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members; one of whom is thrown down; has his head shaved; and is

promenaded through the village in derision。 …  When the small tax…

payer defends himself in this manner; it is a warning that he must

be humored。  The assessment; accordingly; in the village councils is

made amongst a knot of cronies。  Each relieves himself of the burden

by shoving it off on somebody else。  〃They tax the large

proprietors; whom they want to make pay the whole tax。〃 The noble;

the old seigneur; is the most taxed; and to such an extent that in

many places his income does not suffice to pay his quota。 …  In the

next place they make themselves out poor; and falsify or elude the

prescriptions of the law。  〃In most of the municipalities; houses;

tenements; and factories'52' are estimated according to the value of

the area they cover; and considered as land of the first class;

which reduces the quota to almost nothing。〃 And this fraud is not

practiced in the villages alone。  〃Communes of eight or ten thousand

souls might be cited which have arranged matters so well amongst

themselves in this respect that not a house is to be found worth

more than fifty sous。〃  …  Last expedient of all; the commune defers

as long as it can the preparation of its tax…rolls。  On the 30th of

January; 1792; out of 40;211; there are only 2;560 which are

complete; on the 5th of October; 1792; the schedules are not made

out in 4;800 municipalities; and it must be noted that all this

relates to a term of administration which has been finished for more

than nine months。  At the same date; there are more than six

thousand communes which have not yet begun to collect the land…tax

of 1791; and more than fifteen thousand communes which have not yet

begun to collect the personal tax; the Treasury and the departments

have not yet received 152;000;000 francs; there being still

222;000;000 to collect。  On the 1st February; 1793; there still

remains due on the same period 161;000;000 francs; while of the

50;000;000 assessed in 1790; to replace the salt…tax and other

suppressed duties; only 2;000;000 have been collected。  Finally; at

the same date; out of the two direct taxes of 1792; which should

produce 300;000;000; less than 4;000;000 have been received。  …  It

is a maxim of the debtor that he must put off payment as long as

possible。  Whoever the creditor may be; the State or a private

individual; a leg or a wing may be saved by dint of procrastination。

The maxim is true; and; on this occasion; success once more

demonstrates its soundness。  During the year 1792; the peasant

begins to discharge a portion of his arrears; but it is with

assignats。  In January; February; and March; 1792; the assignats

diminish thirty…four; forty…four; and forty…five per cent。  in

value; in January; February; and March; 1793; forty…seven and fifty

percent。; in May; June; and July; 1793; fifty…four; sixty; and

sixty…seven per cent。  Thus has the old credit of the State melted

away in its hands; those who have held on to their crowns gain fifty

per cent。  and more。  Again; the greater their delay the more their

debts diminish; and already; on the strength of this; the way to

release themselves at half…price is found。



Meanwhile; hands are laid on the badly defended landed property of

this feeble creditor。  …  It is always difficult for rude brains to

form any conception of the vague; invisible; abstract entity called

the State; to regard it as a veritable personage and a legitimate

proprietor; especially when they are persistently told that the

State is everybody。  The property of all is the property of each;

and as the forests belong to the public; the first…comer has a right

to profit by them。  In the month of December; 1789;'53' bands of

sixty men or more chop down the trees in the Bois de Boulogne and at

Vincennes。  In April; 1790; in the forest of Saint…Germain; 〃the

patrols arrest all kinds of delinquents day and night:〃 handed over

to the National Guards and municipalities in the vicinity; these are

〃almost immediately released; even with the wood which they have cut

down against the law。〃 iii There is no means of repressing 〃the

reiterated threats and insults of the low class of people。〃 A mob of

women; urged on by an old French guardsman; come and pillage under

the nose of the escort a load of faggots confiscated for the benefit

of a hospital; and in the forest itself; bands of marauders fire

upon the patrols。  …  At Chantilly; three game…keepers are mortally

wounded;'54' both parks are devastated for eighteen consecutive

days; the game is all killed; transported to Paris and sold。  …  At

Chambord the lieutenant of the constabulary writes to announce his

powerlessness; the woods are ravaged and even burnt; the poachers

are now masters of the situation; breaches in the wall are made by

them; and the water from the pond is drawn off to enable them to

catch the fish。  …  At Claix; in Dauphiny; an officer of the

jurisdiction of woods and forests; who has secured an injunction

against the inhabitants for cutting down trees on leased ground; is

seized; tortured during five hours; and then stoned to death。  …  In

vain does the National Assembly issue three decrees and regulations;

placing the forests under the supervision and protection of

administrative bodies;  …  he latter are too much afraid of their

charge。  Between the central power; which is weak and remote; and

the people; present and strong; they always decide in favor of the

latter。  Not one of the five municipalities surrounding Chantilly is

disposed to assist in the execution of the laws; while the

directories of the district and department respectively; sanction

their inertia。 …  Similarly; near Toulouse;'55' where the

magnificent forest of Larramet is devastated in open day and by an

armed force; where the wanton destruction by the populace leaves

nothing of the underwood and shrubbery but 〃a few scattered trees

and the remains of trunks cut at different heights;〃 the

municipalities of Toulouse and of Tournefeuille refuse all aid。  And

worse still; in other provinces; as for instance in Alsace; 〃whole

municipalities; with their mayors at the head; cut down woods which

are confided to them; and carry them off。〃'56'  If some tribunal is

disposed to enforce the law; it is to no purpose; it takes the risk;

either of not being allowed to give judgment; or of being

constrained to reverse its decision。  At Paris the judgment prepared

against the incendiaries of the tax…offices could not be given。  At

Montargis; the sentence pronounced against the marauders who had

stolen cartloads of wood in the national forests had to be revised;

and by the judges themselves。  The moment the tribunal announced the

confiscation of the carts and horses which had been seized; there

arose a furious outcry against it; the court was insulted by those

present; the condemned parties openly declared that they would have

their carts and horses back by force。  Upon this 〃the judges

withdrew into the council…chamber; and when soon after they resumed

their seats; that part of their decision which related to the

confiscation was canceled。〃



And yet this administration of justice; ludicrous and flouted as it

may be; is still a sort of barrier。  When it falls; along with the

Government; everything is exposed to plunder; and there is no such

thing as public property。  …  After August 10; 1792; each commune or

individual appropriates whatever comes in its way; either products

or the soil itself。  Some of the plunderers go so far as to say

that; since the Government no longer represses them; they act under

its authority。'57'  〃They have destroyed even the recent plantation

of young trees。〃 〃One of the villages near Fontainebleau cleared off

and divided an entire grove。  At Rambouillet; from August 10th to

the end of October;〃 the loss is more than 100;000 crowns; the rural

agitators demand with threats the partition of the forest among the

inhabitants。  〃The destruction is enormous〃 everywhere; prolonged

for entire months; and of such a kind; says the minister; as to dry

up this source of public revenue for a long time to come。  …

Communal property is no more respected than national property。  In

each commune; these bold and needy folk; the rural populace; are

privileged to enjoy and make the most of it。  Not content with

enjoying it; they desire to acquire ownership of it; and; for days

after the King's fall; the Legislative Assembly; losing its footing

in the universal breaking up; empowers the indigent to put in force

the agrarian law。  Henceforth it suffices in any commune for one…

third of its inhabitants of both sexes; servants; common laborers;

shepherds; farm…hands or cowherds; and even paupers; to demand a

partition of the communal possessions。  All that the commune owns;

save public edifices and woods; is to be cut up into as many equal

lots as there are heads; the lots to be drawn

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