The Washington times., 1907-06-26
States Rights Demand
ed by Departments
Where Wine Crow
erS Revolt.
Battle for Supremacy
Between Paris Trust
and Midi Peas
ants.

MONTPELIER, Rrance, June 8-
Via rontier.)-SOuthern France is to-
day In the tnroes of a political convul-
sion much like that IN the South OF the
United States in 1860. It also is at the
same time struggling with the most
modern economic problem-the trust.
Many lives have been lost, thousands
OF dollars worth OF damage has re-
suited, thousands more dollars have
been lost by the government in unpaid
taxes, and the political machinery Of
four departments has been paralyzed-
Administration papers tell Parisians
that the movement Of the southern
wine growers has collapsed. The state
ment Is false The situation could not
be worse. A storm Of six years brew
ing has broken. Ii was preceded by an
electrical display which attracted at
tention. but did comparatively little
damage.
Now the real storm IS on.
Wartime Censorship.
The government is trying in every
possible manner to conceal the truth.
A wartime censorship exists. Corre-
spondents. are kept from the smaller
towns and rural districts, where the real
torce OF the movement is to be seen.
The French government, though IL is
trying hard to conceal the facts, IS con-
vinced that France faces the gravest
crisis Of the last half century.
Back Of all the trouble lie two causes
the insistence by the wine growers on
n principle like that OF States rights,
and the alleged attempt Of the French
wine trust to defraud the public and
ruin the wine growers BY tier process
OF adulteration-
No one law regulating the use of sugar
In adulIerdtiOn Is applicable to all
France. because varying proportions OF
sugar are neededs according 10 the soil
and climate of regions where grapes
satisfy the south would injure the cen
tral Bordeaux regions. whittier the
present disorder threatens 10 spread.
Departments Desire individuality.
This imposslbility of framing a gen
eral law is what has brought TO the
front the States rights doctrine. The
affected departments aspire to a return
to prerevolutionary times, and 10 man
age their own local affairs. Only in
the fact that the Midi does not desire
geographical separation does the
situation differ from the contention OF
the Southern States to dominate their
own affairs.
The pOntlCal ana economic COnoAllolS
are closely Joined. For six years the
wine growers have been losing money
and have been compelled TO mortgage
their vineyards to the Credit Foncier
to obtain funds to continue work. Now
thew are unable to pay the interest on
these loans and further advances are
refused because the vineyards have de-
creased to only one-fifth their former
V lue.
The situation has been made serious
by the open declaration Of the Credit
Foncier that II intends to foreclose the
MORTGAGES II holds as soon as a return
of prosperity enhances the value Of the
vineyards.
Consequently, wine growers who are
now unable to pay laborers to gather
their. grapes find themselves facing the
predicament Of ruin through their in
ability 10 make wine, or of being turned
out Of their places, II by miracle they
do succeed.
II the demands Of the wine growers
for the prevention of adulteration are
granted, the trust viii lose millions.
The Paris capitalists have brought
great pressure to bear to restrain the
government from granting these de-
mands.
Doacarko hroiuck T~,,rk