The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-19

I ed the srsvs of her -dear dsadr' asks the redoubtable polsmist in his most ironical mood.
 The opposition press persists in de- ciaring that Mime. Steinhefps acquittai served the ends of the republic. Be- cause she was very nearly convicted. there is- now movement to reform the procedure. Tn the same way the result of the condemnation of Dreyfus by the second co 1rtmartiai was . Radical endesvor to suppress courts martial by Act of Parliament. In other journals. not particularly politt- cal in tone .there are suggestions that proofs of guilt were hidden In order to allow this too famous woman to es' cape.
 France has also her Budget question very much to the fore at this moment. The pubiicans are up in arms. because of the new duties on alcohol. There was monster meeting of protest 6 few days ago. attended by ten thou sand people A procession of several thousands went to the Chamber and q deputation was subsequently, received by the Premier and by the Minister Of Finance. M Cochery. There is de. felt of t40.0oo00o in the government budget and many millions are to be laid out on new warships For the first time for years the keeper of the national purse has taken the nation into his confidence and said: You owe this money; you must pay. Fur. thermore, you've borrowed quite enough; you must pay now. on the nail" @
 This Is astonishing franckness on the eve of the general elections. For ty million dollars to be taken out of the pockets of the tax payers. good deal of 1t Is coming out of drink, if M. Cochery has his way; but the "debi- tant" is powerful enemy. There are no halls for public meetings in the remote Frence provinces. and the eau GUS sits to decide the political desti- nies of the district on the premises of Bopifaee. When the elections draw near the publican can perform im- mense services for his side by en- lasging the margin of his hospitality.
 Today he is incensed. and assembled In congress; he has practically decid- ed to go on strike. If the Government press the taxes he will refuse to take out a license. He complains of various things--of the intolerant attitude of the tax collector. and of the privileges afforded to private distillers (known as "bouilleurs de cru'D. This privi- lege of distillation is given. under cer- tain conditions, to farmers, just as fin the old days home-brewed ale was one of the activities of English home steads.
 Like the purveyors of food and liquor. the hotel keepers are up in arms against M. Cochery's budget and are determined to oppose 1t tooth and nail. They held big meeting. at which they adopted a resolution set ting forth that they consider the pro- posed new taxes to be utterly unjusti- fled. and that they are convinced that, if there Is deficit, 1t is due to waste, and could easily be made up by that economy which every candidate prom ises, but Is apt to forget when he gets safely into Parliament. They ado that the new taxes would, if enforced, 'complete the ruin of the small trades people, and also of the hotel keepers. who are already overburdened." and they have empowered their represen- tatives to bring this resolution to the notice of the President of the Council and the Minister of Finance.
 In the course of an instructive con- versation after this meeting. the pres l ident of their syndicate said that they meant to be even more energetic than the National Federation of dealers in liquor. For one thing, they were re- solved to oppose the constant increase of the number of iunctionaries. some of whom received thousands of, dol- lars per annum. bat did absolutely nothing. Since 1900 the taxes had in- creased at an enormous rate, and now they were all resolved to oppose the Deputies for Paris and the provinces. who might. vote tho new taxes, when the General Election came of.
 The hotel keepers' syndicate ,lthe president conciudedJ eitibrAcsds the whole of France. and It's. members. even in remote corners. would know what to do, as they would receive in structions from headquarteFs, Thus the hotel keepers will have to be reckoned with, as well as the pub1i-'