The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-10-15
IGorrespondence of the Democratic PressI
French FeudaIis1n Analogous to american
FadicaliSTT1.


French FeudaIisln Analogous to american /
Radicalism.
The privileged class of of France
before her great. Revolution was I
styled the mobility, the titles of which
were Duke, Count, Marquis, Yiseount, I
and Baron. The privileges attached |
to every class of nobility, even to the |
new and official nobility,were import
ant. They consisted in an exemption
from the principal burdens of the
State, particularly the common land |
tax (tuiUe1, military service, the cor
gees, or thecObligation to make roads |
and to build bridges and to keep the
same in good condition, and the quar-
tering of soldiers. The proportion of
the nobility. to the rest of the popula-
ton, if we may believe the old esti-
mate Of Mopeau, was as. one to t,co
hundred and fifty. But, although the
nobility, as owners of that soil, and
as members of the clergy, or officers
of the government, absorbed the great
er part of the national income, and
hardly left the peasant and the artisan
the common necessaries of life, still
they refused to bear their proportion
of the expenses of the State, and op-
posed all plans Of reform. Besides
this, the embarrassments of the gov.
ernment were chiefly occasioned by
the never ending claims of the nobil-
ity, together with the prodigality of
the court of Louis ", and the disor-
ders in fhe administration, which
were themselves effects of the aristo-
cratic spirit that had infected every
department of the State. The third
estate consisted of the rest of the ma
ton, after deducting the clergy and
nobility, and comprised more than
twenty-nine thirtieths of the nation.
Sieyes, a celebrated French author, in
his work, ca est ceqace ze Tiers Estdt,
(what is the third estate) published in
[17S9, Zone of those works which have
acquired importance in history could
justly introduce the following series
of questions and answers:
l. GU est ce que le Tiers Etat?
Tout. 2. 90 a'td etc jttsq@ a present
dams Z ol,dre l2ozitjque9 Bien. Qut
demande t IL? Etre qUezque chose,
what is the Third Estate? The whole.
What has it been in the political order
up to the present time? Nothing.
What does it demand? To be some
thing. The whole weight of the tax
es fell upon the lower classes with
such an inconceivable severity, in
creased by the insolence, and frequen-
tly by the cruelty of the lords of the
soil and their officers, by the abuses
of corrupt and arbitrary admins
tration of justice, and, on the part of
government, by a system of taxation
equally corrupt, arbitrary and pre-
posterous, that general impoverish-
ment and suffering were the necessary
consequences thence came the bitter
ness and fury, with which the peas
ants in many places, fell upon their
mobiles and those in power, when the
signal OF opposition was raised.
Madame de StaeI, in her ConSiderd-
tons sur le ReuoZWtioa, says as fol-
lows: e" Misery produced ignorance,
and ignorance in turn, augmented
misery; if, therefore, it is asked,
why the people should themselves
be SO cruel during the revolu-
ton, no other cause need be as
signed than that poverty and mis-
cry had also produced moral cor
ruption, which was the more unavoid-
able, that, since the time of Louis XIV,
OF rather since that of Francis the
first, the higher classes had set the ex-
ample of immortality and contempt Of
every thing sacred in religious obser.
vances." The outrages- of the revo1u,
ton were terrible judgment upon the
corruption and expressions of the
higher classes.
If any intelligent citizen otaour e.
public will, without prejudice, can
didly inquire into the present condi
ttion of ournational affairs, he will SCI
striking analogy between a majorit!
: of our own rulers and the privileged
class of France before her great Rev
olution, while she was suffering unde
q
= the sway of barbarous F'eatdd1tsn1
The party now in power have brough
upon our tax payers, that is, upon ou
industrious people such load of deb
as the French Third Estate never bore
and such a rate of taxation as tht
French masses never paid. In fac, dur
ing war of only four years, the,
have created a national debt nearl.
equal to all that of Great Britain
caused by her wars for four hu'odce
uears! In France the privileged clas
: spent their lives in idleness and fol
; ", while her Industrious million
fairly wore themselves out in service
for that nobility. We now have heI
t a privileged class exempted from tax
= alton, while our working masses ar
g heavily taxed to support in Office a 81
Il of prodigals who are seeking to PEI
petuate their power and to crush til
dearest rights of man; that is, t
: eradicate every principle of our den
: ocratic government. A bloodless re7
; olution here at the ballot box, OF b
> its means, must change our rulers an
overthrow our oppressors, else W
y shall soon be reduced to the conditio
81: The. E,1.n.,ch I1frcc Ectnt lanGnra tL