The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-07-17
b0LSHEv|K| LIKE
FRENCH JAC0B|NS
John I. White Tells Trades As
semb|y Of French Revolution
and Lesson L Teaches.


1.-THE conditions preceding the
French revolution were not unlike
events of today throughout the
world" declared John z White, of
Chicago, foremost single tax lecturer,
to the delegates Of the Federated
Trades assembly last Friday evening.
Mr.. White chose as his subject: 1.-THE
French Revolution; A Lesson For
Today"
II had not read very much about
the French revolution" continued Mr.
White, "before began to ask what it
was about and what brought it on.
Carlyle and others tell us what hap
pened, but few writer's have told us
what really caused that fearful up
heayel which resulted in shedding
oceans of blood and sacrificing N.Y.
RAIDS of human lives"
Mr.. White then went into the early
history of Europe beginning with the
time of Charlemagne and continuing
down through Che centuries. He re-
lated how Charles the Great parcelled
Europe out to his sons, leaving a
narrow strip between the domain Of
each from the North Sea to the Alps,
out Of which Switzerland, Luxembourg
and similar small countries are
carved which have been the battle
ground Of Europe for years.
The speaker then Interestingly de-
fined the feudal system and explained
how the feudal lords and clergy prof
tied by 1t. '"The men who owned the
land paid no taxes" he said, land
the burden Of the cost of governm ent
and the support of the church and
the land owners fell on the peasants
who paid feudal Dues"
Mr.. White pictured the life of the
feudal serf, the mobiles and the clergy.
He told of the designations of the
mobiles and the clergy and their multi
! piled exactions on the peasantry. He
gave examples Of the methods of levy
! ing taxes until finally more than nine
tents OF the incomes Of the peasants
went directly to the support of the
king, the church and the feudal lords.
The uppercrust was lavish in its ex-
penditures. The public treasury was
plundered and the French government
went broke. Then came the revolu-
ton.
Mr.. White told of the heroic
methods of Turgot, the great French
flnancier, to save France. The king
had called him to the treasury. He
revied industry by taking off taxes
and encouraging it. He cut down the
pension list and brought on the op-
position of the privileged lords who
finally induced the king to remove
him. Then Necker was called and he
tried also to revive F'ranve by equal
lz1ng the burden of taxes and by hav-
ing the government keep its hands off
industry, but such plan would have
cost the Bourbons perquisittes from
the government and compelled them
to pay their share Of taxes for its
support. They succeeded in driving
Necker from power.
The speaker then portrayed the
scenes of the revolution, the meetings
of the general assembly, the claims
of the third estate" its fight for
equal voice with the mobiles and the
clergy, the leadership of Mirabeau, the
conflict of two democratic ideas as
represented by the Jacobins and the
Girondists, one to initiate the United
States and the other standing for the
"One Big Union" of the time, the rule
of the Jacobins, their downfall and
the entry of Napoleon.
He compared the rule Of the Jacob
ms with that of the Bolshevists in
Russia now. He held that the po-
litical control of the industrial life
If the nation caused the downfall OF
France. The mobiles did it first, the
| people did not know any better and
| they too failed.
What we need to know is the les
sons taught by history" concluded Mr..
! White. "Stand for voluntary effort;
get away from compulsion; leave your
| people free When we have learned
the simple fact if free industry and
tax on privilege we will have learned
| the cause of the French revolution"