the origins of contemporary france-5-第119章

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position　at　Magdeburg；〃　was　recently　called　〃to　the　lucrative　position

of　burgomaster　〃　in　the　town　of　Münster。　At　Bonn；　a　town　of　30；000

inhabitants；　〃everything　rests　on　his　shoulders　he　exercises　a　great

many　of　the　functions　which；　with　us；　belong　to　the　prefect。〃



＇31＇　Max　Leclerc；　ibid。；　p。　25。　…　Alongside　of　the　paid　town　officers

and　the　municipal　councilors；　there　are　special　committees　composed　of

benevolent　members　and　electors　〃either　to　administer　or　superintend

some　branch　of　communal　business；　or　to　study　some　particular

question。〃　〃These　committees；　subject；　moreover；　in　all　respects　to

the　burgomaster；　are　elected　by　the　municipal　council。〃　…　There　are

twelve　of　these　in　Bonn　and　over　a　hundred　in　Berlin。　This　institution

serves　admirably　for　rendering　those　who　are　well　disposed　useful；　as

well　as　for　the　development　of　local　patriotism；　a　practical　sense　and

public　spirit。



＇32＇　Aucoc；　p。　283。



＇33＇　Paul　Leroy…Beaulieu；　〃L'administrateur　locale　en　France　et　en

Angleterre；〃　pp。26；　28；　92。　（Decrees　of　March　25；　1852；　and　April　13；

1861。）



＇349　J。　Ferrand；　ibid。；　p。　169；　170　（Paris；　1879）：　〃In　many　cases；

general　tutelage　and　local　tutelage　are　paralyzed　。　。　。　。　Since　1870…

1876　the　mayors；　to　lessen　the　difficulties　of　their　task；　are

frequently　forced　to　abandon　any　rightful　authority；　the　prefects　are

induced　to　tolerate；　to　approve　of　these　infractions　of　the　law。　。　。　。

For　many　years　one　cannot　read　the　minutes　of　a　session　of　the　council

general　or　of　the　municipal　council　without　finding　numerous　examples

of　the　illegality　we　report　。　。　。　。　In　another　order　of　facts；　for

example　in　that　which　relates　to　the　official　staff；　do　we　not　see

every　day　agents　of　the　state；　even　conscientious；　yield　to　the　will

of　all…powerful　political　notabilities　and　entirely　abandon　the

interests　of　the　service？　〃　…　　These　abuses　have　largely　increased

within　the　past　ten　years。



＇35＇　　See　〃La　République　et　les　conservateurs；〃　in　the　Revue　des　Deux

Mondes　of　March　1；　189；　p。108。　…　〃I　speak　of　this　de　visu　＇from

experience；　（SR。）＇：　I　take　my　own　arrondissement。　　It　is　in　one　of　the

eastern　departments；　lately　represented　by　radicals。　This　time　it　was

carried　by　a　conservative。　An　attempt　was　first　made　to　annul　the

election；　which　had　to　be　given　up　as　the　votes　in　dispute　were　too

many。　Revenge　was　taken　on　the　electors。　Gendarmes；　in　the　communes；

investigated　the　conduct　of　the　curés；　forest…guard；　and　storekeeper。

The　hospital　doctor；　a　conservative；　was　replaced　by　an　opportunist。

The　tax…comptroller；　a　man　of　the　district；　and　of　suspicious　zeal；

was　sent　far　into　the　west。　Every　functionary　who；　on　the　even　of　the

election；　did　not　have　a　contrite　look；　was　threatened　with　dismissal。

A　road…surveyor　was　regarded　as　having　been　lukewarm；　and　accordingly

put　on　the　retired　list。　There　is　no　petty　vexation　that　was　not

resorted　to；　no　insignificant　person；　whom　they　disdained　to　strike。

Stone　breakers　were　denounced　for　saying　that　they　ought　not　to　have

their　wages　reduced。　Sisters　of　charity；　in　a　certain　commune；

dispensed　medicine　to　the　poor；　they　were　forbidden　to　do　this；　to

annoy　the　mayor　living　in　Paris。　The　custodians　of　mortgages　had　an

errand…boy　who　was　guilty　of　distributing；　not　voting…tickets；　but

family　notices　（of　a　marriage）　on　the　part　of　the　new　deputy；　a　few

days　after　this；　a　letter　from　the　prefecture　gave　the　custodian

notice　that　the　criminal　must　be　replaced　in　twenty…four　hours。　A

notary；　in　a　public　meeting；　dared　to　interrupt　the　radical　candidate；

he　was　prosecuted　in　the　court　for　a　violation　of　professional　duties；

and　the　judges　of　judiciary　reforms　condemned　him　to　three　months

