The Teton peak-chronicle., 1904-12-29
TRIED; FOUND WANTING
rlef History Of Its Rise and Fall.
Once Held Undisputed Power
in France..Why It Failed.
QUESTION::

~,,d scale? Was ever Social
stic government in undisputed
on.ar and what were the results
Il such government as to the vel
are of the people,
ANSWER:
Socialism was practically
kested on a grand scale. The gov
er,ment of the French convention
dnriug the reign of terror was ex-
clusively Socialistic. 1t was based
on the ''social contract of Jean
Iacoues Rousseau, the patriarch of
ali modern Socialism. According
10 this theory the state is nothing
but a collection of individuals free
" associating together and forming
a contract for the recognition of
their rights. Everyone surrenders
himself with all his rights to the
community. This community ex-
cludes all other associations, espec
| ;allv the church. A Christian
community in which the church
has special rights not delegated by
the people is contradiction.
Whatever derogates from the equal
jtv of the citizen-private proper
ty, an aristocracv, a church, COM
mercial association, etc. must be
overthrown. The first man who
asserted a property right was rob-
Der to the community. These out
lines of the history are still the
fundamental principles of Socialism.
,. A purely Socialistic govern
ment held undisputed in France
during the period called the reign
of terror, from Sept. 21, 1892, to
Oct. 1875.
What were the results of this
Socialistic government
/. AS to the administration of
Justice. The administration of
Justice was entrusted to the revolu-
tionary tribunal. It consisted of
sixteen judges and sixty jurymen.
Their duties consisted in promptly
condemning to death the victims
and suspects brought in by the
committee of public security, with
out hearing, in patches of twenty,
fifty or more. 1t was assisted by
the committee of public security,
composed of twelve Socialists
charged with the detection of polit-
ical crimes and with the arrest OF
suspected and the prescribed. By
the law of suspects the tribunal
obtained unlimited power over life
and liberty. Ten classes of people
could be tried on mere suspicion o.
unfriendliness to the Sociallstie
republic; the last class comprlseo
persons who the tribunal had al
ready declared innocent. The law
created 100000 suspects in France
The list Of the committee OF pub
lie security shows nearly 10000
prisoners.
2. Personal Liberty. .-Nobod,
was free from that suspicion which
hampered and anihilated all per
sonal liberty. Generals who failed
or who were too successful, wer
accused of treason and guillotined
University regents, professors
heads of schools, scientists and ed
ucated men were sent to the gulllo
tine for thei1 superior knowledge
though they were provided wit
certificates of citizenship. Exp.es
sions of grief, or pity, looks OF dis
appreciation, even silence, becam
state crimes. 1t was crime to b
rich. Purchasers of ecclesiastica
or communal lands were gulllotll
ed by the scores, that their land
might be brought into the marke
again. Numbers of farmers
mechanics, domestics, women, hlle
the prisons or were shot, browne
or guillotined because they ha
harbored an innocent outlaw or
hunted priest, or had secretly a.
tended the mass of an unswor
priest.
3. Socialistic Taxation i
obtain provisions for the army an
food for the inhabitants OF Far
and other cities, suffering und|
the famine created by the revolt
ton, the committee of public secu
ity constructed a vast system
public and private robbery autho
lied by the DEGREES of the Soclalis
ic convention. The state establish
ed an income TAX and an eXtrao
dinary revolutionary tax. ne az
crees on taxation distinguished
incomes between the essential II
come and the surplus.
The essential income was IKE
at 1000 francs per head. Accor'
ing to the amount of the surplus
quarter, third, half was ieVl'
as an income tax. When the y
come exceeded 5000 francs, T.
whole surplus was taken. Ii