The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-05-02

The Ministry which had brought the
States General into existence was dis
solved. and Necker. who was to have
been the savior Of the Court, and who
was still the idol of the people, was
dismissed! But these measures OF re-
taliatioE against the Assembly only
served to exasperate the people, and
did not help the Royalists, for the
King, hor,iticd at the bare idea OF
bloohshcd, would not give orders for
the troops to he used either against
he representatives of the people or the
people themselves, who were now be-
ginning to act of their own accord.
THE MIGHT OF THE PEOPLE.
Indeed, from this date the National
Assembly was to give place to a
greater power-the citizens Of Paris
and their provincial brethren; while
the Deputies were drawing up elaborate
constitutions the people were bowling
for food and the blood Of aristocrats.
The harvest was a bad one. Flour
was scarce, bread was dear. and the
people were hungry. Hunger does
not conduce TO patience, and the butch
ers of the Flaubourg St. Antoine, the
of Montmartre, were get
ting very impatient. So much so, in
deed, that on the l4th of July, 1879,
they decided to break the monotony
and relieve their feelings.
Some thousands of them, joined by
men of a better class, but all inflamed
with one hatred for the old order and
one longing to pull it down and all its
symbols with it. marched toward the
Bastile, that grim old building which
was the type Of fculal tyranny and an
insult to peoples liberty. 1t was
weakly defended by q weak governor
De Lannay 10y name. 1t was at
tackled with the combined fury of
horde OF passionate. aid desperate men.
Before long the defense was broken
down. an entrance effected, a surrender
offered. But the crowd wanted no
surrender. They preferred blood. A
few soldiers were killed and the gov
crnor's lead was hacked from its body
and set on pike. The wild beasts
had tasted human flesh, and they were
raw, nous.
The National Assembly rcjoiced at
tie destruction of the Bastile-for it
WIS quickly razed to the ground-but
the, were aghast at the violence of the
mob. They might draw up ideal con
but what were constitutions
OR paper against the actual might of a
raging people? The municipality Of
Paris rroained for while something
of its Old command and convoked a
new civic militia, which it called the
National Guard, and of which Lafa-
yette was given the command. But
municipality AMI commanderin-chief
were in the hands the people, who had
found their power at last. The army
soon ceased to exist. The soldiers
oined the people to whom they be-
ongrd 10y creed as we'll as class, and
,he leaders of the people-men who
'prang from the gutter into power
we're the masters Of France.
THE LUST OF BLOOD.
They showed their mastery Ivy the
of vengeance upon those who
lad made themselves specially obnOx-
Gus to the cause of "frceuom.' "a
antern !''-"To the lantern was
soon well-known cry in the streets
,f Paris, though it WAS to be more
,llen heard later on. Fouon and
Btrlhier de Sauvigny, two Ministers,
Who reused the fury of the mob, were
,he first to dangle from the iron brac-
lets of the street lamps which were 50
for summary jurisdition.
Not lafayette, Of the National Guard,
lor Bailiy, the Ma, or oi Paris, both
chosen favorltes OF the people, could
lold the hands of their electors when
t was a question of popular justice.
Then one day the women of Paris
.he tishwives and market women-took
t into their heads to he! p their hus-
bands, brothers and sweethearts in this
business OF revolution. In their thou
sands they thronged to the square of
.he Palais Royal and at Il word from
some leader they were inspired with
he eNultant notion to march to Yer
saillcs to see what that stupid Natio-
lal Assembly was about which talked
50 much but did not give the people
Drcad. SO to Versailles they tramped
getting drtier and more bedraggled
IN the way, bat filled with madder
enthusiasm as they neared their
goal.
Like a horde of Amazons they in
Taded the Place of Assembly and
the astonished Deputies
One of them mounted the presiden-
,ial chair, others put their arms round
,he nCcks Of respectable representa-
ives of the nation aud gave them ad-
iicc Of totally unconstitutional char
icter.
Then a new idea spiz ii this female
visit the King and
Queen, to shake their fists in the face
)f these oppressors who lived in lux