New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-03-11
FRENCH CLASS STRIFE
EFFECT OF INCOME TAX.
Measure Likely To Be Leading Issue
in Merit Elections.

Paris March 1O.-The country has received
the passage Of the income tax bill by the Charn-
Der Of Deputies with mingled feelings OF rage
and triumph. The commercial. monied and
property classes generally whose interests are
expressed by such journals the Figaro, the
Temps" and the Journal des Debats. deplore
IL as a piece of criminal folly voted by cow
ardly majority solicitous only ofre-eiection next
spring"
On the other hand, the socialists and RADICALS
toyfully hail the passage of the bill as marking
the beginning of the milennium-the entering
wedge of the strong boxes of the rich. which
will furnish money to realize old age pensions
government ownership Of railroads and other
public utilities. and the whole programme OF
state socialism Their view is best stated IN
the victorious utterance Of NJ. valiant. the So
ciaIist Deputy. at the close Of the DEBATE yes
,er5av. AN instrument has been forged
whereby the future appropriation of capltaI is
assured"
The income tax bill. passed, is IN reaH.y
an electoral platform, on which the hduica'
and Socialists will go TO the country me
measure carries an amendment postponing It's
application until parallel BILL assuring revenue
to the various communes and departments is
adopted No one imagines that in It's present
form 1T will become law. 1t is cleverly de-
iced enpeaI to the masses. It shifts the bur
5rs of taxation as far as possible on the rlcn
~, d,vidina the taxable population into seven
oo+e,ories the workrnen and salarted employees
ubich include state servants. paying the lowest
-stas and the hated bourgeois and lanoeo p'o-
prietors the highest
In addition, supplementary TAX rom
the poor are exempt. is levied on totai lilo0'e0
above 6OOO francs, the bill dinerentiatihe ia
favor of income from labor as against Hi'o'ii0
from investments. In vain its opponents COY"
nrisine the allied conservative interests SuP
norted nv the leading economists 1ncluulis M
: 80, raea,,lte, AWARD and Jules Roche. de-
nounced the bill spoliatory ana lhq go
ord q national dishonor so far as taking income
from government securities was
They said that it was fraught with grave Gan
= ~ - would divide the country into two nos
+uo .canns one taxed and the other exempt en-
h,,,e, tho victorious TO levy tribute on the coH
,,,o-ed They argued especially that the llcoi'e
90. IN England where the necessities or HE d.
not taxed was different from such d 'aN -
France where the rule of protection exists CO.
the cost of living is artihciahy msh'
rather the government nor the majority Cou-H
draw back 49,
An income tax was first proposed during the
revolution of 1S4S and has been INSCRIBED OH lie
successive government programmes premier
/ and the
che nroroises made during the electoral cam
paign had fallen due. The tmper1ec'io"s "a -,
bui are admitted. even by its author NJ Cali
- ,,,at.+s- NJ Finance. and deputy after
-. while casting q favorable vote eH-
-assaa the hone that the Senate would correct
its defects and inequalities
The nopular sentiment regarding the OH can
10 ,,dged from the fact that NJ de Rarnei' roy
a1ist and the Able Gayraud. Republican Oa'p
/ "a. .o.a5 ave The struggle will now be trans
te,red 20 the Senate first IN committee ana la'ei
on the noor OF the house. senator
who will be chairman Of the committee - "
/ ,-reconcilable enemy OF the bill. ana s"eep'iie
,oaiAcations are certain, even If the bill passes
,ba ,rasent Parliament. which Is extremely
doubtful. c.
owing 10 the possibility Of failure IN the sen
ate many people are jumping to the conc!usion
that the bir is virtually dead. Shrewd polticd
/ observers however, understand that the uiti
mate fate o. the bill rests not with the senate
now. but with the people at the elecuohS III 'lie
/ srrinp OF 1910 II the Socialists can theh VIII
an increased majority. no one VINO KNOWS 'ii'
logic of the French character doubts that tlie
Senate will yield, and that an income TAX II
/ E7rapca barring a revolution. is certain within
three years.
Prince Victor Napoleon has issued a statement
against the income tax bill which was passed 10y
the Chamber Of Deputies yesterday. He warns
France that this measure to restore the hsca
inquisition abolished by the revolution VIII en-
tail disastrous consequences and calls partcu-
lar attention 10 the United States. where. ne
saws the Supreme Court rejected a similar pro-
nosel on the ground that it prejudicial &c
the equality OF citizens The prince adds that
although he is in exile, 1t is his desire to serve
/ France by warning her OF this peril