New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-28

French Indo-China is probably the narrative or
actual oyperiences and above all the anecdotes
and the ''leaves from my notebook when MI
Norman has given in profusion. II IS useless ID
ouote one or TWO OF them. They should De fedi
as n whole and when they ana the rest Oh 'HeS'
chapters have been read everybody VII! ask h'''-
self the same question: How IS it possible 'o' a
nation like the French t. commit that series 81
imSecillties Of which their whole colonial polic'
ana practice are made up Ambition Ndi''''
jealousy Of the English. dense lgnoiante al Ho'Ie
OF the conditions OF life abroad these are p"'
partial explanations. Red tape is another Una
craze for overadministration which letters 'e
n,,y.r,a,te - France at home and strangles every
one of her colonies Society III frehch ii'uo-'"''
SAYS Mr. Norman. consists Of three classes the
Official the military. and lie civilian anu ea0"
90 the three IS at daggers drawn with the o'heF
two. The facts he gives support and more IMAM
support this statement. The military thihk Oh
themselves as conGuerors and want a monopoly
or nower The Govern0r-Ceneial IS nomnaiy
surrar,a over the military, but obliged To dele
gate his mowers over them 10 the general COM
nanding-in other words the general mas sole
control over his troops. The civilian knows 'hat
tho military under pre1cnce of "pacifylng the
country drive the people 10 madness ana 30
u'racv: people who If allowed to plant ana trace
would settle down into decent QUEENS re W
tests the administration not less ior !! s'""'9
in,movable between him and the DONG OF every
thing that ought e. be done to promote pros
| ,,ritv op everv kind said a French civil
Tan: Les consuls iIancais ne s0nt DOES que
rour vous donner tort Quand vous avez ialSon
They and the other officials are all alike. what
ever YOU want. though II cost the Government NOT
a penny though It be n boon 10 the community
though II be the opening up Of the country the
authorities are Absolutely certain to refuse your
request" If you want to dredge out the river
whore vou, steamer sticks fast every voyage, YOU
have 70 do it by night because the Administration
will not allow Il to be done openly You cannot
get leave to cultivate the land or to open mine.
or to undertake the most necessary and elemen-
tary works Of agriculture. commerce. or Industry
of any kind.
with such a system OF conflicts between an
thorities. and of sitting by all the authorities all
individual enterprise, what wonder that "t All
Tongl,ing only the delta is, in any sense 'paci-
fed" and that the balance sheet Of the colony ID
q record Of bankruptcy? Mr. Norman has been
At immense pains to collect statistics from official
| sources including budgets, reports statements
documents Of every kind which have upon them
the stamp of departmental authenticity. COM
mend his account Of the process 10 admirers OF
French finance. The official figures DO not agree
| the methods by which financial statements are
made up are constantly changing. the highest au-
thorities contradict each other in print and the
highest economical authority in France, NJ Leroy
Beaulieu declared that the Budgets were re-
toucbed and altered to such an extent that il Is
impossible to ind your way about IN them
Still. Mr. Norman persevered. lie gives figures
IN great detail The sum Of them all iswhich
appears in no single French statement but is
collected from many--that the total cost OF Tong
king 10 France was from 1888 10 1893 more than
one hundred millions OF dollars. That as MY
Norman says. would not matter IL France had Sc
cured an adequate return IN trade. To secure H.
she has ehrunk from no effort. She has hedged
about her trade with series Of restrictions called
protective which violate the first principles OF ra
tional protection She has forced upon IndO-
China a tariff intended avowedly - exclude for
eign products from Tongking and 70 make the
colony a great market for French domestic and
colonial products. A wise aim pursued by means
| Of the most ill-conceived and futile kind. She
has failed to attain her end. or even TO attain 1t
| in any plausible degree. The total trade between
France and Tongking during ten years has
| amounted to sl2OOOOO0. The total foreign trade
| during the same period was nearly $4,000 600
| Nor does Tongking stand alone. The French col
! onies altogether said VI. Armand Port"u, Ia the
! Chamber Of Deputies cost the country $li0JOOJO.
| Their total commerce is $lO2 900 OO0 Of which the
share Of France IS s3i 900 900, while French mpor
| tations into these colonies amount TO but 3l2,-
100000 You thus spend 100000 in order t. dis
pose Of $l2 900 900 worth OF goods" And France,
! enamoured of these brilliant results and mad
/ with Jealousy Of England. has Just voted over
So 900 900 more for the conquest II Madagascar.
! Such is the practical result" Of French colonial
| expansion. II Mr.. Normans book were published
| in France II might or might not stay the course
! Of the flibustering enthusiasm which passes, at
least with the pOpuace for an enlightened
| colonial policy. Appearing in English, though
! based wholly upon the best French authorities.
It will naturally be set down to English hatred Of
| France Mr. Norman. nevertheless is one OF those
| Englishmen who allow their sympathes with
France to carry them great lengths. But SYM
pathies or no eympathes he has stated the facts.
and though France may not profit by them. they
are lesson and warning which others will
| heed. o. W. ,.