To conquer the last bastion of the Girondists all they have to do is simultaneously in all sections to do what they used to do separately in each section： substituting themselves， by fraud and by force， for the Veritable people， they are able to conjure up before the Convention the phantom of popular disapproval. -- From the municipality， holding its sessions at the H？tel-de-ville， and from the conventicle established at the Evêché， emissaries are sent forth who present the same formal communication in writing at the same time in every section in Paris.[106] "Here is a petition for signatures." --"Read it." -- "But that is unnecessary -- it is already adopted by a majority of the sections." -- This lie is accepted by some and several sign in good faith without reading it. In others they read it and refuse to sign it； in others， again， it is read and they pass to the order of the day. What happens？ The plotters and ringleaders remain behind until all conscientious citizens have withdrawn； then， masters of the debate， they decide that the petition must be signed， and they accordingly affix their signatures. The next day， on the arrival of citizens at the section， the petition is handed to them for their names， and the debate of the previous evening is advanced against them. If they offer any remarks， they are met with these terrifying words：
Sign， or no certificate of civism！
And， as if approving this threat， several of the sections which are mastered by those who draw up the lists of proscriptions， decide that the certificates of civism must be renewed， new ones being refused to those refusing to sign the petition. They do not rest content with these moves； men armed with pikes are posted in the streets to force the signatures of those who pass."[107] -- The whole weight of municipal authority has been publicly cast into the scale.
"Commissaries of the Commune， accompanied by municipal secretaries， with tables， inkstands， paper and registers， promenade about Paris preceded by drums and a body of militia." From time to time， they make "a solemn halt，" and declaim against Brissot， Vergniaud， Guadet， and then "demand and obtain signatures."[108]-- Thus extorted and borne to the Convention by the mayor， in the name of the council-general of the Commune and of the thirty-five sections， the imperious petition denounces twenty-two Girondists as traitors， and insolently demands their expulsion. -- Another day it is found that a similar summons and similarly presented， in the name of the forty-eight sections， is authorized only by thirteen or fourteen.[109] -- Sometimes the political parade is still more incautious. Pretended deputies of the Faubourg St. Antoine appear before the Convention and assert the revolutionary program. "If you do not adopt it，" they say， "we will declare ourselves in a state of insurrection； there are 40，000 men at the door."[110] The truth is， "about fifty bandits， scarcely known in the Faubourg，" and led by a former upholsterer， now a commissary of police， "have gathered together on their route" all they could find in the workshops "and in the stores，" the multitude packed into the Place Vend？me not knowing what was demanded in their name.[111] -- These dummy tumults are， however， useful； they show the Convention its master， and prepare the way for a more efficient invasion. The day Marat was acquitted， the whole of his sewer， male and female， came along with him； under pretext of parading before the Convention， they invaded the hall， scattered themselves over the benches and steps， and， supported by the galleries， installed anew in the tribune， amidst a tempest of applause and of tumult， the usual promoter of insurrection， pillage and assassination.[112] - And yet， however energetic and however persistent the pressure， the Convention， which has yielded on so many points， will not consent to mutilate itself. It pronounces the petition presented against the Twenty-two calumnious；it institutes a special commission of twelve members to search the papers of the Commune and the sections for legal proofs of the plot openly and steadily maintained by the Jacobins against the national representation； Mayor Pache is summoned to the bar of the house；warrants of arrest are issued against Hébert， Dobsen and Varlet. --Since popular manifestations have not answered the purpose， and the Convention， instead of obeying， is rebellious， nothing is left but to employ force.
"Since the 10th of March，" says Vergniaud， in the tribune，[113]
"murder is openly and unceasingly fomented against you." -- "It is a terrible time，" says an observer， "strongly resembling that preceding the 2nd of September."[114] -- That same evening， at the Jacobin club， a member proposes to "exterminate the scoundrels before leaving. "Ihave studied the Convention，" he says[115] "it is composed in part of scoundrels who ought to be punished. All the supporters of Dumouriez and the other conspirators should be put out of the way； fire the alarm gun and close the barriers！" The following forenoon， "all the walls in Paris are covered with posters，" calling on the Parisians to "hurry up and slit the throats of the statesmen."[116] -- " We must do something to put an end to this！" is the slogan of the sans-culottes.
-- The following week， at the Jacobin club， as elsewhere， "immediate insurrection is the order of the day. . . . What we formerly called the sacred enthusiasm of freedom and patriotism， is now metamorphosed into the fury of an excited populace， which can no longer be regulated or disciplined except by force. There is not one of these scoundrels who would not accept a counter-revolution， provided they could be allowed to crush and stamp on the most noted conservatives.[117] . .
