Whatever the tolerance or connivance of the soldiers may be， the people have a vague sentiment that they are not there to permit the ripping open of sacks of flour， or the seizing of farmers by the throat. To get rid of all obstacles and of being watched， they make use of the municipality itself， and force it to effect its own disarmament. The municipal officers， besieged in the town-hall， at times threatened with pistols and bayonets，[24] dispatch to the detachments they are expecting an order to turn back， and entreat the Directory not to send any more troops， for， if any come， they have been told that "they will be sorry for it." Nowhere are there regular troops. At étampes， the people repeat that "they are sent for and paid by the flour-dealers；" at Montlhéry， that "they merely serve to arm citizens against each other；" at Limours， that "they make grain dearer." All pretexts seem good in this direction； the popular will is absolute， and the authorities complacently meet its decrees half-way. At Montlhéry， the municipal body orders the gendarmerie to remain at the gates of the town， which gives full play to the insurrection. - The administrators， however， are not relieved by leaving the people free to act； they are obliged to sanction their exactions by ordinances. They are taken out of the H？tel-de-Ville， led to the marketplace， and there forthwith， under the dictation of the uproar which establishes prices， they， like simple clerks， proclaim the reduction. When， moreover， the armed rabble of a village marches forth to tyrannize over a neighboring market， it carries its mayor along with it in spite of himself， as an official instrument which belongs to it.[25] "There is no resistance against force，" writes the mayor of Vert-le-Petit； "we had to set forth immediately." - " They assured me，" says the Mayor of Fontenay， "that， if I did not obey them， they would hang me." - On any municipal officer hazarding a remonstrance， they tell him that "he is getting to be an aristocrat." Aristocrat and hung， the argument is irresistible， and all the more so because it is actually applied. At Corbeil， the procureur-syndic who tries to enforce the law is almost beaten to death， and three houses in which they try to find him are demolished. At Montlhéry， a seed merchant， accused of mixing the flour of beans (twice as dear) with wheaten flour， is massacred in his own house. At étampes， the mayor who promulgates the law is cudgeled to death. Mobs talk of nothing but "burning and destroying，" while the farmers， abused， hooted at， forced to sell， threatened with death and robbed， run away， declaring they will never return to the market again.
Such is the first effect of popular dictatorship. Like all unintelligent forces， it operates in a direction the reverse of its intention： to dearness it adds dearth， and empties， instead of replenishing， the markets. That of étampes often contained fifteen or sixteen hundred sacks of flour； the week following this insurrection there were， at most， sixty brought to it. At Montlhéry， where six thousand men had collected together， each one obtains for his share only a small measure， while the bakers of the town have none at all. This being the case， the enraged National Guards tell the farmers that they are coming to see them on their farms. And they really go.[26] Drums roll constantly on the roads around Montlhéry， Limours， and other large market-towns. Columns of two， three， and four hundred men are seen passing under the lead of their commandant and of the mayor whom they take along with them.
They enter each farm， mount into the granaries， estimate the quantity of grain thrashed out， and force the proprietor to sign an agreement to bring it to market the following week. Sometimes， as they are hungry， they compel people to give them something to eat and drink on the spot， and it will not do to enrage them， - a farmer and his wife come near being hung in their own barn.
Their effort is useless： Wheat is impounded and hunted up in vain；it takes to the earth or slips off like a frightened animal. In vain do insurrections continue. In vain do armed mobs， in all the market-towns of the department，[27] subject grain to a forced reduction of price. Wheat becomes scarcer and dearer from month to month， rising in price from twenty-six francs to thirty-three. And because the outraged farmer "brings now a very little，" just "what is necessary to sacrifice in order to avoid threats， he sells at home， or in the inns， to the flour-dealers from Paris." - The people， in running after abundance， have thus fallen deeper down into want： their brutality has aggravated their misery， and it is to themselves that their starvation is owing. But they are far from attributing all this to their own insubordination； the magistrates are accused； these， in the eyes of the populace， are "in league with the monopolists." On this incline no stoppage is possible. Distress increases rage， and rage increases distress； and on this fatal declivity men are precipitated from one outrage to another.