Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-09
SOCIALISM IN FRANCE.
The Peasantry Will See That 1t Is
Never Permitted.

From the Literary Digest.
To saw that socialism is Impossible IN
a country that at this moment mas
socialist premier seems like pretty
risky statement. yet that Is what we
read in a serious French review. 80
cialism will be impossible in France says
this writer. because the small farmers
OF the rural districts will never permit
II. The socialists have always been very
loud and demonstrative in Paris. lhere
.re tventy brilliant politicians and jour-
nalists Of the Jaures type who are ever
eppinp them on and inspiring them, Ii
ia sometimes said that the French gov
ernnent is merely a journalistic and lit
erarv institution, quite apart from the
real life of the people. In some respects
this must be acknowledged as true. IL we
are to believe the words of Joseph Bois'
writing in the Correspondent (Par1s). ne
sets out to prove in a lucid article that
the soil of France belongs to the peasant
try and the peasantry will not reilnquish
their property rights to any nm mere ,anut
or socialistic organization. The peasant
is an individualist. who believes IN .he
personal possession OF property; Inc
peasant Of La Bruyere says Mr.: bols. IS
a thing of the past Ihe sreal I as,anl
essayist and philosopher of the seven
tenth century described the rustic
Tranchman as "a strange animal dark
vet pallid in skin. half-clothed and sun
burnt. bound to the soil. which he aug
and turned over with invincible opsti-
macy" .,u,o i
The peasant Of the present time Is :. d
very different creature. declares TINS
writer: n;aa IN
La Bruyeres portrait the peasant OF to-
day. we may not call his lot 1dylilc, put
at least he has some advantages over MS
ancestors He is a citizen. he mas
vote. he can elect his representative In
tbe assembly. and can overturn a min
istry. At the polls his vote is as gooo as
that of a townsman. public ohciai or
an artisan This is the reason why there
exists an agrarian question, ana why .lie
nolitical world of France is face to face
with a fact-the conquest of the peasan-
try. 1t is in vain that wildcat politlcai
parties try to corrupt or win the peasant
population to follow the flag or th Tha
French peasant def1es the elements and
laughs at the tempest. Calm and con
tented he smokes his pipe, sows and THIS
his field. rakes and harroWs ms patch'
feans and stores his harvest and is con-
tent"
The French revolution. most popular
and democratic Of movements, was sue
cessful in killing all the ideas OF social
ism i'm France, in that 1t established the
principle of individual possession of prop
erty in land There is no proletariat in
the rural districts of France. The dis
furbances of labor and capital declares
Mr. Bois are confined to the cities. To
quote his words:
''To this people of the country who are
infatuated with the possession of land.
wild over their property, the idea OF be-
ing dispossessed under a socialistic regime
is absurd The honeyed words OF the So
cialist agitator have no influence with a
Deasant who has tangible property. All
he desires would be something to increase
the profits Of his agricultural industry.
He Certainly would welcome any pro-
gram of Improvement which omitted the
sociaIistic element, no matter what dema-
eogue proposed 1t. and especially the lib
erty to fish and shoot where and when he
chose. Beyond that he Is satisfied as he
is"
In his famous work ''Socialiste, in
which he deals exhaustively with the
economic and political condition OF France
at this present moment, Mr.. Compere-
Morel the we'll known authority, OBJ
serves:
II defy any militant propagandist of so
cialfsm to make any Roadway In the coun-
try. OF course he may offer to meet and
remedy the immediate grievances of the
peasant. but he must not pretend to in
terfere with their personal possessions of
the land. The only thing that socialism
could promise the peasant would be an in
come equal to that he derives from the
land he cultivates. This Utopian dream
is far beyond the range Of possibility.
Meantime the peasant sticks to his ter
ritorial portion and kicks the socialist
preacher out of his hut