Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-20
FIGHTS TAX; USED
Illegal IS CLAIM
New Manuscript Believed to Be
by Jean Racine Is Dis
covered

PARIS, Aug. lJ.-Maltre LleuiHltte'
who has been protesting against and
refusing to pay certain taxes on ac-
count of alleged illegal use of public
money in payment to municipal coun-
cillors, seems to be successful for the
moment. After terrific threats and
visits from bailiffs, and hearings before
different judges, the last magistrate
to deal with the case has decided that
it should be heard by higher court.
The taxes claimed have been guaran-
teed, and this is the first time that in
an administration matter the taxpayer
is enjoying this privilege. Hitherto the
rule has been pay first and protest
afterwards.
The claimant is triumphant. He
holds that he can prove by legal doc
uments and from the decisions of the
Conceil d'Etat, that the payments OF
salaries to municipal councillors, as
made at present, are Illegal. Therefore,
because the money, as he alleges, is
used illegally, he refuses to pay cor
responding part of his taxes, and he
will continue to prosecute the project
and his accomplice, the tax collector,
for alleged incorporation. The case,
if it does not hold out hope OF
general diminution of taxes for all
Parisians, is, nevertheless, followed
with much amusement.
MANUSCRIPT FOUND
M. Jerome and Jean Tharaud write
in the Eclair on the reported discov-
cry, by the Able Joseph Bonnet, of an
unknown work of Jean Racine. The
Able Bonnet has sent to every mem
Der of the French academy memoir
explaining the circumstances of the
discovery and his reasons for connect
ing the manuscript with the author Of
"Athalie." The manuscript, which is
entitled "L'esprit de David, on traduc-
ton nouvelle DIES $50 psaumes," was
found among the French manuscripts
collected during the seventeenth cen
tury by Zalusky, Polish prelate, and
at present preserved in the imperial
library of st. Petersburg. The title
page, with the name of the author, and
the preface have been torn out.
NJ. Bonnet bases his attribution to
Jean Racine in the first place on a
number of remarkable linguistic re-
sembIances to the peculiarities of that
authors style. Further, though the
hand is not that of Racine, the paper
of the manuscript is declared by ex-
perts to be that generally used by the
poet. Evidence exists that Racine was
particularly fond of the Psalms, and
M Bonnet would identify the manu-
days before his death, Racine en-
trusted. with long and secret instruc-
tions, to M. Dedart.
LARGER SUBMARINES
According to the Journal des Debats,
submarines are likely in the future to
be divided into two distinct classes.
On the one hand their displacement
shows the same tendency to increase
as that of all other naval units. The
next class will displace over 700 tons,
as against 470 tons for the most re-
cent class in commission. and it is
hoped that the speed of its units will
reach twenty knots on the surface,
with radius of action equal to the
voyage from Brest to New York. The
experimental Archimede, of $40 tons,
has given highly satisfactory results.
notably as regards the speed under
water, which is far superior to the
eight or nine knots formerly regarded
as the limit.
1t is hoped that the new class may
be able to act both as torpedo boat
and sumbarine. Vessels of 1000 tons
are under consideration. On the other
hand, submarines of large displace-
ment are of little value for coast de-
fence, since it is impossible for them
to dive in shallow water. For this pur-
pose, on the advice of NJ. Laubeuf, the
famous submarine designer, it is pro-
posed to use craft even smaller than
the Pluviose class, and three units of
this class will shortly be laid down at
Cherbourg.
Paris has possessed for some years
a Victor Hugo museum installed in the
poets former residence in the Place DIES
Vosges. This week a Balzac museum
was opened by the president of the mu-
nicipal council M. Bellan, under the
auspices of the Societe des Amis de
Balzac, in the little house at AZ of the
Rue Raynouard at Passy, where the
great novelist lived for seven years and
where he wrote. 1mong other master
pieces. "Pere Goriot" and "Cousine
Bette" The Balzac museum already
contains some of Balzac's furniture,
various original documents in frames
hung on the walls, a cast of his right
hand, and a number of photographs
and caricatures. When Balzac lived
here the Coteaux de Passy formed
a real countryside. The old gardens
which are suddenly revealed to the
sightseer who penetrates into the arch
ways of the d-fashioned little houses
in the Rue Raynouard remain among
the few corners of the Paris of sew
enty-five years ago that are still in
fant