Using the writings of local administrations, this article investigates certain time-honored notions (« good government » of the city and the « good magistrates) to understand the discourse of self-representation of revolutionary authorities who, in their quest for legitimacy, sought to appease their opponents. The representation of the devoted administrator reveals the conflicts and contradictions among the revolutionaries over the issue of the place to accord to the « people » in a France disordered by the sacrifices necessary for the war effort. In the Year II, the exaltation of the « good magistrate » corresponded to the ideal of a Republic founded on the interdependence of citizens, beginning with the notions of selfsacrifice, and political as well as fraternal commitments, aimed at achieving a democracy where liberty and equality would be respected.