The Teton peak-chronicle., 1904-12-29

revolutionary tax, imposed on the
capital of the well-to-do and rich,
ranged from 800 francs all the wav
up to 100000 on a single person.
Thus in Strasburg, V. g., 1913 mer-
chants and professional men were
taxed III graded amounts from
5000 to 100000 liveres each, in
all 10000 600 liveres, payable in
twenty-four hours.
4. Socialisic Finances. In
spite of the robbery of all the
church property and the confsca-
tion of the estates of kings and
mobiles, 'he Socialistic government
was always in financial straits.
Accordingly they set themselves to
issuing paper money. This money
was called "assignates. y They
were printed by the billion. In
July, 1893, 100 francs in assignats
were worth 33 francs. In their
downward course the assignates in
May, 1895, sank to 7 per cent.
Still later an assignat of 100 francs
sank to 5 SOUS about one cent A
pound of bread in 1896 cost so
francs, pound of meat 60 francs.
A bag of -four rose to $4,000 francs
in assignats. TO obtain coin for
the foreign wars, those who had
coin had to deliver it against assig-
mats at par, and those who had
none had to deliver their plate and
jewels. The Catholic churches
were simply ransackcd for their
sacred vessels, which were melted
into Socialistic coin. All this
while the leading Socialistists,
who stood at the lever of this
grinding machinery, amassed enor-
nous fortunes by plunder and spec
ulation.
5. Labor and Workingmen; the
People. Another means of obtain.
ing provisions and labor was the
maximum price established Sep
tember, 1898, i. e., price payable
in assignats, established by law
over and above which nobody wa:
allowed to sell or to work. The
grocers and shopkeepers had to dis
play list of all their provisions
and goods, sell them at the maxi
mum price, and take assignats a
: their face value for paymen,, i. e.
t they had to sell their goods at one
half or one-third of cost. By fore
ed acquisitions, farmers had t.
bring their crops to public grana
Z ries, and received as payment assig
mats at their face value. Team
, sters had to cart provisions at tn
Y maximum price payable in assig
mats. Tens of thousands of work
S men had to labor for the Socialist
: state at the maximum price i
+ assignats.
y In all these cases the Socialist
i formula was: Pay, deliver, work
e or go to the guillotine.''
e The result of the maximum
# price, the oundless issue of assis
c mats, and the forced requisition.
d was widespread misery and famine
/ In Paris and all the larger cities
v France the government had to di'
;. tribute rations of bread, otte
J. amounting to only few ounces
70 day. Long rows of people had
wait their turn from midnight II
y late in the day to obtain the
h scaptv allowance, or, as the ca'
T. might be, to leave empty-hande
|, after ten hours waiting. In mai
-e districts people had to dig up roo
|. for their subsistence, or to live c
S, worms, bran, grass or other III
! healthy food. Entire commune
D were without bread for two or thr'
e, months. In place of 5000 inha
II itants, 1,2OO received for lor
S time each eight ounces, and the
$ three ounces of wheat every e1g
le days. :.
De 6. Net Result OF ooclal1st
al Rule in France. The SO regul'
L. and 96 temporary prisons OF PaIl m
Is and the 1900 regular and 4o.o'
ct provisional prisons i'll the depai
s, ments were always filled. :.
I'd Anglers 800 prisoners were gull
ed tined for no other reason than
i'd make room for new prisoners.
a bout l, 10000 of Frenchmen we
t. beheaded by the guillotine. Ov
rn / 900, 900 died of hunger and MI
erv, and several million were rul
70 ed bv the Soc;alistic rule. Won
I'D our modern Socialists be much Dc
is fer if thev had once undisput
er rule'