the origins of contemporary france-5-第90部分

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administrative　compartments。　…　According　to　the　opportunity　and　the

temptation；　it　glides　downhill；　now　toward　the　surrender　of　its　duty；

and　now　toward　the　meddlesome　interference　of　an　intruder。









V。　Local　versus　State　authority。



Case　in　which　the　State　abdicates。　…　Anarchy　during　the　Revolution。　…

Case　in　which　the　State　usurps。　…　Regime　of　the　year　VIII。　…　Remains

of　local　independence　under　the　ancient　regime。　…　Destroyed　under　the

new　regime。　…　Local　society　after　1800。



From　and　after　1789；　the　State；　passing　through　intermittent　fits　and

starts　of　brutal　despotism；　had　resigned　its　commission。　Under　its

almost　nominal　sovereignty；　there　were　in　France　forty…four　thousand

small　States　enjoying　nearly　sovereign　power；　and；　most　frequently；

sovereignty　in　reality。＇11＇　Not　only　did　the　local　community　manage

its　private　affairs；　but　again；　in　the　circumscription；　each　exercised

the　highest　public　functions；　disposed　of　the　national　guard；　of　the

police　force；　and　even　of　the　army；　appointed　civil　and　criminal

judges；　police　commissioners；＇12＇　the　assessors　and　collectors　of

taxes。　In　brief；　the　central　State　handed　over；　or　allowed　the　seizure

of　the　powers　of　which　it　ought　never　to　deprive　itself；　the　last　of

its　means　by　which　alone　it　acts　effectively　and　on　the　spot；



*　its　sword；　which　it　alone　should　wield；

*　its　scales　of　justice；　which　it　alone　should　hold；

*　its　purse；　for　it　to　fill；



and　we　have　seen　with　what　harm　to　individuals；　to　the　communes；　and

to　itself；　with　what　a　lamentable　series　of　disastrous　results：



*　universal；　incurable；　persistent　anarchy；

*　　impotence　of　the　government；

*　violation　of　the　laws；

*　complete　stoppage　of　revenue；　an　empty　treasury；

*　despotism　of　the　strong；　oppression　of　the　weak；

*　street　riots；

*　rural　brigandage；

*　　extortions　and　waste　at　the　town　halls；

*　municipal　usurpations　and　abdications；

*　ruin　of　the　highways；　and　all　useful　public　works　and　buildings；　and

*　the　ruin　and　distress　of　the　communes。＇13＇



In　contrast　with　this；　and　through　disgust；　the　new　Régime　takes　the

other　side；　and　even　goes　to　the　other　extreme；　the　central　State；　in

1800；　no　longer　a　party　that　has　resigned；　as　formerly；　becomes　the

interloper。　Not　only　does　it　take　back　from　local　communities　the

portion　of　the　public　domain　which　had　been　imprudently　conceded　to

them；　but；　again；　it　lays　its　hand　on　their　private　domain；　it

attaches　them　to　it　by　way　of　appendices；　while　its　systematic；

uniform　usurpation；　accomplished　at　one　blow；　spread　over　the　whole

territory；　again　plunges　them　all；　communes　and　departments　alike；

into　a　chaos　in　which；　under　the　old　monarchy；　they　would　never　have

fallen。



Before　1789；　collective　legal　entities　（persons）；　provincial　and

communal；　still　existed。　On　the　one　hand；　five　or　six　great　local

bodies；　represented　by　elective　assemblies；　full　of　life　and

spontaneously　active；　among　others　those　of　Languedoc　and　Brittany；

still　provided　for　and　governed　themselves。　The　other　provinces；　which

the　central　power　had　reduced　to　administrative　districts；　retained；

at　least；　their　historic　cohesion；　their　time…honored　name；　the　lament

for；　or　at　least　the　souvenir　of；　their　former　autonomy；　and；　here　and

there；　a　few　vestiges　or　fragments　of　their　lost　independence；　and；

better　yet；　these　old；　paralyzed；　but　not　mutilated　bodies；　had　just

assumed　new　life；　and　under　their　renewed　organism　were　striving　to

give　the　blood　in　their　veins　a　fresh　start。　Twenty…one　provincial

assemblies；　instituted　over　the　entire　territory；　between　1778　and

1787；　and　provided　with　powers　of　considerable　importance；　undertook；

each　in　its　own　sphere；　to　direct　provincial　interests。　Communal

interest；　also；　had　its　representatives　in　the　urban　or　rural

communes。　In　the　towns；　a　deliberative　assembly；　composed　of　the

leading　notables　and　of　delegates　elected　by　all　the　corporations　and

communities　in　the　place；　formed　an　intermittent　municipal　council　the

same　as　to…day；　but　much　more　ample；　which　voted　and　passed

resolutions　on　important　occasions；　there　was　a　board　of　management　at

the　head　of　it；　〃the　town　corps；〃　comprising　the　various　municipal

officials；　the　mayor；　his　lieutenant；　sheriffs；　prosecuting　attorney；

treasurer；　and　clerk；＇14＇　now　elected　by　the　deliberative　assembly；

now　the　legal　purchasers；　heirs；　and　proprietors　of　their　office；　the

