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the origins of contemporary france-4-第155部分

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declining; the (Jacobin) representatives on mission having taken all

his coin; plate and assignats。  Hence; during the following month;

buyers find on his unfurnished counters nothing but rubbish and

refuse。



In like manner; after the proclamation of the maximum;'42' the peasant

refuses to bring his produce to market; while the revolutionary army

is not everywhere on hand to take it from him by force: he leaves his

crop unthrashed as long as he can; and complains of not finding the

men to thrash it。  If necessary; he hides it or feeds it out to his

animals。  He often barters it away for wood; for a side of bacon or in

payment for a day's work。  At night; he carts it off six leagues to a

neighboring district; where the local maximum is fixed at a higher

rate。  He knows who; in his own vicinity; still has specie in his

pocket and he underhandedly supplies him with his stores。  He

especially conceals his superabundance and; as formerly; pretends to

be poor and suffering。  He is on good terms with the village

authorities; with the mayor and national agent who are as interested

as he is in evading the law; and; on a bribe being necessary; he gives

it。  At last; he allows himself to be sued; and his property attached;

he goes to prison and tires the authorities out with his obstinacy。

Hence; from week to week; less flour and grain and fewer cattle come

to market; while meat becomes scarcer at the butcher's; and bread at

the baker's。  … Having thus paralyzed the lesser organs of supply and

demand the Jacobins now have only to paralyze labor itself; the

skilled hands; the active and vigorous arms。  This is simply done by

replacing the independent private workshop by the compulsory national

workshop in this way replacing piece…work by work by the day; and the

attentive; energetic workman who minds his business and expects to

earn money in return by inattentive apathic workmen pressed into a

poorly paid service but paid even when they botch the job or laze

about。  … This is what the Jacobins do by forcibly commanding the

services of all sorts of laborers;'43' 〃all who help handle; transport

and retail produce and articles of prime necessity;〃 〃country people

who usually get in the crops;〃 and; more particularly; thrashers;

reapers; carters; rafts men; and also shoemakers; tailors; blacksmiths

and the rest。  … At every point of the social organism; the same

principle is applied with the same result。  Substitute everywhere an

external; artificial and mechanical constraint for the inward; natural

and animating stimulant; and you get nothing but an universal atrophy。

Deprive people of the fruits of their labor; and yet more; force them

to produce by fear; confiscate their time; their painstaking efforts

and their persons; reduce them to the condition of fellahs; create in

them the sentiments of fellahs; and you will have nothing but the

labor and productions of fellahs; that is to say; a minimum of labor

and production; and hence; insufficient supplies for sustaining a very

dense population; which; multiplied through a superior and more

productive civilization; will not long subsist under a barbarous;

inferior and unproductive régime。  When this systematic and complete

expropriation terminates we see the final result of the system; no

longer a dearth; but famine; famine on a large scale; and the

destruction of lives by millions。  … Among the Jacobins;'44' some of

the maddest who are clear…sighted; on account of their fury; Guffroy;

Antonelle; Jean Bon Saint…André; Collot d'Herbois; foresee the

consequences and accept them along with the principle。  Others; who

avoid seeing it; are only the more determined in the application of

it。  However; they all work together with all their might to aggravate

the misery of which the lamentable spectacle is so vainly exposed

under their eyes。







IV。  Hunger。



Famine。  … In the provinces。  … At Paris。  … People standing in lines

under the Revolutionary government to obtain food。  … Its quality。  …

Distress and chagrin。



Collot d'Herbois wrote from Lyons on November 6; 1793: 〃There is not

two days' supply of provisions here。〃 On the following day: 〃The

present population of Lyons is one hundred and thirty thousand souls

at least; and there is not sufficient subsistence for three days。〃

Again the day after: 〃Our situation in relation to food is

deplorable。〃 Then; the next day: 〃Famine is beginning。〃'45' … Near by;

in the Montbrison district; in February; 1794; 〃there is no food or

provisions left for the people;〃 all has been taken by requisition and

carried off; even seed for planting; so that the fields lie

fallow。'46' … At Marseilles; 〃since the maximum; everything is

lacking; even the fishermen no longer go out (on the sea) so that

there is no supply of fish to live on。〃'47' … At Cahors; in spite of

multiplied requisitions; the Directory of Lot and Representative

Taillefer'48' state that 〃the inhabitants; for more than eight days;

are reduced wholly to maslin bread composed of one…fifth of wheat and

the rest of barley; barley…malt and millet。〃 … At N?mes;'49' to make

the grain supply last; which is giving out; the bakers and all private

persons are ordered not to sift the meal; but to leave the bran in it

and knead and bake the 〃dough such as it is。〃 … At Grenoble;'50' 〃the

bakers have stopped baking; the country people no longer bring wheat

in; the dealers hide away their goods; or put them in the hands of

neighborly officials; or send them off。〃 … 〃 It goes from bad to

worse;〃 write the agents of Huningue;'51'  one might say even; that

they would give this or that article to their cattle rather than sell

it in conformity with the tax。〃 … The inhabitants of towns are

everywhere put on rations; and so small a ration as to scarcely keep

them from dying with hunger。  〃Since my arrival in Tarbes;〃 writes

another agent;'52' 〃every person is limited to half a pound of bread a

day; composed one…third of wheat and two…thirds of corn meal。〃 The

next day after the fête in honor of the tyrant's death there was

absolutely none at all。  〃A half…pound of bread is also allowed at

Evreux;'53' 〃and even this is obtained with a good deal of trouble;

many being obliged to go into the country and get it from the farmers

with coin。〃 And even 〃they have got very little bread; flour or wheat;

for they have been obliged to bring what they had to Evreux for the

armies and for Paris。〃



It is worse at Rouen and at Bordeaux: at Rouen; in Brumaire; the

inhabitants have only one quarter of a pound per head per diem of

bread; at Bordeaux; 〃 for the past three months;〃 says the agent;'54'

〃 the people sleep at the doors of the bakeries; to pay high for bread

which they often do not get 。  。  。  There has been no baking done to…

day; and to…morrow only half a loaf will be given to each person。

This bread is made of oats and beans 。  。  。  On days that there is

none; beans; chestnuts and rice are distribu
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