[53] Buchez et Roux， XXVIII 55. Letter by Brun-Lafond， a grenadier in the national guard， July 14， 1793， to a friend in the provinces， in justification of the 31st of May. The whole of this letter requires to be read. In it are found the ordinary ideas of a Jacobin in relation to history： "Can we ignore， that it is ever the people of Paris which， through its murmurings and righteous insurrections against the oppressive system of many of our kings， has forced them to entertain milder sentiments regarding the relief of the French people， and principally of the tiller of the soil？ . . Without the energy of Paris， Paris and France would now be inhabited solely by slaves， while this beautiful soil would present an aspect as wild and deserted as that of the Turkish empire or that of Germany，" which has led us "to confer still greater lustre on this Revolution， by re-establishing on earth the ancient Athenian and other Grecian republics in all their purity. Distinctions among the early people of the earth did not exist； early family ties bound people together who had no ancient founders or origin； they had no other laws in their republics but those which， so to say， inspired them with those sentiments of fraternity experienced by them in the cradle of primitive populations."[54] Barbaroux， "Mémoires" (Ed. Dauban)， 336. -- Grégoire， "Mémoires，"I. 410.
[55] "La Révolution Fran？aise，" by Quinet (extracts from the unpublished "Mémoires" of Baudot)， II. 209， 211， 421， 620. -- Guillon de Montléon I. 445 (speech by Chalier， in the Lyons Central Club， March 23， 1793). "They say that the sans-culottes will go on spilling their blood. This is only the talk of aristocrats. Can a sans-culotte be reached in that quarter？ Is he not invulnerable， like the gods whom he replaces on this earth？" -- Speech by David， in the Convention， on Barra and Viala： "Under so fine a government woman will bring forth without pain." -- Mercier "Le Nouveau Paris，" I. 13. "I heard (an orator) exclaim in one of the sections， to which I bear witness： 'Yes， I would take my own head by the hair， cut it off， and， presenting it to the despot， I would say to him： Tyrant， behold the act of a free man！'"[56] Now， one hundred years later， I consider the tens of thousands of western intellectuals， who， in their old age， seem unable to understand their longtime fascination with Lenin， Stalin and Mao， Icannot help to think that history might be holding similar future surprises in store for us. (SR).
[57] And my lifetime， our Jacobins the communists， have including in their register the distortion， the lie and slander as a regular tool of their trade. (SR).
[58] Lafayette， "Mémoires，" I.467 (on the Jacobins of August 10， 1792). "This sect， the destruction of which was desired by nineteen-twentieths of France."-- Durand-Maillan， 49. The aversion to the Jacobins after June 20， 1792， was general. "The communes of France， everywhere wearied and dissatisfied with popular clubs， would gladly have got rid of them， that they might no longer be under their control."[59] The words of Leclerc， a deputy of the Lyons committee in the Jacobin Club at Paris May 12， 1793. "Popular machiavelianism must be established . . . Everything impure must disappear off the French soil. . . I shall doubtless be regarded as a brigand， but there is one way to get ahead of calumny， and that is to exterminate the calumniators."[60] Buchez et Roux， XXXIV. 204 (testimony of Fran？ois Lameyrie).
"Collection of authentic documents for the History of the Revolution at Strasbourg，" II. 210 (speech by Baudot， Frimaire 19， year II.， in the Jacobin club at Strasbourg). "Egoists， the heedless， the enemies of liberty， the enemies of all nature should not be regarded as her children. Are not all who oppose the public good， or who do not share it， in the same case？ Let us， then， utterly destroy them. . . Were they a million， would not one sacrifice the twenty-fourth part of one's self to get rid of a gangrene which might infect the rest of the body？.." For these reasons， the orator thinks that every man who is not wholly devoted to the Republic must be put to death. He states that the Republic should at one blow cause the instant disappearance of every friend to kings and feudalism.--Beaulieu， "Essai，" V. 200. M.
d'Antonelle thought， "like most of the revolutionary clubs， that， to constitute a republic， an approximate equality of property should be established； and to do this， a third of the population should be suppressed." -- " This was the general idea among the fanatics of the Revolution. " -- Larevellière-Lépaux， "Mémoires，" I.150 "Jean Bon St.
André . . . suggested that for the solid foundation of the Republic in France， the population should be reduced one-half." He is violently interrupted by Larevellière-Lépeaux， but continues and insists on this. - Guffroy， deputy of the Pas-de-Calais， proposed in his journal a still larger amputation； he wanted to reduce France to five millions of inhabitants.
