The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-01

Frenchmen Are Proud of Personal
Espionage Which AngIO-SaxOns
Would NOT Tolerate.
From the London Spectator.

Would NOT Tolerate.
From the London Spectator.
The Project of the Haute Vienne has
issued confidential circular to all his
subordinates, in which he asks for the
following items of information about
the citizens under their jurisdiction:
place an date of birth. What is
known of his ancestors? Where was
he educated and in what establish
ments? Is he married? Wife's family
name and date of birth. What kins-
men has he in the department? Is
there anything particular to notify re-
speeding his wife or other members of
his family from private, political, or
religious standpoint? Has he any chill
dren? How many? Their age. Has he
filed one or more elective or other Of
fees? What is his private conduct?
What property has he? Is he a land
owner? In what departments or COM
munes is his property and what is its
value? What is his political attitude?
Does he exercise any influence on his
subordinates or on the inhabitants gen
orally? On what occasions has he
clearly manifested his republican senti-
mentS?
The Paris correspondent of the Times,
think that it will strain the tolerance
even of Frenchmen for espionage and
may induce the Royalists to organize
a system of reprisals, but we hardly
know why he is so indignant. me
prefect has only carried the tyranny
of the dossier one step further, Ever
since the days of Louis XIV 1t has been
the system in France for the police to
compile a dossier. or biographical rec
ord, of every individual within their
Jurisdiction, noting his birth, ms CIR
cumstances, his relatives, his repula-
ton. and every step in his career from
early boyhood down to the latest date
of which the official knows. The small
est escapade is recorded, any quarrel
with an employer is mentioned, ana
if there is anything against MIN II IS
detailed with. the mlnuseness with
which a detective relates the history
of previous convictions. rms dossler
is always produced in any criminal
trial. sometimes with most injurious OF
indeed crushing effect, and IS always
available, especially just before cleo
tion time. to the party then in power.
So greatly is the record dreaded that
DESPERATE efforts have occasionally oeen
made to destroy particular pages, ana
candidates for the prefecture OF po-
lice have been openly accused or seek
ing the post mainly because they hopeo
or an opportunity to destroy their
own official biographies. 1t is in part
to fill these dossiers that the spy Sys-
tenn is organized and that heavy sums
are constantly paid to spies OF an
classes of society, VINO, When poilelCai
suspects are concerned, are not, IL pup
lie rumor may be trusted, invariably
careful as to the accuracy of their IN
formation. Criminals of degree are
even reported to be tolerated for time
on condition of their reporting to the
prefecture all they may see or near
The system appears to Enghshmen
simply Infamous. They hardly tolerate
It about habitual criminals ana an
archists, and any government when
sanctioned it about respectable mol-
viduals would be blown out of power
nv a storm of popular Indignation. The
idea. here is that no gain to the COM
munjty can justify such an lntractlol
of personal liberty or the taxing py
authorities of such an unfair adVan-
tage against the comparative power
lessness of private individuals. we 90
not wonder, therefore, at the condem-
nation passed on 1t by the Times cor
RESPONDENT, but we wish he would tell
ms WHY he conceives, if it is hated in
France. that Frenchman bear 1t. They
have had since the revolution plenty
of opportunities of putting 1t down,
and they have never done 1t nor, so
far as we know, seriously tried to do
Il Under monarchy or empire or con-
stitutional regime, under Conservative
Republicans or Radical Republicans,
the dossiers have always been Kept up,
espionage has always fourished, ana
the prefectures have always had at
their disposal as heavy a secret SER
vice fund as they required. The po-
lice have at different times been tyr
annical or lax, shielded by authority
or roughly controlled by 1t, but the
irresistible force of universal suffrage
has never been directed against the col
lection of information about private
lives. We greatly doubt whether the
French, or indeed, any people OF the
Latin races, seriously dislike 1t. Their
idea is that the police are an indis-
pensable protection to society, and, be-
ing logical they wish the police to be
in possession of any information which
can assist them in the discharge of
their indispensable functions. They
are accustomed themselves to gather
such information for use In their busi-
ness and the arrangement of their
family affairs, and they do not see
how without espionage of an elaborate
kind the police are to do their work
at all. The individual does not think
that the system will be used against
himself and he is most willing that 1t
should be used against neighbors, some
of whom he acutely distrusts and
whom collectively he regards as con-
ceivably rivals or oppressors. More
over the Frenchman has a feeling
which it is difficult to bring home to
F,nglishmen, who are almost entirely
without II. He does not like being a
unit. He wants to feel himself q. menu
Der of a strongly organized commun-
ity; 70 be known, IL only in secret,
to the officials; TO be member, in
short, of a great family party and not
q being isolated in the forest. To be
unknown, even to the police, inspires
him with a vague sense Of affront, OF
neglect, of being looked down upon
and thought too Insignificant for no
tice. The Frenchman who complained
that I'm England no one regarded him,
mot even the police" expressed a sem
tlment deep in the hearts of his coun-
trymen. who feel that the least en-
durable Of miseries H. utter solitude.
and would prefer "A sentry at the door