Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/146



of peace, and in case the latter should have effected the payment of a sum of 500 millions of francs, the Communal delegate demands the evacuation by the Prussians of the forts on the north side, which are dependencies of the territory of Paris."
 * ernment of Versailles for the execution of the preliminaries

This document is a specimen of the stupid arrogance of some of the members of the Commune. They did not recognize the Versailles Government, but if that Government had paid any portion of the war debt, they wished to take advantage of it.

M. Jules Favre, in communicating to the National Assembly the result of his mission, added that the German authorities sent no reply; and the Minister then, referring to the attitude of Prussia relating to the events then going on in Paris, declared that the Cabinet at Berlin had repeatedly offered its service to the Government of Versailles for the re-establishment of order in the French capital, but that those overtures had been declined.

The commander-in-chief of the 3d army corps had the following proclamation posted at St. Denis:

", April 6, 1871.

"Art. 1. The state of siege is declared in those parts of the departments of the Seine, Seine-et-Oise, Seine-et-Marne, and Oise, occupied by the troops of the 3d army.

"Art. 2. The powers with which the civil authority was invested for the maintenance of order and police, are consequently transferred entirely to German military commanders. The civil authority will, nevertheless, continue to exercise those functions of which it has not been deprived by the military governors.

"Art. 3. The German military tribunals are competent to try crimes and offences against the safety of the German troops, or against public order, whatever may