Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-08-16
DUPONT De NEmouR5.
0ne or Our French Friends, b. the His
torian. Jamea Parton.

0ne or Our French Friends, b. the His
torian, James Parton.
Every citizen Of the United States
owes o debt Of gratitude to this noble
minded lrenchman. He was as true a
beneiactor to this country as Lafayette
WAS whose name is known to almost
every American old enough to pronounce
t.
In the year 1862 he was a student at
Paris, u close observer of public events
one Of the band Of young men interested
IN politics and political economy. who
prepared the way for the reforms Of the
French Revolution. France was then
wonderfully misgoverened The people
were taxed in so many bungling ways.
and the taxes were collected by such IN
army of officials, Tint both the Cover
ment and the people were Impoverished.
| While the ministry could scarcely get
money enough to pay the public clerks
and soldiers the people paid as it was
computed, more than twice as great an
amount in taxes as the government re-
quirod. Noltairc in one of his letters to
the primo minister Of the day. told him
that the farmers Of this country. were
subjected Go eleven different kinds of
taxes. each having it's own apparatus of
collection He also informed him that
there were eighty thousand subject OF the
King Of France who were still held as
seris ON the estates Of rich abbeys
Our young student. Dupont dc Ne
m0urs, grandsire of Admiral DUPONT. U
y. NJ. wrote q pamphlet or two calling
attention to this oppressive system, and
urging radical simplihcation OF the sys.
tenn of taxation. This pamphlet won for
the young author the respect of every
man in Europe whose regard was best
worth having. DR. Franklin. who was
soon after in Paris sought his acquain-
lance, and correspondcd with him during
the rest Of his life Turgot. the most en-
lightened minister of Franco i'm that cen
fury gave him emphatic approval and
made him az q later day his confidential
man M Che ministry The aged Noltaire
wrote TO him again and again applaud
ing his doctrines, and furnishing him
with new Illustrations of their truth.
The old poet proved by experiment how
much the government cost and how
cruelty the peasants were oppressed by
the system of taxation then prevalent.
His opinion was that every locality should
be allowed TO manage its own concerns.
lie was what is now styled home ruler.
He told his young friend, Dupont. that
while he was waiting and waiting i'm
vain, for the central government III Paris
to mend the high-road of his district he
thought he would See whether he ana his
neighbors could not manage the business
themselves
II got together, he says my colony
of Foney and stated the case to them
Every one offered either money or labor
They offered various sums from a crown
90 three sous and we made our lists ac-
cordingly ! furnished my carts, horses.
oxen, men and tools, as wen as q contri-
button in money Every man worked
with alacrity. and IN six DAYS the road
was solidly repaired
Noltaire often wrote 10 him ana others
I ON these subjects, and there was grad
I uallv formed a society of wise econo-
mists and patriots in Paris who .labored
/ increasingly TO cnlighten the public
mind and prepare for beneficial changes.
! Ii Turgot was the chief OF these. DUPONT
] was among the most active. and he CON
! tinucd for nearly thirty years 10 repre-
/ sent the philosophie party i'm politics.
sometimes in office, often as private
citizen, but always the advocate Of the
] true political economy.
After taking leading part in the Rev
olution of 1852 he was arrested and con.
signed TO one Of those prisons which sup
/ pned Iobespierre with his daily quota of
! victims for the guillotine. The death OF
/ Robespierre alone saved him. and he con
tinned his career. doing all that in him
sares. he was asalu imprisoned; his