12 Laura B. Pfciffi^r 



the camp of 20.000 fcdcrcs near Paris, all of which wore looked 

 upon by the assembly as necessary measures. 



The decree against the priests was considered essential to the 

 suppression of civil war; the dissolution of the king's guard was 

 regarded as imperative because of its lack of loyalty to the 

 assembly and its well-known devotion to the king who. it was 

 feared, might use it for his own ends ; the camp of 20,000 fcdcrcs 

 was decreed for the purpose of protecting the assembly and 

 guarding Paris.' The king naturally wanted no such protection, 

 Louis permitted the dissolution of his body guard, but his con- 

 science forbade him to sanction the decree against the priests and 

 his good common sense led him to veto the decree for the camp." 



The action of the assembly had to a large extent been due to 

 the pressure of public sentiment. There was great agitation in 

 the jacobin club where these questions were freely discussed and 

 criticized.' The populace of Paris was in a state of violent 

 excitement and at the first decisive news of the war might go to 

 any extremity.* Indignation against the queen was very pro- 

 nounced and the pretext for an attack upon her was found in 

 Brissot's attempt to show the existence of an " Austrian com- 

 mittee "" of which she was said to be the head.* The court party, 

 frightened at the sentiment against it. strove to fix upon the 

 Orleanist party the responsibility for the origin of the report of 

 the existence of a so-called " Austrian committee."^" In this 

 state of affairs there was nothing for the assembly to do but to 

 take vigorous action for the restoration of order. 



* Chaiimette. Memoires, 4; L'indiccitciir says (XXXII, June 20, 1792), 

 in regard to the decree for an armed camp that it was a legal method for 

 bringing armed men from the south to Paris, thus establishing a dic- 

 tatorship of the departments. The Indicatcur was hostile to the Giron- 

 dists. 



* Sorel, L'Europe et la rh'oliition fra>i(;ciist'. II, 47a 



' Aulard, La socicte des Jacobins, III, 509-697; IV, 2-23. 



* Bacourt, Corresfondatice entre le comte de Mirabcau et le cointc de 

 La Marck, III. 305-08. 



* Glagau. Die fransosische Legislative, 321, Pellenc to La Marck, end of 

 May. 179-J; RtHolutions de Paris, XII, 329; L'indicateur, XXXII, June 

 20. 1792. 



^* RtH'olHtions de Paris. XII, 43.?. 467. 



20S 



