Cit. Marx said as there were several English members present he 
had a very important statement to make. At the last meeting at St. 
James’s Hall Odger spoke of the French Government contrary to 
truth. In our second address we said the brand of infamy attaches 
to some of the members of the provisional government from the 
Revolution of 1848.* Odger said there was not a blame attached to 
them. Favre can only be received as the representative of the 
Republic, not as the spotless patriot Jules Favre. The way that is 
now talked about him put Favre in the foreground and the 
Republic almost out of sight. One example of Favre’s doings. After 
the Revolution of 1848 Favre became Secretary of the Interior; on 
account of Flocon being ill, Ledru-Rollin chose Favre. One of the 
first things he did was to bring back the army to Paris, which 
afterwards enabled the bourgeoisie to shoot the work-people 
down. Later, when the people became convinced that the 
Assembly consisted of middle-class men, the people made a 
demonstration in favour of Poland on which occasion the people 
ran into the assembly.**' The president entreated Louis Blanc to 
speak to them and pacify them, which he did. A war with Russia 
would have saved the Republic. The first thing Jules Favre did a 
few days after was to ask for authority to prosecute Louis Blanc as 
an accomplice of the invaders. The Assembly thought he was 
instructed by the Government to do but all the other members of 
the Government denounced [this measure] as the private affair 
of Favre. The provisional government conspired to provoke the 
insurrection of June. After the people were shot down Favre 


a See this volume, p. 269.— Ed. 


572 Appendices 


proposed that the Executive Committee should be abolished.*” On 
the 27th he drew up the decree to transport the prisoners without 
trial; 15,000 were transported. In November the Assembly was 
compelled to examine some not yet transported. In Brest alone 
1,000 had to be liberated. Of the most dangerous who were tried 
by a military commission many had to be liberated, others were 
only sentenced to short terms of imprisonment. Afterwards 
motions were made for an amnesty, Favre always opposed. He was 
one of the men who insisted for a commission of inquiry of the 
whole revolution except February. He was instrumental in the 
passing of the most infamous press laws that ever existed and of 
which Napoleon made good use. Favre had certain relations with 
the Bonapartists under the July monarchy and he used all his 
influence to get Napoleon into the National Assembly. He 
interested himself to bring about the expedition to Rome,'” which 
was the first step for the establishment of the Empire.