same　as　a　notary　or　advocate　of　to…day　owns　his　office；　protected

against　administrative　caprices　by　a　royal　acquittance；　and；　for　a

money　consideration；　titular　in　their　towns；　the　same　as　a

parliamentarian　in　his　parliament；　and　hence　planted　in；　or　grafted

upon；　the　commune　like　a　parliamentarian　among　his　peers；　and；　like

him；　defenders　of　local　interests　against　the　central　power。　…　In　the

village；　the　heads　of　families　met　together　on　the　public　square；

deliberated　in　common　over　common　affairs；　elected　the　syndic；

likewise　the　collectors　of　the　taille；　and　deputies　to　the　intendant；

of　their　own　accord；　but　with　his　approval；　they　taxed　themselves　for

the　support　of　the　school；　for　repairs　to　the　church　or　fountain；　and

for　beginning　or　carrying　on　a　suit　in　court。　…　All　these　remains　of

the　ancient　provincial　and　communal　initiative；　respected　or　tolerated

by　monarchical　centralization；　are　crushed　out　and　extinguished。　The

First　Consul　very　soon　falls　upon　these　local　societies　and　seizes

them　in　his　claws；　in　the　eyes　of　the　new　legislator　they　scarcely

seem　to　exist；　there　must　not　be　any　local　personalities　for　him。　The

commune　and　department；　in　his　eyes；　are　merely　territorial　districts；

physical　portions　of　the　public　domain；　provincial　workshops　to　which

the　central　State　transfers　and　uses　its　tools；　in　order　to　work

effectively　and　on　the　spot。　Here；　as　elsewhere；　he　takes　the　business

entirely　in　his　own　hands；　if　he　employs　interested　parties　it　is　only

as　auxiliaries；　at　odd　times；　for　a　few　days；　to　operate　with　more

discernment　and　more　economy；　to　listen　to　complaints　and　promises；　to

become　better　informed　and　the　better　to　apportion　changes；　but；

except　this　occasional　and　subordinate　help；　the　members　of　the　local

society　must　remain　passive　in　the　local　society；　they　are　to　pay　and

obey；　and　nothing　more。　Their　community　no　longer　belongs　to　them；　but

to　the　government；　its　chiefs　are　functionaries　who　depend　on　him；　and

not　on　it；　it　no　longer　issues　its　mandate；　all　its　legal　mandatories；

all　its　representatives　and　directors；　municipal　or　general

councilors；　mayors；　sub…prefects　or　prefects；　are　imposed　on　it　from

above；　by　a　foreign　hand；　and；　willingly　or　not；　instead　of　choosing

them；　it　has　to　put　up　with　them。





VI。　Local　Elections　under　the　First　Consul。



Lists　of　notables。　…　Sénatus…consultes　of　the　year　X。　…　Liberal

institution　becomes　a　reigning　instrument。　…　Mechanism　of　the　system

of　appointments　and　candidatures。　…　Decree　of　1806　and　suppression　of

candidatures。



At　the　beginning；　an　effort　was　made　to　put　in　practice　the

constitutional　principle　proposed　by　Sieyès：　Power　in　future；

according　the　accepted　formula；　must　come　from　above　and　confidence

from　below。　To　this　end；　in　the　year　IX；　the　assembled　citizens

appointed　one…tenth　of　their　number；　about　500；000　communal　notables；

and　these；　likewise　assembled；　appointed　also　one…tenth　of　their

number；　about　50；000　departmental　notables。　The　government　selected

from　this　list　the　municipal　councilors　of　each　commune；　and；　from

this　second　list；　the　general　councilors　of　each　department。　…　The

machine；　however；　is　clumsy；　difficult　to　set　going；　still　more

difficult　to　manage；　and　too　unreliable　in　its　operation。　According　to

the　First　Consul；　it　is　an　absurd　system；　〃a　childish　piece　of

ideology；　a　great　nation　should　not　be　organized　in　this　way。〃＇15＇　At

bottom；＇16＇　〃he　does　not　want　notables　accepted　by　the　nation。　In　his

system；　he　is　to　declare　who　the　notables　of　the　nation　shall　be　and

stamp　them　with　the　seal　of　the　State；　it　is　not　for　the　nation　to

present　them　to　the　head　of　the　State　stamped　with　the　national　seal。〃

Consequently；　at　the　end　of　a　year；　he　becomes；　through　the

establishment　of　electoral　colleges；　the　veritable　grand…elector　of

all　the　notables；　he　has　transformed；　with　his　usual　address；　a

liberal　institution　into　a　reigning　instrumentality。＇17＇

Provisionally；　he　holds　on　to　the　list　of　communal　notables；　〃because

it　is　the　work　of　the　people；　the　result　of　a　grand　movement　which

must　not　prove　useless；　and　because；　moreover；　it　contains　a　large

number　of　names。　。　。　。　offering　a　wide　margin　from　which　to　make　good

selections。＇18＇　He　brings　together　these　notables　in　each　canton；　and

invites　them　to　designate　their　trusty　men；　the　candidates　from　which

he　will　choose　municipal　councilors。　But；　as　there　are　very　few

cultivated　men　in　the　rural　districts；　〃nearly　always　it　is　the