Macaulay On French Terrorists

i ne popular noción is, we bolieve, that the leadiüg Terrorista were wicked men, but at the same time, great men. We eau see notliing great about them but ïheir wiokeduess. That their policy was daringly original is a vulgar error. - Their nolicy is as old as the oldest aecouuts which we have of human misgoverument. It seeuied new in Franee, aud in the eighteenth ceutury, only beoause it had been long disused, for excellent .reasous, by the oalightened part of mankind. But it bas always prevailed, and gtili prevail.4, iu savage aud half-savage nations, and is the chief cause which prevents such natioiis froui making advances towards civilization. Thousands of deys, of beys, of pachas, of rnjahs, of na bobs, have shown thomselves as great masters of state irraft as the membors of the comiuittce of public safety. Djizzar, we imagino was superior to them iu their own line. In fact, there is not a petty tyrant iu Asia or África, so dull or so uulcarned as not to be duly qualified for the business óf Jacobin police'or Jacobin financc. To behead people by scores without caring whotber they are guilty or innocent, to wring money out of the rich by the help of jailoroi execütionevs, to rob the public creditor, and put him to deatb f he remonstratcs ; to ' take loaves by force out of thu bakers' shops ; to clothe and mouut soldiers by seizing on one mans' wool and lincn, and another mans' horses aud saddles, without compensition, is one of all modes of goveruraent the simplest aud most obvious. - Of its morality we say nothiug. But surely it requires no capaaity beyond that cf a barbarían or child. By means like those which we have deseribed, the committee of public safety undoubtedly succeeded, for a short time, in enforcing profound subuvssion, and in raisina immense funds. But to euforce subinissiou by butchery, and to raise funds by spoilation is not statesmanship. Tbo real statesman is he who, in troubled times, keeps down the turbulent without uunecessarily harassing the well affocted ; and ■who, when great pecuniary resources are needed, provides for the public exigencíes without violating the security of property, and drying up the sources of future properity. Such a statesman we are very confident might, iu 1793, have preserved Jtho iudependenoe of Franca witheut shedding a drop of innocent bbod, without plundering a single warehouse. Unhappily the republic was ; ject to men who were mere deinagogues, and iu uo sense statesmou. They could lead a rabble to miscliief. But they had ! no skill to conduct the aifairs of an pire. The want of skill they supplied for a time by atrocity and bünd violence. For legislativo ability, fisical ability, military ability, diplomatic ability, they had one substitute, the guillotine. Indeed their exceeding ignorance and the barreuness of their invention, are the best excuse for their murders and robbcries. We really believe that they would not have cut so many throats :md pitked so many pockets if they had known how to govern in any other way.