Year: 1874

CRETLY.


A Paris correspondent OF the New York Timer
draws this picture Of the sltussion in that city:
Evidently difficulties are fast closing in about us,
and every day we ksve some frcsh cause for re-
fecting upon the Insecurity orthenoment. While
the politicians have bsen intent upon their schemes
ct Versailles, the rsyeiutionlsts have been work
ing In the dark, and rszelations have been made
during the week whick show how thoroughly they
have succeeded In organizing the workingmenI
Everything seems to favor their plans The want
Of work. the dearness OF the necessariesof lfe and
the widespread distress ina great many qnsrters,
have once more turned the attention OF the poor
to those dreams OF mutual aid societies which have
been 80 oleverly used In the past. -Hr-


need not say that under guise Of philanthropy
the leaders in these organisations think only OF
making them political machines, and they are 90
In fact, In spite Of tho more honest among the
members, and In spite sf the stringent laws
against political societies The spirit which ant
mated the commune Is very far from being
crushed. The same men are ouoe more organ
ising for another attempt and just as they did
before ls4s and 1871. Societies Of workngmen are
formed In each arrondlssement These are under
the direction or dfstrict committees, which take
their orders from the eeBtral committee The or
ganization complete the next step is to bind the
men by making them solldsirs In all ths dangers
and benefits, and by the element Of secrscJ, which
is always attractive to unsducated men. The
members Of the society who have the work are
heavily taxed, and one half Of the proceeds is at
once added to the sinking fund. reserved for war
budget. The rest goes to aid those who are out
of work and In distress.


The next step is TO encourage strikes, for the
purpose OF harassIng the government and Of dis
organising labor. This does not seem very log
ical on the part OF workingmen; but they seem
to follow their leaders blindly, without regard TO
the political schemes Of the latter. Just before
the war matters had reached the stage where we
find them to-day, and Creusot was selected as the
best spot for beginning the strikes. The difhcul-
ties then caused made possible the 9Th Of Septefn.
ber This time tho strikes are to be encouraged
in Paris. The government is at Versailles, and
the moral effect Of Its authority 10 not as imposing
rs during the empire. The certainty that the
Septennate must come to an end one day or
another and the belief that It will not last long,
gives the chiefs Of the Internationals an opportu
nifty for saying that 1t will be succeeded BY
| another commune.


Yesterday my concierge was In great state Of
alarm over the news he had heard. His COM
panions are three or four coachmen and the fire.
They had persuaded him that another Communist
movement had been already organised; that men
were at hand; that money was not wanting, and
that two or three regiments Of the line had prom
ised not to fire upon "the people" Where there
is much smoke there Is always some fire, and
there must be something in these reports, al
though mainly due to the fact that thousands OF
workingmen are idle and clsmoring for change.
They go upon the principle that any change
would be Of advantage to thsm, for their condi-
ton could not be much worse than It is now. And
If by chance another insurrectiou should break
out, the shop-keepers and the bourgeolse would
be immsdiately pillaged. The old popular
hatred for the rich and the mobiles has been turned
upon the boureeoise. Violence 10 always wrong,
but If ever pillage was justifable it would be In
the case Of the shop-keepers OF Paris. Their ex-
ouse is that the Government has burdensd them
with taxes, but they not only put all their taxes
upon the poor, but actually speculate upon each
| imposition.