the origins of contemporary france-5-第105章

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above；　through　the　interposition　of　the　prefect。　…　But；　except　in　rare

cases；　when　the　interference　of　the　government　applies　it　to　violent

and　oppressive　schemes；　it　is　serviceable；　fixed　in　position；　and

confining　itself　to　turning　regularly　and　noiselessly　in　its　little

circle；　it　may；　in　general；　still　render　the　double　service　demanded

of　it　in　the　year　IX；　by　a　patriotic　minister。　According　to　the

definition　which　Chaptal　then　gave　the　general　councils；　fixing　their

powers　and　competence；　they　exist　for　two　purposes　and　only　two：＇45＇

they　must　first　〃insure　to　the　governed　impartiality　in　the　assessment

of　taxes　along　with　the　verification　of　the　use　of　the　latest　levies

in　the　payment　of　local　expenses；〃　and　next；　they　must；　with

discretion　and　modesty；　〃obtain　for　the　government　the　information

which　alone　enables　it　to　provide　for　the　necessities　of　each

department　and　improve　the　entire　working　of　the　public

administration。〃





VIII。　Excellence　of　Local　Government　after　Napoleon。



The　institution　remains　intact　under　the　Restoration。　…　Motives　of　the

governors。　…　Excellence　of　the　machine。　…　Abdication　of　the

administrator。



Such　is　the　spirit　of　the　institution　and　such　is　its　form。　After　1814

and　1815；　after　the　fall　of　the　Empire　and　the　Restoration；　the

institution　subsists　and　remains　as　it　was　before　in　form　and　in

spirit：　it　is　always　the　government　which　appoints　and　directs　all　the

representatives　of　local　society；　in　the　department；　in　the　commune；

and　in　the　intermediate　circumscriptions；　the　prefect；　sub…prefects；

mayors　and　assistants；　the　councilors　of　the　department；　of　the

arrondissement　and　of　the　commune。　Whatever　the　ruling　power　may　be　it

is　repugnant　to　any　change；　never　does　it　voluntarily　restrict　itself

in　its　faculty　of　bestowing　or　withholding　offices；　authority；

consideration；　influence；　or　salaries；　every　desirable　and　every

desired　good　thing；　as　far　as　it　can；　it　retains　these　in　its　own

hands　to　distribute　them　as　it　pleases；　and　in　its　own　interest　to

bestow　them　on　its　partisans　and　to　deprive　its　adversaries　of　them；

to　attract　clients　and　create　minions。　The　four　thousand　offices　of

prefect；　sub…prefect；　and　councilors　of　the　prefecture；　department；

and　arrondissement；　the　four　hundred　thousand　offices　of　mayor；

assistants；　and　municipal　councilors；　and　added　to　these；　the

innumerable　salaried　employments　of　auxiliary　or　secondary　agents；

from　the　secretary…general　of　the　prefecture　down　to　the　secretary　of

the　mayor；　from　the　scribes　and　clerks　of　the　prefecture　and　sub…

prefecture　down　to　the　staff　of　the　municipal　police　and　of　the　octroi

in　the　towns；　from　the　city　or　department　architect　down　to　the　lowest

road…surveyor；　from　the　watchmen　and　superintendents　of　a　canal　or

harbor　down　to　the　field…guards　and　stone…breakers　or　the　highway；

directly　or　indirectly；　the　constitutional　government　disposes　of　them

in　the　same　fashion　as　the　imperial　government；　with　the　same

interference　in　the　most　trifling　details　and　in　the　most　trifling

affair。　Commune　or　department；　such　local　society　remains　under　the

second　Régime　what　it　was　under　the　first　one；　an　extension　of　the

central　society；　an　appendix　of　the　State；　an　adjunct　of　the　great

establishment　of　which　the　seat　is　at　Paris。　In　these　adjuncts；

controlled　from　above；　nothing　is　changed；　neither　the　extent　and

limits　of　the　circumscription；　nor　the　source　and　hierarchy　of　powers；

nor　the　theoretic　framework；　nor　the　practical　mechanism；　not　even　the

names。＇46＇　　After　the　prefects　of　Empire　come　the　prefects　of　the

Restoration；　the　same　in　title　and　uniform；　installed　in　the　same

mansion；　to　do　the　same　work；　with　equal　zeal；　that　is　to　say；　with

dangerous　zeal；　to　such　an　extent　that；　on　taking　leave　of　their　final

audience；　on　setting　out　for　their　department；　M。　de　Talleyrand；　who

knows　men　and　institutions　profoundly；　gives　them；　as　his　last

