New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-03
FRANCE.
THE LOCAL REFORM NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
INDUSTRY.

Paris political daily prints OF to-day u"'e' O'H
80 l,o,, co,toips any report and that meager
one Of a meeting held two nights ago IN the huc
MoD0ctard Yet a full report of that meeting pre-
SIDED over and prefatOriy addressed III MS most
fI;citops stvle Of sound sense and piQuant irony by
Ed. Iaboulaye done in the manners NJ LONDON OF
Nc,y-YoIk reporter might seem better worth the
,,crso 70 be French general reader, let alone the
h,rtalli pept foreign observer than best edlted
anthology that could be selected from all these pa
Uors Nh notice however must be yet Slighter thail
The mcager report inst mentioned
the same name. is distnctiycy a workman quarter:
H. ia the FauhOUTg st. Antoine OF the Leu DAMN oI
the Seine The proper question before the meeting
was: How can Paris WOlklngmen become pIoIh!e,
TORS OF their own lodgings IhcObltct OF the specidi
discussion was plan of practical solution pOpoStH
by the managing agent OF the ASSOCIATION Oh bulla-
inc masOuS The assembly adjourned 10 a Iulue
evening for continuance of the discussion. III was
one of the many recent signs, symptoms crOpPlnaI
out of the deep widespread, eYeT-deGpehlnB ~
spreading socialist movement which Is changing ny
old base OF French revolutionary opeiaIolIS, ' ',
forming the new one, on which alone II""'0 ~
If # We're worth while to waste establishment on
ANYTHING In the line of human phelol,cna,o and
could spend little wonder over 'nT isNbi classes
Indifference OF the Respectable " !tIOII = S,,ac,
t-,f', ner' f., Give only a rough indication oil the
measure of lis extent. Every ulu 81 i,
remember. remembers the VGy Hlirt.o"Sfi social
lalgc part impUcticabe' cAFti ti r,,cirtion
reo,,n tbot were started SO soon by the heNolul"n
of lets lief Them hc possible. NOsI lColle I'lv L.
how thcv generally were failures. rover CoIS'uVi
Uot la,ri,s when irst tested by practice rartA '"H
silccred i'm full that the rea. non Widch scl ~
soon after 1873 was turned WIN iutI To- -
cnud trials: that at little later date (oNtiiHVI'
artT5iIv hostile to all quctcSt socialist ieIoH9
MIC most noteworthy fact IN respect TO tIu MS
1.ics 0l socialist reform efforts. IS te IoptVl Iesu
ness with which the working classes S@cu 'heli HIS'
Glance 90 make them. A.. Ill i
pcdintuis in the way of practical e%penmtnl ven
the same as they had been before ISio ius Sole new
rortical GilCiicS and dangers, WHICH, hoNtNtI,
did NOT kill out the thinking 13cuitN OF tc Noh"v"
cIss and of some few OF dsclassed thinkers en-
tu,g,s fanatics. and other suppressed eccchliIcl-
ties Ihe idea kept termenting getting nPeheu ol
study which revealed the errors OF many ol
the old theories The network OF lorna legi oD2l'-
cles the hostility of the constituted authorizes
the dancers and difficulties that bese every step III
the way toward anattemptat aNsocI'e4 ~
and the haTaSsing veNatOnS that STOOD Ieau! 10 lu
terrupt its progress all sides are hardy cohceNa
bic 10 an American for then numpel. lheI Iap.Io"II
oualitv and efficiency. From 1872 10 lSG2 inclusive
ind bit eght practced essays in all France, as lnde-
pendent assocaJcd action OF producers OF consumers
The INST marked Instance Of the new phase Of So
cialisn and which that account, and Tor the dlect
GOOD n has done and Is dong and 10l ltS eminent
success. aud Tor the impulse 1t has gwen ana Steau
continues to give to the actual movement deserve
particuar mention IS the Hoceic q" ttst! az tt,
I'm the emly days of January, 1868, elght lnoNldIS'
WHOSE civic courage had been hardened by tral'
dared to run the risk of meeting privately lOselleI
for tho sake of discussing among themselves ule
economic uucStiOns which they knew were mat
ter nj nrofound and awakened interest 10
the working world. They were MessIs. beuge'
Cabinet-na6er and sOn-in-law OF CADET, Bonuard, a
doctor of medicine ana sometime disciple OF FOURIER
CohadoH. the master mason whose plan OF WoIhleh ;
proprietary lodgings was referred 10 aDONe hncp q
uianomaler, Recus n pnbliclst, SiYestre, doctor.
