130 Laura B. Pfeiffer 



spirit of the constitution.'^-^ Thus an early plan to celebrate on 

 June 20 the oath of the tennis court by presenting petitions to 

 the king and to the assembly and by planting a liberty tree took 

 on, from these circumstances, a revolutionary character. 



The movement had no definite prominent leaders. If Girondins 

 or Jacobins were the real leaders, their acts have been well con- 

 cealed, for there is no evidence by which to fix responsibility 

 upon them. The Girondins wished the recall of their ministers 

 and trusted that the uprising would contribute to this end. The 

 Jacobins did not wish the return of this ministry, as that would 

 continue a constitutional monarchy. They hoped for a new 

 revolution which would overthrow the monarchy. The ostensible 

 leadership of the day was in the hands of the popular idols of the 

 faubourgs. 



The failure to prevent the movement was due both to sympathy 

 on the part of some of the constituted authorities and to their 

 conviction that any attempt at repression would result in blood- 

 shed. This led to a plan to permit and control the movement. 

 The mayor, at first inactive, was forced to act by the decrees of 

 the directory which was determined to check the uprising even 

 though it resulted in bloodshed. The mayor, still cautious, on 

 learning from the commandants of the faubourgs that it would 

 be impossible to prevent the march without bloodshed, proposed 

 to the directory to legalize and control it. The directory, how- 

 ever, stood firmly for repression, forced the mayor to instruct 

 the commandants to this eft'ect, and to send police to the 

 gathering places. These officers made every peaceful effort to 

 prevent the procession and when their efiforts proved fruitless, 

 the mayor and the municipal council, on the advice of the com- 

 mandants, voted to legalize the march and give it leadership, 

 hoping thus to render it harmless. The government, acting 

 through the minister of the interior, stood with the directory in 

 its effort to prevent the movement at any cost. The majority of 

 the members of the legislative assembly were in sympathy with 



^^ The feeling in the faubourgs is expressed in such pamphlets as Grande 

 discourse pronouncee par le patriote Gouchon and Preures evidentes des 

 trahisons de I'etat-major. 



326 



