the origins of contemporary france-5-第76章

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line　of　1200　leagues；　guarded　the　heavily　taxed　salt　districts　against

the　provinces　which　were　less　taxed；　redeemed　or　free；　the　innumerable

employees　at　the　barriers；　forming　a　confused　and　complicated　band

around　each　province；　town；　district　or　canton；　levying　on　twenty　or

thirty　different　sorts　of　merchandise　forty…five　principal　duties；

general；　provincial；　or　municipal；　and　nearly　sixteen　hundred　tolls；

in　short；　the　entire　body　of　officials　of　the　old　system　of　indirect

taxation　has　almost　wholly　disappeared。　Save　at　the　entrance　of　towns；

and　for　the　octroi　the　eye　no　longer　encounters　an　official　clerk。　The

carters　who；　from　Roussillon　or　Languedoc；　transport　a　cask　of　wine　to

Paris；　are　no　longer　subject　to　his　levies；　humiliations　and　moods　in

twenty　different　places；　nor　to　ascribe　to　him　the　dozen　or　fifteen

days'　useless　extension　of　their　trip　due　to　his　predecessor；　and

during　which　they　had　to　wait　in　his　office　until　he　wrote　a　receipt

or　a　permit。　There　is　scarcely　any　one　now　but　the　inn…keeper　who　sees

his　green　uniform　on　his　premises。　After　the　abolition　of　the　house…

inventory；　nearly　two　millions　of　proprietors　and　wine　métayers　are

forever　free　of　his　visits；＇49＇　from　now　on；　for　consumers；　especially

for　the　people；　he　seems　absent　and　non　existent。　In　effect；　he　has

been　transferred　one　or　two　hundred　leagues　off；　to　the　salt…

establishments　in　the　interior　and　on　the　coasts；　and　on　the　frontier。

There　only　is　the　system　at　fault；　nakedly　exposing　its　vice；　…　a　war

against　exchanges；　the　proscription　of　international　commerce；

prohibition　pushed　to　extreme；　the　continental　blockade；　an

inquisition　of　20；000　customs　officials；　the　hostility　of　100；000

defrauders；　the　brutal　destruction　of　seized　goods；　an　augmentation　in

price　of　100　％　on　cottons　and　400％　on　sugar；　a　dearth　of　colonial

articles；　privation　to　the　consumer；　the　ruin　of　the　manufacturer　and

trader；　and　accumulated　bankruptcies　one　after　the　other　in　1811　in

all　the　large　towns　from　Hamburg　to　Rome。＇50＇　This　vice；　however；

belongs　to　the　militant　policy　and　personal　character　of　the　master；

the　error　that　taints　the　external　side　of　his　fiscal　system　does　not

reach　the　internal　side。　After　him；　under　pacific　reigns；　it　is

gradually　modified；　prohibition　gives　way　to　protection　and　then

changes　from　excessive　protection　to　limited　protection。　France

remains；　along　with　secondary　improvements　and　partial　amendments；　on

the　course　marked　out　by　the　Consulate　and　the　Empire；　this　course；　in

all　its　main　lines；　is　clearly　traced；　straight；　and　yet　adapted　to

all　things；　by　the　plurality；　establishment；　distribution；　rate　of

taxation　and　returns　of　the　various　direct　and　indirect　taxes；　nearly

in　conformity　with　the　new　principles　of　political　economy；　as　well　as

in　conformity　with　the　ancient　maxims　of　distributive　justice；

carefully　directed　between　the　two　important　interests　that　have　to　be

cared　for；　that　of　the　people　who　pays　and　of　the　State　which

collects。



Consider；　in　effect；　what　both　have　gained。　…　In　1789；　the　State　had　a

revenue　of　only　475　millions；　afterwards；　during　the　Revolution；　it

scarcely　collected　any　of　its　revenues；　it　lived　on　the　capital　it

stole；　like　a　genuine　brigand；　or　on　the　debts　it　contracted；　like　a

dishonest　and　insolvent　bankrupt。　Under　the　Consulate　and　during　the

first　years　of　the　Empire；　its　revenue　amounts　to　750　to　800　millions；

its　subjects　being　no　longer　robbed　of　their　capital；　while　it　no

longer　runs　in　debt。　…　In　1789；　the　ordinary　taxpayer　paid　a　direct

tax　to　his　three　former　or　late　sovereigns；　namely；　to　the　King；　the

clergy　and　the　seigniors；　more　than　three…quarters　of　his　net　income。

After　1800；　he　pays　to　the　State　less　than　one…quarter；　the　one

sovereign　alone　who　replaces　the　other　three。　We　have　seen　how　relief

came　to　the　old　taxable　subject；　to　the　rural；　to　the　small

