The Counter Revolution of June-July 87 



stored, for at a time so near harvest it would be to the interest of 

 those who had grain in their storehouses to get rid of it.^^° 



Du Pont stated that the commissioners thought that three things 

 were possible under the circumstances : " First, to favor the circu- 

 lation of grain from province to province, and from canton to can- 

 ton, in the interior of the kingdom ; second, to carry aid to places 

 where the people are really in need ; third, to supply salaries, and 

 even alms, in places where the provisions do not fail but where 

 the people do not have sufficient means to secure the food." Du 

 Pont said that help not laws were necessary for those who suffered, 

 and stated that, without doubt, the instructions of the deputies did 

 not permit them to consider taxes or loans before they had made 

 decrees concerning the constitution and periodic meetings of the 

 national assembly. As the three suggestions made by the com- 

 mittee involved either a loan, a tax or an authorization of expenses 

 which necessitated a tax, Du Pont asked if the assembly could give 

 aid to those desiring it or if it would grieve the nation by taking 

 no action. If it were a question of providing for an extravagant 

 court or making some ministers independent, contributions and 

 loans should be prohibited, but the constituents would think that 

 public safety was the supreme law and would authorize their repre- 

 sentatives to stop the ravages of a fire or flood, to repulse the 

 enemy in case of an invasion or to help the poor and to save it 

 from death. The constituents had not forbidden them to make a 

 contribution to the poor and they should therefore do what the 

 constituents would do under the same circumstances.*^^ 



Du Pont presented six suggestions which the committee felt 

 might be used to better conditions. He stated, at the same time, 



^^^ AssembUe nationale, I, 354; Point du jour, I, 109; Bulletins de I'as- 

 semblee nationale, July 4; Gasette de Leyde, Sup. No. 56, letters of July 

 S and 9; Journal de Paris, No. 187, 839 (July 6), states that the reading 

 of the report lasted "cinq quarts d'heures, a toujours soutenn I'attention 

 de I'assemblee par I'extreme interest attache a tout ce qui regarde la situa- 

 tion d'un grand peuple toujours menace depuis plusieurs mois de manquer 

 de pain." 



'^^'^ Point du jour, I, no; Courrier de Provence, I, 17th letter, 3; Gasette 

 de Leyde, No. 56 (July 9). Both the Point du jour and the Courrier de 

 Provence give the speech in full. 



.69 



