Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-27
THE GATES OF PARIS.
Almost Everything That Passes Through
Them Must Undergo u Tax.

Almost Everything That Passes Through
Them Must Undergo a Tax.
From the Indianapolis Journal
At present the gates and Notifications OF
Paris seem to be useful principally for the
levying of vexatious taxes upon the French
people themselves. OF this we were forcibly
reminded one day as we approached the Porte
Mallot in company with gentleman who was
on his way to fill a lecture engagement at one
of the great schools of this city. Our friend
carried bag containing few books he was in
tending to use, and the question to be settled
before We could pass was whether anything in
the bag was taxable. To satisfy the gate keeper
the bag must be opened. 1t was all done
quickly enough and with evident politeness, but
it struck the American mind quite unfavor-
ably, and, of course, provoked it to numerous
inquiries. Paris, it appears, lays tribute in this
way upon almost her entire food supply and
upon numerous other things, and the money
collected is divided between the government
and the municipal authorities. By this means
it comes to pass that many articles are doubly
taxed, for in addition to what is assessed upon
them at the gates of the city there is the tariff
imposed at the frontier.
After this did not wonder that a visitor
had to pay enormously for apartments and
board, though we did not wonder at the long
suffering patience of the residents. Meat Of
every hiIu ID taAeu oH pOunu OF Dutter tne
city tariff is 3 cents and on pound Of grapes
it is about the same. If you should go outside
and shoot a hare you would have to pay tor
bringing into Paris even private little acqui-
sition of that sort. Upon spirits and wine the
duty is considerable and the authorities are ex-
ceedingy vigilant in collecting 1t. This is a
point at which vigilance is quite necessary.
judging from what one hears as to the methods
of smuggling in vogue We are told that dur
ing the cholera scare liquors were surrep-
titiously brought in by means of coffins, and
we have heard Of one enterprising liquor
dealer WHO cheated the government for long
time by means of dummy footman. That is,
he had a wooden continuance on the seat of his
carriage shaped and dressed like footman, and
this innocent-looking luxury was filed. not with
animal spirits. but with the kind which at the
gates of Paris are held to be contraband
These ruses were decidedly CLEVER and it is
said that had it not been for accomplices who
turned informers they might have continued in
successful operation indefinitely. Perhaps,
however, the countrymans ruse was the most
effectual for the time, though it must have put
him to inconvenience afterward. He had only
a bottle of common wine with him. but the
gatekeeper knew his duty and did it, The tax
was cents, levied upon original valuation
Of something like II cents Common wine. il
must be remembered, Is very cheap in France.
and this particular bottle would have been
cheap enough, one might have thought. even
after the duty had been paid. But the French
peasant is noted for his thrift The burning
question was how to get his quart of wine into
Paris without any further investment upon it.
and the final solution was reached ty his carry
ing 1t through the gates concealed. as in the
case Of the dummy footman, within his own
anatomy.