'suspension。'　This　took　place；　〃not　in　Languedoc；　or　in　Provence；　in

the　south　among　excited　brains　where　everything　is　allowable；　but

under　the　dull　skies　of　Champagne。　And　when　I　interrogate　the

conservatives　of　the　West　and　the　Center；　they　reply：　〃We　have　seen

many　beside　these；　but　is　long　since　we　have　ceased　to　be　astonished！〃



＇36＇　Ibid。；　p。105　：　〃Each　cantonal　chief　town　has　its　office　of

informers。　The　Minister　of　Public　Worship　has　himself　told　that　on　the

first　of　January；　1890；　there　were　300　curés　deprived　of　their　salary；

about　three　or　four　times　as　many　as　on　the　first　of　January；　1889。〃



＇37＇　These　figures　are　taken　from　the　latest　statistical　reports。　Some

of　them　are　furnished　by　the　chief　or　directors　of　special　services。



＇38＇　　Taine　could　hardly　have　imagined　how　costly　the　modern　democracy

would；　100　years　later；　become。　How　could　he　have　imaged　that　the

〃Human　Rights〃　should　become　the　right　to　live　comfortably　and　well　at

the　expense　of　an　ever　more　productive　society。



＇39＇　DeFoville；　pp。412；　416；　425；　455；　Paul　Leroy…Beaulieu；　〃Traité　de

la　science　des　finances；〃　I。；　p。717。



＇40＇　〃Statistiques　financières　des　communes　en　1889〃：　…　3539　communes

pay　less　than　15　common　centimes；　2597　pay　from　0　fr。　15　to　0　fr。　30；

9652　pay　from　0　fr。　31　to　0　fr。　50；　11；095　from　0　fr。　51　to　1　franc；

and　4248　over　1　franc。　…　Here　this　relates　only　to　the　common

centimes；　to　have　the　sum　total　of　the　additiona1　local　centimes　of

each　commune　would　require　the　addition　of　the　department　centimes；

which　the　statistics　do　not　furnish。



＇41＇　Paul　Leroy…Beaulieu；　ibid。；　I。；　pp。690；　717。



＇42＇　Ibid。：　〃If　the　personal　tax　were　deducted　from　the　amount　of

personal　and　house　tax　combined　we　would　find　that　the　assessment　of

the　state　in　the　product　of　the　house　tax；　that　is　to　say　the　product

of　the　tax　on　rentals；　amounts　to　41　or　42　millions；　and　that　the

share　of　localities　in　the　product　of　this　tax　surpasses　that　of　the

state　by　8　or　9　millions　（Year　1877。）



＇43＇　　Between　1805　and　1900　the　French　franc　was　tied　to　the　gold

standard。　A　20　francs　coin　thus　weighed　7；21　grams。　Its　price　is　today

in　1998　1933。…　francs。　Taine's　figures　have　to　be　multiplied　by　app。

ten　in　order　to　compare　with　today's　prices。　No　real　comparison　can；

however；　be　made　since　production　per　capita　has　multiplied　by　a　large

factor　and　so　have　taxes。



＇44＇　〃Situation　financière　des　department　et　des　communes；〃　published

in　1889　by　the　Minister　of　the　Interior。　　Loans　and　indebtedness　of

the　departments　at　the　end　of　the　fiscal　year　in　1886；　630；066；102

francs。　Loans　and　indebtedness　of　the　communes　Dec。　30；　　1886；

3；020；450；528　francs。



＇45＇　De　Foville；　p。148；　Paul　Leroy…Beaulieu；　〃　L'état　moderne　et　ses

fonctions；〃　p。　21。



＇46＇　　During　　the　110　years　since　Taine　wrote　his　somber　previsions

the　French　have　had　to　pay　the　same　penalty　as　other　ill　managed

Democracies；　Bankruptcies　direct　or　indirect　with　galloping　inflation

and　enormous　devaluations　with　as　a　consequence　impoverishment　of

naive　depositors　and　credulous　pension　fund　participants；　wars　for

which　France　was　badly　prepared　with　millions　of　dead　and　prisoners

and　with　occupation　of　France　as　a　result。　The　culprits；　the　elected

politicians；　have　either　died　or　anyhow　lived　out　their　lives

comfortably　on　the　indexed　retirements　which　the　oligarchy　generally

reserves　for　themselves。　（SR。）



＇47＇　Paul　Leroy…Beaulieu；　〃L'Administration　locale　en　France　et　en

Angleterre；〃　p。　28。　（Decrees　of　March　25；　1852；　and　April　13；　1861。）

List　of　offices　directly　appointed　by　the　prefect　and　on　the

recommendation　of　the　heads　of　the　service；　among　others　the

supernumeraries　of　telegraph　lines　and　of　the　tax　offices。











End　of　The　Modern　Regime；　Volume　1　　　＇Napoleon＇