"Remember the 10th of August；[140] previous to that time， the opinions in the Republic were divided； but， scarcely had you struck the decisive blow when all subsided into silence. Have no fear of the departments； with a little terror and a few instructions， we shall turn all minds in our favor." Grumblers persist in demanding the convocation of primary assemblies. "Was not the 10th of August necessary？ Did not the departments then endorse what Paris did？ They will do so this time. It is Paris which saved them."[141]
Consequently， the new government places Henriot， a reliable man， and one of the September slaughterers， in full command of the armed force；then， through a violation by law declared as a capital offense， it orders the alarm gun to be fired； then， on the other hand， it beats a general call to arms， sounds the tocsin and closes the barriers； the post office managers are put in arrest， and letters are intercepted and opened； the order is given to disarm the suspected and hand their arms over to patriots； "forty sous a day are allowed to citizens with small means while under arms."[142] Notice is given without fail the preceding evening to the trusty men of the quarter； accordingly， early in the morning， the Committee of Supervision has already selected from the Jacobin sections "the most needy companies in order to arm those the most worthy of combating for liberty，" while all its guns are distributed "to the good republican workmen." [143] -- From hour to hour as the day advances， we see in the refractory sections all authority passing over to the side of force； at the Finistère， Butte-des-Moulins， Lombards， Fraternité， and Marais[144] sections， the encouraged sans-culottes obtain the ascendancy， nullify the deliberations of the moderates， and， in the afternoon， their delegates go and take the oath at the H？tel-de-ville.
Meanwhile the Commune， dragging behind it the semblance of popular unanimity， besieges the Convention with multiplied and threatening petitions. As on the 27th of May， the petitioners invade the hall， and "mix in fraternally with the members of the 'Left."' Forthwith， on the motion of Levasseur， the "Mountain，" "confident of its place being well guarded，" leaves it and passes over to the "Right."[145] Invaded in its turn， the "Right" refuses to join in the deliberations；Vergniaud demands that "the Assembly join the armed force on the square， and put itself under its protection"； he and his friends leave the hall， and the decapitated majority falls back upon its usual hesitating course. All is hubbub and uproar around it. In the hall the clamors of the "Mountain，" the petitioners， and the galleries， seem like the constant roar of a tempest. Outside， twenty or thirty thousand men will probably clash in the streets；[146] the battalion of Butte-des-Moulins， with detachments sent by neighboring sections， is entrenched in the Palais-Royal， and Henriot， spreading the report that the rich sections of the center have displayed the white cockade， send against it the sans-culottes of the faubourgs Saint-Antoine and Saint-Marceau； cannon are pointed on both sides. -- These loaded cannon must not be discharged； the signal of civil war must not be given； it is simply necessary "to forestall the consequences of a movement which could be only disastrous to liberty，"[147] and it is important to ensure public order. The majority， accordingly， think that it is acting courageously in refusing to the Commune the arrest of the Twenty-two， and of the Ministers， Lebrun and Clavière； in exchange for this it consents to suppress its commission of Twelve； it confirms the act of the Commune which allows forty sous a day to the workmen under arms； it declares freedom of entry into its tribunes， and， thanking all the sections， those who defended as well as those who attacked it， it maintains the National Guard on permanent call， announces a general federation for the 10th of August following， and goes off to fraternize with the battalions in the PalaisRoyal， in battle array against each other through the calumnies of the Commune， and which， set right at the last moment， now embrace instead of cutting each other's throats.
This time， again， the advantage is on the side of the Commune. Not only have many of its requirements been converted into decrees， but again， its revolutionary baptism remains in full force； its executive committee is tacitly recognized， the new government performs its functions， its usurpations are endorsed， its general， Henriot， keeps command of the entire armed force， and all its dictatorial measures are carried out without let or hindrance. -- There is another reason why they should be maintained and aggravated. "Your victory is only half-won，" writes Hébert in his Père Duchesne， "all those bastards of intriguers still live！ " -- On the evening of the 31st of May the Commune issues warrants of arrest against the ministers Clavière and Lebrun， and against Roland and his wife. That same evening and throughout the following day and night， and again the day after， the Committees of Supervision of the forty-eight sections， according to instructions from the H？tel-de-ville[148] study the lists of their quarters，[149] add new names to these， and send commissaries to disarm and arrest the suspected. Whoever has spoken against revolutionary committees， or disapproved of the assaults of the 31st of May， or not openly shown himself on the 10th of August， or voted on the wrong side in the old Legislative Assembly， might be arrested. It is a general， simultaneous raid； in all the streets we see nothing but people seized and under escort sent to prison， or put before the section committee.