injunction；　the　following　admirable　order：　〃And；　especially；　no　zeal！

〃　…　According　to　the　recommendation　of　Fouché；　〃the　Bourbons　slept　in

the　bed　of　Napoleon；〃　which　was　the　bed　of　Louis　XIV。；　but　larger　and

more　comfortable；　widened　by　the　Revolution　and　the　Empire；　adapted　to

the　figure　of　its　latest　occupant；　and　enlarged　by　him　so　as　to　spread

over　the　whole　of　France。　When；　after　twenty…five　years　of　exile；　one

returns　home；　it　is　pleasant　to　find　such　a　bed　in　the　house　ready

made；　taking　down　and　remaking　the　old　one　would　give　double　trouble；

moreover；　in　the　old　one；　one　was　less　at　his　ease；　let　us　profit　by

all　that　rebels　and　the　usurper　have　done　that　was　good。　In　this

particular；　not　alone　the　king；　but　again　the　most　antiquated　of　the

Bourbons　are　revolutionaries　and　Bonapartists；　despotic　traditionally；

and　monopolists　through　their　situation；　they　accept　with　no　regrets

the　systematic　demolition　effected　by　the　Constituent　Assembly；　and

the　systematic　centralization　instituted　by　the　First　Consul。　The　Duc

d'Angoulême；　when；　in　1815；　he　was　paraded　about　the　country；　among

the　bridges；　canals；　and　splendid　roads　of　Languedoc；　on　being

reminded　that　these　fine　works　were　formerly　executed　by　the　〃ètats〃

of　the　province；　dryly　replied　〃We　prefer　the　departments　to　the

provinces。〃＇47＇



With　the　exception　of　a　few　antiquarian　and　half…rustic　royalists；

nobody　objects；　there　is　no　thought　of　reconstructing　the　machine　on

another　plan；　in　sum；　nobody　is　dissatisfied　with　the　way　it　works。　It

works　well；　most　effectively；　under　the　Restoration　as　under　the

Empire；　it　renders　to　those　who　are　interested　the　service　demanded　of

it；　it　goes　on　providing　better　and　better　for　the　two　grand　objects

of　local　society；　care　for　the　public　highways　and　protection　against

natural　calamities。　In　1814；　its　net　results　are　already　admirable　and

do　it　credit　…　reparation　of　the　ruins　accumulated　by　the

Revolution；＇48＇　the　continuation　and　completion　of　former　projects；

new　and　striking　enterprises；　dikes　against　the　sea　and　the　rivers；

basins；　moles；　and　jetties　in　the　harbors；　quays；　and　bridges；　locks

and　canals；　public　edifices；　27；200　kilometers　of　national　roads　and

18；600　kilometers　of　departmental　roads；＇49＇　without　counting　the

district　roads　just　laid　out；　all　this　done　regularly；　exactly；　and

economically；　Charles　Nicolas；　〃Les　Budgets　de　la　France　depuis　le

commencement　du　XIXe　siècle。〃　In　1816；　the　four　direct　contributions

returned；　in　principal；　249　millions；　and；　in　additional　centimes；　89

millions　only。　For　a　long　time　the　additional　centimes　applied　to　the

local　service　and　voted　by　the　department　or　by　the　commune　are　not

many　and　do　not　exceed　5　％。　of　the　principal。　by　competent

functionaries；　employed　and　superintended；　who　at　first　through　fear

are　compelled　to　be　prudent；　and　then　through　habit　and　honor　have

become　honest　accountants；　there　is　no　waste；　no　underhand　stealing；

no　arbitrary　charges；　no　sum　is　turned　aside　between　receipts　and

expenses　to　disappear　and　be　lost　on　the　road；　or　flow　out　of　its

channel　in　another　direction。　The　sensitive　taxpayer；　large　or　small；

no　longer　smarts　under　the　painful　goad　which　formerly　pricked　him　and

made　him　jump。　Local　taxation；　annexed　to　the　general　tax；　is　found　to

be　reformed；　lightened；　and　duly　proportioned。　Like　the　principal；　the

〃additional　centimes〃　are　an　equitable　charge；　graduated　according　to

the　sum　of　net　revenue；　like　the　principal；　they　are　assessed

according　to　the　assumed　sum　of　this　net　revenue　by　the　councils　of

the　arondissements　among　the　communes；　and　by　the　communal　assessors

among　the　inhabitants。　They　are　collected　by　the　same　collector；　with

the　same　formalities；　and　every　taxpayer　who　thinks　himself　taxed　too

heavily　finds　a　court　of　appeal　in　the　council　of　the　prefecture；

before　which　he　can　make　his　claim　and　obtain　the　release　or　reduction

of　his　quota。　…　Thus　no　crying　iniquity　exists；　nor　keen　suffering；　on

the　other　hand；　th