New-York tribune., 1911-04-03
THE CHAMPAGNE WAR
Demonstration Against Monis by
the Forty Communes in Revolt.
Bar-sur-Aube. March 20

-Aube. March 20
Gouysrneur Morris. in a letter m
| Washington describing popular manifes.
tations IN the streets Of Paris Just ORE.
yious to tho Revolution, wrote: "Au.
thority is merely an empty word. with
out somblance Of real meaning" This
might also apply to the picturesaua
and. fortunately. bloodIess scenes that
your correspondent witnessed yesterday
Sunday in this quaint little town ~
Bar-sur- -Aube. situated In the Cham.
pagnc Pouileux; literally. lousy or
wretched Champagne country" ebout
100 miles east OF Paris. II was prac.
tically the first day Of spring ideal
weather, bright sunshine. soft. balmy.
westerly breeze. and temperature OF &C.
degrees Fahrenheit.
At II o'clock a procession Of eight
thousand vignerons marched through the
streets to the town hall. from which
the escutcheon with the letters "R. F."
Of the Repubique Francaise had been
removed and the words "Liberte. Egalits
Fraternite" effaced with red paint The
national French ensign had been hauled
down and replaced by the red flag OF
the Revolution. Over the door waved
| Slack flag with the Inscription Cham
penois quand-meme."-"We form part
Of the Champagne region in spite Of all"
The Mayor and municipality Of Bar-sur.
Aube. together with the mayors and
common councillors OF forty villages had
resigned and abandoned their posts.
Their places were taken by short
stout. bullheaded looking man with
shaggy hair, wearing dark blue blouse
named Checque. who. with hastily
formed committee, called the "Anti-tax
Committee" had assumed the govern
ment.
Citizen Checdue stood before the town
hall and acknowledged the salutes ~
the brorzed vignerons as they marched
silently past. in good military formation.
with grim. determined faces. Each dep
utation was headed by a band Of music
playing "HInternationale." Among the
hundreds Of '1nsurgent" banners several
bore inscriptions: Down with Monis
the Humbug," Hunger 0a Faim) JUS
tifies the Means"-a play upon the
words Of the popular expression La fn
1ustjfie les moyens" Tricolor flags were
displayed at halfmast covered with black
crepe. The chief delegate Of every COM
mune carried a large grape hod loaded
with the tax lists Of forty communes
which are now IN open revolt by refusing
to pay taxes to the French Republic.
In the public square was long dummy
figure Of straw, in frock coat and SILK
hat--a sort Of scarecrow, resembling the
Prime Minister, and over its head hung
the sentence In red letters, "Monis
awaiting his death sentence" Wild
cries OF jubilation were heard as brisk
bonfire was lighted under the effigy OF
the Prime Minister All the tax lists
were heaped upon the flames. The
women and school children gathered to-
gether and sang the revolutionary vine-
yard song, which runs as follows:
Depuis trop longtemps on nous berne.
On nous endort avec des mots
Contre Get or qui nous eouverne
Dreseons nous ct clsmons bien haut:
'Champenois nous serons quand meme
Nous lutterons contre vos lois
Au prix. s'i faut. do la vie meme
Nous ferons triompher nos droits.
The main cause of this revolution 's
the decision, Of the ministry to exclude
the department of the Aube from the So
called Champagne district. When the
1o
wine growers were informed that spe-
cial commission had been appointed TO
deal with their claims to belong TO the
champagne country so designated for
commercial purposes. But NJ. Monis an
nounced last week that the delirnitat!on
Of the Champagne region must be con-
sidered as ended Wild outbursts OF
indignation ensued.
Hitherto the wines produced In the
department OF the Aube, which adJons
that of the Marne, when treated by the
champagne process fetched in the open
market from so to IS cents bottle. Tns
dealers now say that these same wines
are not worth more than 12s cents
bottle. Formerly these sparkling wines
might bear labels OF champagne" but
this under the present delimitation law.
Is no longer the case. Hence the revo.
ution. or. rather. the civil war between
the departments of the Aube and the
Marne. For the inhabitants OF the
Marne. where the best grades OF cham.
ragne wines are grown, have obtained
the exclusive right to label their wines
as champagne" and to-day they for
mally announce that they. in their turn
will revolt il the Aube be included IN
the Champagne district.
The inhabitants of the villages in the
Aube region through which your corre-
spondent passed during an automobile
trip to-day seem firmly resolved 70
enforce their demands and are preparing
to have recourse to violence. Some OF
the vignerons stated that they do not
object to the use OF the name "Bar-suf'
Aube" on the labels of their cham
pagne." so as to prevent any confusion
with the champa gne from the Rheims
and Epernay countries. II is upon TINS
basis that peaceful solution is likely
to be reached. Meanwhile. all local ana
government here is at stand
still. {. b.
GIFT OF $25,000 TO HARVARD