man and
the zeal of true patriot, but that he Is
| lacking as a statesman alike as regards
| clcarness of vision and determination"
Afterward Marat publicly declared in
! the convention that both RobeSpierre
| and DantOn had all along repudated
! the idea Of a dictatorship, Of triumyi-
rate, of tribunal which he had put be-
fore them. Finally, either as matter
of Justice or for his own glorification,
/ he said that he Marat was the first
/ and probably the only man since the
/ opening of the revolution who had
! openly declared for a triumvirate or
dictatorship as the only means of
| crushing conspirators.
Both Robcspierre and Marat drew a
hot fire from the Girondins, and the Jac-
obins took alarm. One day toward the
close of 1892, before the attack upon
| the king, Citizen Robert said to the Jac-
obin club: "It Is very astonishing that
the names of Robespierre and Marat
are always coupled together. Marat Is
a patriot. He has excellent qualities, |
admit but how different is he from
Robespierre. The latter is discreet,
/ moderate in his means. whereas Marat
is exaggerated and has not the dlScre-
ton which characterizes Robespierre.
1t is not sufficient to be a patriot. In
order to serve the people usefully II Is
necessary to be reserved in the means
of execution, and most assuredly
Robesperre surpasses Marat In the
means of execution"
In the same strain Citizen Bourbon
continued: 1--WE ought long since TO
have acquainted the affiliated societies
with our opinions of Marat. How could
they ever connect Robespierre and Ma
rat together? Robespierre is virtuous
man with whom we have no fault to