The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-05-27
, OUR FRENCH LETTER.
Especial correspondence of the HERALD.)
PARIS, April 25, 1883.

the government after undertaking
to build cheap houses for the needy
should be asked to feed them. M
Joffrin, town councillor, has raised
that question. He states that since
few years the municipality serves
daily free meal to the pupils at
tending the city ward schools, he
demands that they be led entirely.
And he sees no .reason why the
state ought not to feed their par
ents also when out of work. In a
word his thesis is this, the nation
ought to provide work or food for its
able-bodied destitute.
This doctrine appears strange for
a people that has no poor law, and a
property interest resolved to reject
any such article being introduced
into the code. The English statute
book sets forth that no person shall
starVe. That clause of fraternity is
not yet realized in France.
M. Guichard has presented a
scheme to parliament demanding
half million of francs to relieve
the suffering Industries of Paris.
He convoked the various syn
dictates to public meeting to make
known the condition of the guilds.
1t was ascertained that 100000
artisans wanted cliff" so that the
government dole represented % sous
per head of relief, hardly drop in
the ocean. Each corporation was
requested to state how much money
it required. The carpenters could
Eget on" with five millions, the
silYersmiths would if "put to the
WALL" accept a like sum, so with
respect to the other trades. Some
Independent artisans in a lit of
proper sense suggested to depend on
themselves. and only to demand the
government to reduce the general
taxation, allow raw materials to
enter the country freely and so open
foreign markets. When men could
live cheaper they could afford to
work cheaper. The reunion de-
cided to accept the half million of
francs, on condition that no cues
tions be asked about its expendi-
ture.
The strike of the dock laborers
and pOrters of MarSeilles has ter
minated. Il possessed this peculiar
feature, that the lowest stratum of
heweTS of wood have at last plucked
up heart Of grace to hold out for a
while and win, like the trades,
manners descend from above. But
il is this very running up of salar
les. while other nations are running
them down. which constitutes the
more than confusion in French in
dustry.
Much ado about nothing contin-
ues to be made respecting the con-
version of the per cent. funds
into four and a-half per cent. stock.
The government only exercises it's
right to repay its creditors either
what is due, or to accept the
amount of the debt in stock repre-
senting a little more capital but
one-half per cent less interest. In
the end the difference is. not great.
There are grumblers who preferred
the state remaining their debtor
and SO obtaining the augmented
interest. The people fit to be tried,
however, are those, who dePlore
that their doXy was not adopted
Repeating the plan of conversion.
AS for NJ. Tirard, minister of fin
ance, he is abused like pickpocket
he is only surpassed in this respect
by Prime Minister Ferry. 1t is
thrown in his teeth that last De-
cember he was against the CONVEX
sion, just as if four months was
not a very respectable period for
French statesman to remain true
to his programme. a more SER
ious charge is, that the minister
cannot hold out any prospects for a
reduction of the taxation. The
So, 100000 saved by the consolidation
of the funded debt is required to
balance the state ledger. However
| it is not too much to assert, an equal
sum could be economical by abol-
ishing circumlocution offices,
created or maintained in the inter-
ests of pure political jobbery. Since
the advent Of the republic the civil
service es imates have been aug
mented by 100000, and the ser
vice is consequently so bloated as to
become more a hindTanCe than a
help to the nation.
The dynamitards are on the de-
cline. This is a consolation; it is
not less a convenience, for a man
was arrested the other day with
nitro-glycerIne on the brain. He had
his name and his address tatoOed on
several parts Of his body. in order,
as he alleged, that if blown up, at
least some Of his fragments might
make known to the world his des-
tiny. A new form of Friends will
| please accept this notice" The
vigorous action of England has
cooled the anarchists here; SO have
the extracts given from the repre-
sentative papers Of the States. Then
Louise Michel is tongue tied; her
followers seem to forget she is. in
the lookup. The Phllistines have
killed her with kindness and she is
suspected of having gone over tc
"the enemy"-the church. The
satirical journals represent her as
converted and in the costume of g
nun. The new bill that is to purge
the city Of gaol birds at large by
sending them to New Caledonia
New Hebrides, or the newest colo
| fox Of