8o Laura B. Pfriffcr 



petition to the natiiMial assoiuhly was one of the avowed objects 

 of this day's uprisiiit^". A careful examination of its contents 

 may serve to throw some Hi^ht upon the movement. ** Legisla- 

 ti>rs," beL;an the mator, '" the !■ reach people come today to present 

 to you their fears atul their anxieties. In your midst they put 

 aside their alarms and hope to tind the remedy for their ills." 



He then referred to the oath of the tei\nis court taken on this 

 memorable day when the reiM-esentatives swore not to abandon 

 the people's cause and asked the asseiuhly not to abandon 

 this afllicted people. He said the people were stirred and were 

 ready to employ rigorous measures to avenge their outraged maj- 

 esty and that they found their justification in article two of the 

 declaration of the rights of man — resistance to oppression. '* But 

 what a misfortune for free men who have transmitted all their 

 powers to you to see themselves reduced to the cruel necessity of 

 washing their hands in the blood of conspirators. There is no 

 more time to dissimulate : the plot is discovered : the hour has 

 arrived. Blood will flow or the tree of liberty which we are going 

 to plant w ill flourish in peace." 



He asked if the enemies of the country imagined that the men 

 of the 14th of July were asleep. If so. their awakening would 

 be terrible, for the immortal declaration of the rights of man 

 was too profoundly graven on their hearts. 



lie insisted that it was time to put article two into execution, 

 lie called upon them to iiuitate Cicero, who in open senate ex- 

 posed the perfidious machinations of Catiline. " You have men 

 animated with the sacred fire of patriotism : let them speak and 

 let us act." He said they had always believed that their union 

 was their strength and that union should exist essentially among 

 the legislators, that when discussing the interests of the state the 

 legislator's heart should be single to it and inaccessible to any 

 individual interest. " \\ill this image of the countrv — the onlv 



out talent and without ideas. Neither is it certain who drew the petition 

 up. L'indicateiir, No. XXXIII. a daily newspaper of the time, stated in 

 the issue of June 21, 1792. that Lasource in concert with Brissot drew 

 it up hut it otTered no proof and as we have seen above there is no other 

 evidence connecting these men with the movement. 



276 



