Читать книгу Paris under the Commune - John Leighton - Страница 23

[Footnote 14: No one may use white placards—they are reserved by the government.

The following is an extract from the Official Journal of Versailles, bearing the date of the 20th of March, which explains the official form of the announcements made by the Central Committee:—

"Yesterday, 19th March, the offices of the Official Journal, in Paris, were broken into, the employés having escaped to Versailles with the documents, to join the Government and the National Assembly. The invaders took possession of the printing machines, the materials, and even the official and non-official articles which had been set up in type, and remained in the composing-rooms. It is thus that they were enabled to give an appearance of regularity to the publication of their decrees, and to deceive the Parisian public by a false Official Journal."]

[Footnote 15: Here is an extract from the Official Journal upon the subject (numbers of the 29th March and 1st June):—

"In the insurrection, the momentary triumph of which has crushed Paris beneath so odious and humiliating a yoke, carried the distresses of France to their height, and put civilisation in peril, the International Society has borne a part which has suddenly revealed to all the fatal power of this dangerous association.

"On the 19th of March, the day after the outbreak of the terrible sedition, of which the last horrors will form one of the most frightful pages in history, there appeared upon the walls a placard which made known to Paris the names of its new masters.

"With the exception of one, alone, (Assy), who had acquired a deplorable notoriety, these names were unknown to almost all who read them; they had suddenly emerged from utter obscurity, and people asked themselves with astonishment, with stupor, what unseen power could have given them an influence and a meaning which they did not possess in themselves. This power was the International; these names were those of some of its members."]

[Footnote 16: Travailler pour le Roi de Prusse, "to work for the King of Prussia," is an old French saying, which means to work for nothing, to no purpose.]

[Footnote 17: "THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL GUARD.

"Inasmuch:—

"That it is most urgent that the Communal administration of the City of

Paris shall be formed immediately,

"Decrees:—

"1st. The elections for the Communal Council of the City of Paris will take place on Wednesday next, the 22nd of March.

"2nd. The electors will vote with lists, and in their own arrondissements.

"Each arrondissement will elect a councillor for each twenty thousand of inhabitants, and an extra one for a surplus of more than ten thousand.

"3rd. The poll will be open from eight in the morning to six in the evening. The result will be made known at once.

"4th. The municipalities of the twenty arrondissements are entrusted with the proper execution of the present decree.

"A placard indicating the number of councillors for each arrondissement will shortly be posted up.

"Hôtel de Ville, Paris, 29th March, 1871."]