Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-15

TIE SMALL sHoPEEEPERs AGAINST noxoroLfEs
Fifteen thousand francs is about the amour;
Of capital possessed by respectable small shop
keeper of Paris. The recent agitation which
these people have been starting up-in the
name Of equality. Of course-against the mo
nopolistic large migasins. indicates with what
ludicrous persistency the French idea Of politics
harks back TO the moi The suppressed
anarchis; orator, Martinez. cries out in his ad-
dresses to the very poor: ALLOW me TO greet
you. who have suffered SO much because
Others cleVersr than you have desired
10 be too happy The small shotkeefers Of
Paris would be the first 10 resent the suggestion
that their grievances had ANYTHING in common
with those VINO have suffered because others
were more clever; Yet II Is what their present
complaint amounts TO. The capital and system
of the great shops like the Bon Marche the
Louvre and the Printemps. where everything is
sold. makes it difficult for the small shops to
compete with them aud still retain the large
profits to which they are accustomed. For the
past SIX months strong movement
has been aimed at them, and there
has been organized league in
defense of commerce, industry and labor. Long
ago II declared open war and succeeded in
bringing Its proposals. many Of which are q
startling rs the plans of the socialists. before
the chamber Of deputies. Some action. how
ever, has to be taken, could easily have been
prophesied OF government SO anxious 20 please
all classes and SO afraid not TO grant the re-
quests Of all.
TO TAX THE LARGE SHOPS.
The large shops are to be taxed heavily. The
report Of the committee for the revision Of
licenses has been submitted TO the chamber of
deputies. The idea of taxing the shelves.
which had been submitted with all seriousness.
has been put aside because 1.-THE shelf is not
susceptible Of precise legal definition and
would give no basis for n certain collection of
I INV a., -
possible TO subject the great magasins cumu-
latively to all the licenses TO which the retail
shops are subjected individually. For the
licenses of the small shops have been established
with o view to situations which do not CORE
spond with that of the great shops" The
report suggests classification Of the
different kinds of commerce answering 10 the
different needs of social life, such as food,
clothing. furniture, jewelry and the adorn-
ments OF dress, carriages and harness. paper
and books. and SO on, and TO tax the great
shops heavily for each of these branches Of
trade exercised by them. This the great shops
can easily pay; and the agitators of the measure
find themselves as disappointed as before their
request was granted, for their real desire was to
cripple their rivals by government action.
REMoDELINa COURT COSTS.
A step higher In the social scale brings us to
another sweeping measure. This is the scheme
Of NJ. Brisson. which contemplates a remodeling
OF the entire system Of court costs throughout
France. The theory Is that law is not free
enough to the poor. Il is hard on small sutors
in the matter of preliminary costs-fees for aft
davits, service of writs, drawing OF papers, issu-
ing Of summons and the like-which are COM
mon to law courts in every country. The
proposition il to do away with all preliminary
| costs and to substitute one tax ''for the costs
of justice" to abide the decision of
the case and then fall in lump sum on the
losing party This single tax is to be accord
ing to a scale proportional to the values con-
cerned in the suit For instance, in bank
ruptcy, in proportion 10 the fund actually dis
tributed; in cases of wills and decedents estates
in proportion TO the value of the property left,
and where there is question of damages, in pro-
portion to the amount of the verdict.
1t will be seen that in such a system the
greater suitors will pay heavily for the benefit
of the lesser suitors, whose cases may give
quite as much trouble, which seems TO be the
leading thought at present. Naturally enough
the measure IN its first form was received BY
the legal profession and the judiciary with
irony. But Its originator got his credit as a
friend of the people. There are un-
decided cases now en- the lists dating
from 1883. and the magistrates can
not catch up to their current work
even by sitting over hours, in spite Of an ad-
mirably working system OF arbitration, which
amounts TO compulsion in many cases. What
cation for the poor sets in, without preliminary
costs TO T IKE them reflect on the merits Of
their causes, can only be imagined.
THE POOR SERVANT GIRLS.
Meanwhile. there is one class in Paris, numer-
Gus and interesting, who in those DAYS Of trades
unions, socialist schemes and class legislation
can do nothing for themselves and for whom
no one is concerned. These are domestics,
servant girls, chambermaids and maids Of all
work.
Aurelian Scholl. 'the last Of the Boulevard
iers, has found time to lend them his voice for
day. Each one of them, he SAYS. is alone in
the world. A girl is packed off from her coun-
try home with two shirts, three handkerchiefs
and one pair of shoes. Go gain your livelihood,
no matter how, Sell your arms, sell your body,
that is your affair. We have no more bread for
you. Look for your own bread. People have
little idea in certain circles which are accus-
toned TO easy living of the life of maid of all
work among the little bourgeoisie 90 close, SO
avaricious and so greedy.
INHUMAy TREATMENT.
The lot Of a slave in ancient Rome or of a
negro in Martinique before the emancipation
is to be envied alongside of the wretched life
Of this girl, who for ten or fifteen francs a
month must carry the wood up to the fifth
story, do the cooking, make the beds, wax the
floor end sometimes wash the linen. Some Of
them work from in the morning until 10 at
night. If the girl sits down a moment she is
scolded. And what food, In the morning
soup and an egg. In the evening a
bit OF sausage and the remnants Of
the dinner. l have seen in the yard
Of my house girl of seventeen years who, with
tears In her eyes, related that for three DAYS
she lived on the bone Of leg of mutton which
they had given her to gnaw!
WORSE AND WORSE.
They even stint her IN the matter Of bread.
With all that. when the mistress is out of the
way the master comes to play the beau, and
after the father the son. She must yield or go
away. She has to do everything-prepare
meals, kindle the fires and put them out.
Otherwise the door is open TO her and
the street with all its horrors We do not
dream Of the exigencies and the ferocity
Of people who have francs
day on which three must live and who yet wish
to be served. Poor girls. adds NJ Schon, what
is there astonishing in II that when a souteneur
comes up in the street she feels her
heart dilate? At New Year Q drama with
many scenes is played In the bourgeois
homes. The question is to find some pretext
for sending away the girl who has been work
ing faithfully for months. This IL to avoid CIV
ing her New Years present-ten francs to be
economical. At the approach OF the new year
nothing goes well. The ragout cannot be eaten.
You have not sawed the wood; you stayed too
long talking on the street; We have enough TO
do to feed you without workingr' And the
good girl laments and weeps on her mattress of