The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-06-17
OUR FRENCH LETTER
Especial correspondence of the HERALD,
PARIS. May %, 1888.


Robinson Crusoe with all his art
could not make q WheelbarroW.
The French with all their qualiGca-
lions cannot De a colonial power,
because they are not a colonizing
people. France has no redundant
population to hire off to distant
lands. She held the Canadas up to
the battle of Abraham, a period of
$50 years, and during that epoch the
mother country contributed only
$4,000 emigrants, which, by strange
coincidence, corresponded with the
total of the two armies commanded
by Wolfe and Montcalm. However,
Voltaire consoled lis countrymen
by the assurance that the Canadas
represented but a few roods of snow.
France may be said to have sold the
basin of the Mississippi for song.
She has no colonies in the English
acceptation of the Word-branches
of the mother country. The only
illustration of such in miniature, is
settlement in the Rio Plata, in
habited by emigrants from the
Basque provinces and fed by occa-
sional dribblets from VaJerland.
In possession of Algeria since fifty
three years, that splendid region
is not peopled by more than 3O0,-
600 home Frenchmen; even its fun
damental form of government is
still under discussion. Only 500
Mussulmans since 1865 have de-
manded 20 be naturalized, that
which subjects them to be taxed
like born citizens, while not being
exempted from the imposts levied
on the native Arabs. The colonies
of French are at best only military
possessions where no self-govern-
ment is recognized, where French
men have cOnlptoiTS but no abiding
city.
NJ. Renard has lately affirmed
that the only means to increase
the relative stationary population
of France is to found colonies, which
will force men when there to marry
and have families. Now the knot
of the difficulty is precisely the
"When there" to induce the French
to emigrate to their OVID colonies
they prefer to concentrate at home,
to immigrate to the large cities
Who ever heard of a French emf
grant shipP Independent of the
absence of surplus population, the
law which compels the property of
a parent to be equally divided
among his children, irrespective Of
their worth, dulls all incentive on
the part of young people to seek
their fortune in any new or happy
land. They settle down at home
contentei WI little-but "nevel
cantie wi mair."
England has a population of thir.
ty-four millions, besides ten millions
of natiye-born subjects in her colo
MES and possessions, and still she is
nota continentalpoWer NoWFrance
has a population of 100000 and
cries to be great home and grea
colonial power. This end is more
than ever unrealizable in the pre-
sent history of the world. She los
all her colonial possessions during
the Napoleonic wars, and every new
take to satisfy her present "eartf
hunger" must be a source of weak
ness for her European position
Even when she opens up country
of her own, there are other nations
generally the English and Germans
who monopolize her carrying trade
and markets, Algeria and Cochi1
China to wit. And the same causes
which beat them out Of their owl
markets exclude them elsewhere.
The SueZ canal question has no
abated in interest, buS the Anglo
phobism enveloping it has dimin-
| ished. 1t has crossed the threshold
of the give and take stage, so bust
ness can be done. 1t is proposed b,
leading economists that England d.
buy up the canal. Well. that il
progress. Were she content to &C
cept loss of 60,00O,000 francs dis
tributed over four years she c0ul(
become proprietor of all the scrip
It is not clear if M. de Le5sepS ha
the exclusive right to cut canals
between Port Said and Suez. H,
| intends making a second, so tina
will be the moment to test hi
right, or to insist near the Khediv'
that the latter withhold sanction
till all nations be represented on tht
directorate pro rata to their import
ance. The aim is not to deterioratt
| but to enhance speculation, while
imparting to its control an interna
tional. not an exclusive character
If Englishnen make up their minds
to have an English, in opposition
to the French canal, they will have
it. The step will kill M. de Lesseps
project for a second, while running
the first canal. Common sense sug-
goats a compromise, or if not, to re
fer the matter to the prorogued con
ference.
The mystery about the Comte de
Chambord's illness is of no import
ance. While he lives-the incarna'
ton of the principle of divine right
and the middle ages-he is the best
ally of the republic by rendering
his form of monarchy, and the most
important in point of followers, i'm
possible. The Orleanists would re-
ceiva nv his death an accession tC