Schmohl, a merchant. aud Gaud, bOokkeeper Alter
long and fruitful interchange and mutual maturing
nf opinions on the 9th of the following September
they ventured to found the first popular BANK III
The object of the Society as expressed in its
articles of constitution is 10 furnish credit TO exist
ing associations to aid III the creation OF new ones
60 encourage the development OF the principles OF
solidarity and cooperation (BtHatc so 10 render
credit accessible To workers in dh bIeRch0 OF human
aCtyty-In teaching and in the scieEces and arts as
well as in agriculture, industry and commerce. Com
pared with this grandeur OF purpose the means
seemed 10 most practical people laugbably small. Inc
capita consisted of 20 100 francs. of which only 4o;
francs were paid in. subscribed by 112 shareholders
To-day the Society has 1900 members, and con
trolls capital of more than 100000 francs 1t has adj
yaneed loans TO more than 90 cooperative asS9cla
tOus in Paris and other towns. 10 IS the banking
agent and acts viIgS bank for 100 wOrklngmen
societies IL dlscOuntS the paper oil cooperative assOc
aODs and of its own members 10 the amount OF
about 10000 francs monthly. II negotlateS "~A#c"
paper for of from 10 10 OO francs 10 inc ahol
of 6O0O francs month It's aggregate monthly
OperatipnS are represented by 10000 francs. 1t APP
rropriateS from 1900 to 800 francs yearly 10 the
propagation of the doctrines and practice of mutual
ity aud association in the departments. Ii has done
an this under disayOr of the state, amid legal hlnd
RANGES without favor from any political party, ana
with but scant encouragement even from the IDeIal
press.
The successful example OF the tTtdN an JFCffu,
coupled with It's propaganda labOTs powerfully sim
ulated the development into practice OF the idea OF
association among the working classes Of the large
towns From 1868 10 September. 1865. the number of
associations rose from II 70 49, These are mostly
cooperative societies OF production Of supply and Of
mutual credit and are almost confined TO the towns
of France. The application of the principle 10 agTl
cultural operations now working so well in parts of
Germany, is hardly begun in France Among the
of difference are the greater Ignorance OF the
French peasantry, their machine-hke tendency to
move only ia accustomed grooves and the obstacles
laid in the way Of their independent action, of their
education toward independent action, by the laws OF
the land and the minutely interfering regulations of
the administration.
Here it is but historical justice TO say that these
obstacles greater under the actual regime than
they were under that OF Louis Philippe. Many Of
them. indeed were broken down by the revolution
of 1878 but were mostly bulit NJ again, or in course
Of reconstruction. while the government still
u0ninay republican. The belief i'm the necessity OF
controlling individual liberty and the freedom of as
sOeiated action is not unfortunately peculiar TO any
government France has yet had. IL is the ngained
faith of the great majority Of all ruling and ruled
French classes, Too MANY, II not most Of tie sincere
democrats and republicans the terms are DOT
synonymous here nor III Spain would, II they could,
impose their regulation of liberty.
The worknen in the towns, especially in Paris, are
far superior III intelligence and instruction 10 the
mass of the country population. They have more
and easier means OF communicating with each other
and comparing notes personally. Their common read
ing of the writings of social reiomerS Is important
means Of bringing about some community OF Ideas
among them. They are less exposed than in remote
villages TO the direct pressure OF the authorities and
the reprcssiye influence OF the conservative great
man Of the place. They are holder withal. Hence,
among other reasons, the ready and ever spreading
growth among them Of the social movement. And
some bOldneSs is needed III its practical furtherancc,
and great prudence; though not rs much of either
1aality is called for now as was exercised by the
founders Of the Credit dH DarGd Thanks IN some
part to the efforts OF these independent men success
fullv struggling under difficulties, the Ruler oil
France has been advised to remove some OF the am
ouites Since the movement would go on he found it
advisable TO attend il restraining guide and pO-