The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-07-15
OUR FRENCH LETTER.
Especial correspondence of the HEaA1D)
PARIS, June 20, 1888.

| question, anu SO IIl0 N0ubuI0 Will 10
likely prosecuted to the bitter end.
The adversaries Of the government
have all the advantages on their
side in condemniDg the leap in the
dark taken by the cabinet. The
nation. at least the peasantry, will
only find out to their cost later,
| when the drain of men and money
shall come home to their interest
and bosom, what little war with
China implies. The French were
commencing to see that colonial
extension weakened their position
in Europe and did not at all bring
in its train commercial prosperity.
That happy phase has vanished!
One opposition journal would be
satisfied were France to exclude all
other peoples, the English especi-
ally, from trading with her colonies.
Indeed Commandment Riviere under
this head let the cat out of the bag.
The French seem to think that
not having struck lie" in the lower
and richer provinces of Cochin
China, they will be able to make
amends by selling the north
ern and more sterile territory
of AMMAN. If China
objects, her ports will be occupied,
as in the case of Madagascar; the
customs receipts appropriated to
meet past expenses and future con-
tingencies, but no expeditions in
land will be undertaken. How far
China may derange these calcula-
lions remains to be seen. Japan is
expected to be thrown at the head
of China, as a diversion. Foreign
powers may have little to say re-
speeding the interruption of trade,
and then privateering will have full
swing. 1t is not the killing of q
few millions of Chinese that will
deter the celestials from giving
back sigh for sigh. And to only
think this sudden fit for Selling
distant lands is the outcome of the
self-eviction of France from Egypt.
The ceremony in honor of the
anniversary Of Garibaldi's death
was sorry affair. It was more a
manifestation against churches than
a tribute to the italian unity pro-
gramme of Garibaldi's career.
The real object of the gathering
was to try and win back the lost
love of Italy for France. That
triple alliance is bitter pill to
swallow for the Gauls, and Italy
has never renowned, nor did Carl
baldi himself, the hope to see Nice
and Savoy once again Italian, to
which has been added as rider,
Corsica and Tunisia.
There is no reason why the repub-
licans ought not to celebrate the
racket court at Versailles, where the
states general met and by solemn
oath known as the zen de P0unle
Serme71t, sWore not to break up, till
France haa a constitution, that is to
say, till the country became sover-
eign. It was a sort of magma charta
gathering for the French, and the
overture of he revolution. The
hall once devoted to lawn tennis is
at present a museum and filed with
several momentoes of the 1889
epoch. When France had her SOW
ereign's musuems at the Louvre
including the old clio of kings and
emperors, their toys, feeding bot
ties, swadling clothes, ETC., the re-
publicans may be excused conserv-
ing the souvenirs of liberty, equality
and fraternity, the more especially
as the major part of these virtues
are only souvenirs.
The grand railway companies
having compelled the government
to hand over to them the cOnstruc-
ton and management of the new
lines, the financial situation ought,
as it was alleged, to be improved.
Unfortunately there is no ameliora-
ton in business to record, and
though politicians AID generals
view, perhaps. TonQuin as the pre-
liminary step to annexing China,
commercial people discount the
excelsior as a further dead weight
en- the situation. In any case we
shall have more home railways,
and fewer of "to the moon" ter
minus which De Freycinct's scheme
embodied. TheIe are many eligible
districts sadly in need of being
opened up, and almost as backward
as were several in the last century.
For example in the city of Or
leans travellers were attacked in the
main street, and their ransom paid
the city taxes, and there were high
ways so narrow, that to enable
4 vehicles to pass they had to be
: taken to pieces and then recon-
structed. This ensured work for
some trades. In Lille dogs did duty
somewhat for cab horses At the
I now celebrated thermal station of
Bourbon, the village entertained
man and beast strangely. Horses
: alone were charged for, and that
gave the right to the owner to fire.
wood, table linen and kitchen uten-
sils; but the traveller Lad TO procure
his own provisions. The arches of
the Beaugency bridge were no mean
difficulty to weather, the river ran
so strong. Passengers were allowed
to indulge in songs and card play
ing till they arrived at a certain
distance from the bridge, when on
a signal from the captain, they be-
took themselves to prayers and
silence. If all went well with the
boat the cards were resumed.
The new Workmen'S federation