§6 EMPLOYMENT OF THE PLEBISCITE [^354 



On June 26 a deputation from Avignon was admitted to 

 the French Assembly where one of its members deHvered 

 in person a request for annexation to France. His address 

 was greeted with applause and was favorably commented 

 upon by the President of the Assembly, but no debate en- 

 sued.^ !M. Tronchet's interrupted speech of August 24 

 brought no decision.^ On the i6th and i8th of November 

 Petion de Villeneuve, supported by Robespierre and others, 

 spoke in favor of the demand made by the revolutionists 

 of Avignon ; still the opposition prevented any definite 

 action.^ On the 20th the case was once more deferred but 

 a motion was passed advising the king to send troops to 

 Avignon, where violent fighting with Carpentras, the capi- 

 tal city of Venaissin, had broken out.® In the following 

 year, 1791, the petition for incorporation with France was 

 again argued and especially advocated before the Assembly 

 by M. de Menou on April 30^° and by Petion and others 

 on May 5.^^ M. de Menou laid special stress on the 

 " legality " of the plebiscite and on the result of the voting 

 which had taken place in Avignon and Venaissin. In the 

 latter, of 98 communities, 59 had declared for union with 

 France. After spirited debates, the Assembly, on May 24, 

 defeated the motion for incorporation, 374 voting for, 394 

 against, annexation.^- The motive for this negative decision 

 is found in a speech by M. Clermont-Tonnerre of May 24, 

 of which a few sentences suffice to illustrate the point in 

 question. He said in part: 



The vote of June has been abandoned. It was in point of fact too 

 near the menace which had produced it. But there have been laid 



^ Ibid., vol. xvi, pp. 476-477. 



^ Ibid., vol. xviii, pp. 248-249. 



8 Ibid., vol. XX, pp. 474, 521, 523-534. 



^ Ibid., vol. XX. pp. 559-580. The decree recommends " the sending 

 of troops to Avipnon, in order to protect there . . . French establish- 

 ments, and in order to maintain fliere, in concert with the municipal 

 officers, peace and public tranquility." 



'" Ibid., vol. XXV, pp. 452-472. 



" Ibid., vol. XXV, pp. 585-586, 593-594. 



^2 Ibid., vol. xxvi, pp. 362. 382. Frcudenthal, Die Volksabstimmung 

 bei Gcbietsabtretunpen und Ernberunpcn. F.rlanpcn, 1891. p. 2. For 

 details of the voting see S. Wambaugh, A Monograph on Plebiscites, 

 New York, 1920, pp. 36-40. 



