Again， having the right to suspend and dismiss all elected administrative bodies， it exercises this right. If the local authorities of any town， canton， or department seem to be anti-Jacobin， it sets them aside and， either on its own authority， or with the assent of the Legislative Corps， replaces them with Jacobins on the spot.[30] In other respects， the Convention has done its best to relieve its clients of their principal adversaries and most popular rivals. The night before its dissolution， it excluded from every "legislative， municipal， administrative and judicial function，"[31]
even that of juryman， not only the individuals who， rightly or wrongly， had been put on a list of émigrés and not yet stricken off， but likewise their fathers， sons and grandsons， brothers and brothers-in-law， their connections of the same degree， uncles and nephews. In all， probably two or three hundred thousand Frenchmen， nearly the whole of the élite of the nation. To this it adds the rest of this élite， all the honest and energetic who， in the late primary or electoral assemblies have "provoked or signed" any manifestation against its despotism； if still in office they are to resign within twenty-four hours， or be sent into perpetual exile. - Through this legal incapacity of the anti-Jacobins， the field is free to the Jacobins. In many places， for lack of candidates that please them， most of the electors stay away from the polls； besides this， the terrorists resort to their old system， that is to say to brutal violence.[32] On again obtaining the support of the government they have raised their heads and are now the titular favorites. The Convention has restored to them the civic rights of which they had deprived their adversaries： "every decree of indictment or arrest"rendered against them， "every warrant executed or not， all proceedings and suits" begun， every sentence bearing on their revolutionary acts， is cancelled. The most "atrocious" Montagnards， the most sanguinary and foul proconsuls， Dartigoyte and Piochefer-Bernard， Darthé， Lebon's secretary， Rossignol the great September massacrer， the presidents of former revolutionary committees， "patriotic robbers， seal-breakers"and garroters， brazenly promenade the streets of Paris.[33] Barère himself， who， condemned to transportation， universally execrated as he traverses France， and who， everywhere on his journey， at Orleans， Tours， Poitiers， Niort， comes near being torn to pieces by the people， Barère is not sent off to Guienne； he is allowed to escape， to conceal himself and live tranquilly at Bordeaux. Furthermore， Conventionalists of the worst species， like Monestier and Foussedoire return to their natal department to govern it as government commissioners.
Consider the effect of these releases and of these appointments in a town which， like Blois， has seen the assassins at work， and which， for two months， follows their trial.[34] - Seven of them， members of the Revolutionary Committee， commanders of the armed force， members of the district or department， national agents in Indre-et-Loire， charged with conducting or receiving a column of eight hundred laborers， peasant women， priests and "suspects，" cause nearly six hundred of them to be shot， sabered， drowned or knocked down on the road， not in self-defense or to prevent escape， for these poor creatures tied two and two marched along like sheep without a murmur， but to set a good revolutionary example， so as to keep the people in proper subjection by terror and enable them to line their pockets.[35] A minute investigation has unfolded before the judges， jury and public of Blois a long series of authentic facts and proofs， with eight days of pleading and the most complete and glaring evidence； the sentence is about to be pronounced. Suddenly， two weeks before Vendémiaire 13， a decree annuls the proceedings， which have already cost over 600，000livres， and orders a new trial in another form. Next， after Vendémiaire 13， a representative arrives at Blois and his first care is to set the butchers free. - About thirty knaves ruled the town during the reign of Terror， all strangers， save four or five， "all more or less befouled with crime." At first， the principal slaughterers：
* Hézine， Gidouin， and their accomplices of the neighboring districts，* Simon and Bonneau the ex-mayor of Blois，* Bézard， a former soldier， convicted of peculation and of robbing cellars which he had put under sequestration，* Berger， an ex-monk， and then dragoon who， with pistol in hand， forced the superior of his old convent to give up the funds of the community， * Giot， formerly a chief-butler of Monsieur (the King's brother)， next， a judge in the September massacres and then a quartermaster in the Pyrenees army and a pillager in Spain， then secretary to the Melun tribunal of which he stole the cash， along with other nomads and outlaws of the same stamp， most of them sots and roisterers， one an ex-schoolmaster， another an ex-ladies hair-dresser， another an ex-chair-bearer； all of them a vile lot， chosen by the government for its agents， and， under new titles， resuming their old positions. At the head of the armed force is Gen. Bonnard， who is accompanied by a prostitute and who passes his time in orgies， pilfering wherever he can， and so shameless in his thievery as to be condemned， six months later， to three months in irons.[36] On arriving at Blois， he organizes "a paid guard， composed of all the most abject Jacobins." -Elsewhere， as here，[37] it is the full staff of the reign of Terror， the petty potentates dethroned after Thermidor， the political Bohemians restored to their functions.
IV. Public Opinon.
Resistance of public opinion. - Elections， year IV. at Paris and in the provinces. - The Directory threatened by ultra Jacobins. -Forced amelioration of the Jacobin administration.