THE JACOBINS COME INTO IN POWER. - THE ELECTIONS OF 1791. - PROPORTIONOF PLACES GAINED BY THEM.
In June， 1791， and during the five following months， the class of active citizens[1] are convoked to elect their representatives， which， as we know， according to the law， are of every kind and degree. In the first place， there are 40，000 members of electoral colleges of the second degree and 745 deputies. Next， there are one-half of the administrators of 83 departments， one-half of the administrators of 544 districts， one-half of the administrators of 41，000 communes， and finally， in each municipality， the mayor and syndic-attorney. Then in each department they have to elect the president of the criminal court and the prosecuting-attorney， and， throughout France， officers of the National Guard； in short， almost the entire body of the agents and depositories of legal authority. The garrison of the public citadel is to be renewed， which is the second and even the third time since 1789.
-- At each time the Jacobins have crept into the place， in small bands， but this time they enter in large bodies. Pétion becomes mayor of Paris， Manual， syndic-attorney， and Danton the deputy of Manuel.
Robespierre is elected prosecuting-attorney in criminal cases. The very first week，[2] 136 new deputies enter their names on the club's register. In the Assembly the party numbers about 250 members. On passing all the posts of the fortress in review， we may estimate the besiegers as occupying one-third of them， and perhaps more. Their siege for two years has been carried on with unerring instinct， the extraordinary spectacle presenting itself of an entire nation legally overcome by a troop of insurgents.[3]
I.
Their siege operations. -- Means used by them to discourage the majority of electors and conservative candidates. -- Frequency of elections. - Obligation to take the oath.
First of all， they clear the ground， and through the decrees forced out of the Constituent Assembly， they keep most of the majority away from the polls. -- On the one hand， under the pretext of better ensuring popular sovereignty， the elections are so multiplied， and held so near together， as to demand of each active citizen one-sixth of his time； such an exaction is very great for hard-working people who have a trade or any occupation，[4] which is the case with the great mass； at all events， with the useful and sane portion of the population. Accordingly， as we have seen， it stays away from the polls， leaving the field open to idlers or fanatics.[5] -- On the other hand， by virtue of the constitution， the civic oath， which includes the ecclesiastical oath， is imposed on all electors， for， if any one takes the former and reserves the latter， his vote is thrown out： in November， in the Doubs， the municipal elections of thirty-three communes are invalidated solely on this pretext.[6] Not only forty thousand ecclesiastics are thus rendered unsworn (insermentés)， but again， all scrupulous Catholics lose the right of suffrage， these being by far the most numerous in Artois， Doubs and the Jura， in the Lower and Upper Rhine district，[7] in the two Sévres and la Vendée， in the Lower Loire， Morbihan， Finisterre and C？tes du Nord， in Lozère and Ardèche， without mentioning the southern departments.[8] Thus， aided by the law which they have rendered impracticable， the Jacobins， on the one hand， are rid of all sensible voters in advance， counting by millions； and， on the other， aided by a law which they have rendered intolerant， they are rid of the Catholic vote which counts by hundreds of thousands. On entering the electoral lists， consequently， thanks to this double exclusion， they find themselves confronted by only the smallest number of electors.
II.
Annoyances and dangers of public elections. - The constituents excluded from the Legislative body.
Operations must now be commenced against these， and a first expedient consists in depriving them of their candidates. The obligation of taking the oath has already partly provided for this， in Lozère all the officials send in their resignations rather than take the oath；[9]
here are men who will not be candidates at the coming elections， for nobody covets a place which he was forced to abandon； in general， the suppression of all party candidatures is effected in no other way than by making the post of a magistrate distasteful. -- The Jacobins have successfully adhered to this principle by promoting and taking the lead in innumerable riots against the King， the officials and the clerks， against nobles， ecclesiastics， corn-dealers and land-owners， against every species of public authority whatever its origin.