proprietor；　to　the　man　without　any　property；　who　lived　on　the　labor　of

his　own　hands；　the　lightening　of　the　direct　tax　restored　to　him　from

14　to　43　free　days；　during　which；　instead　of　working　for　the

exchequer；　he　worked　for　himself。　If　married；　and　the　father　of　two

children　over　7　years　of　age；　the　alleviation　of　one　direct　tax　alone；

that　of　the　salt…tax；　again　restores　to　him　12　days　more；　in　all　from

one　to　two　complete　months　each　year　during　which　he　is　no　longer；　as

formerly；　a　man　doing　statute…work；　but　the　free　proprietor；　the

absolute　master　of　his　time　and　of　his　own　hands。　…　At　the　same　time；

through　the　re…casting　of　other　taxes　and　owing　to　the　increasing

price　of　labor；　his　physical　privations　decrease。　He　is　no　longer

reduced　to　consuming　only　the　refuse　of　his　crop；　the　wheat　of　poor

quality；　the　damaged　rye；　the　badly…bolted　flour　mixed　with　bran；　nor

to　drink　water　poured　over　the　lees　of　his　grapes；　nor　to　sell　his

pigs　before　Christmas　because　the　salt　he　needs　is　too　dear。＇51＇　　He

salts　his　pork　and　eats　it；　and　likewise　butcher's　meat；　he　enjoys　his

boiled　beef　and　broth　on　Sunday；　he　drinks　wine；　his　bread　is　more

nutritious；　not　so　black　and　healthier；　he　no　longer　lacks　it　and　has

no　fear　of　lacking　it。　Formerly；　he　entertained　a　lugubrious　phantom；

the　fatal　image　of　famine　which　haunted　him　day　and　night　for

centuries；　an　almost　periodical　famine　under　the　monarchy；　a　chronic

famine　and　then　severe　and　excruciating　during　the　Revolution；　a

famine　which；　under　the　republic；　had　in　three　years　destroyed　over　a

million　of　lives。＇52＇　The　immemorial　specter　recedes　and　vanishes；

after　two　accidental　and　local　recurrences；　in　1812　and　1817；　it　never

again　appears　in　France。＇53＇



V。　Conscription　or　Professional　soldiers。



Military　service。　…　Under　the　Ancient　Regime。　…　The　militia　and

regular　troops。　…　Number　of　soldiers。　…　Quality　of　the　recruits。　…

Advantages　of　the　institution。…　Results　of　the　new　system。　…　The

obligation　universal。　…　Comparison　between　the　burdens　of　citizens　and

subjects。　…　The　Conscription　under　Napoleon。　…　He　lightens　and　then

increases　its　weight。　…　What　it　became　after　him。　…　The　law　of　1818。



One　tax　remains；　and　the　last；　that　by　which　the　State　takes；　no

longer　money；　but　the　person　himself；　the　entire　man；　soul　and　body；

and　for　the　best　years　of　his　life；　namely　military　service。　It　is　the

Revolution　which　has　rendered　this　so　burdensome；　formerly；　it　was

light；　for；　in　principle；　it　was　voluntary。　The　militia；　alone；　was

raised　by　force；　and；　in　general；　among　the　country　people；　the

peasants　furnished　men　for　it　by　casting　lots。＇54＇　But　it　was　simply　a

supplement　to　the　active　army；　a　territorial　and　provincial　reserve；　a

distinct；　sedentary　body　of　reinforcements　and　of　inferior　rank　which；

except　in　case　of　war；　never　marched；　it　turned　out　but　nine　days　of

the　year；　and；　after　1778；　never　turned　out　again。　In　1789；　it

comprised　in　all　72；260　men；　and　for　eleven　years　their　names；

inscribed　on　the　registers；　alone　constituted　their　presence　in　the

ranks。＇55＇　　There　were　no　other　conscripts　under　the　monarchy；　in　this

matter；　its　exactions　were　not　great；　ten　times　less　than　those　of　the

Republic　and　of　the　Empire；　since　both　the　Republic　and　the　Empire；

using　the　same　constraint；　were　to　levy　more　than　ten　times　the　number

of　drafted　men　or　conscripts。＇56＇



Alongside　of　this　militia　body；　the　entire　army　properly　so　called；

the　〃regular〃　troops　were；　under；　the　ancient　Régime；　all　recruited　by

free　enlistment；　not　only　the　twenty…five　foreign　regiments；　Swiss；

Irish；　Germans；　and　Liégeois；　but　again　the　hundred　and　forty…five

French　regiments；　177　000　men。＇57＇　　The　enlistment；　indeed；　was　not

free　enough；　frequently；　through　the　maneuvers　of　the　recruiting…

agent；　it　was　tainted　with　inveigling　and　surprises；　and　sometimes

with　fraud　or　violence；　but；　owing　to　the　remonstrances　due　to　the

prevailing　philanthropic　spirit；　these　abuses　had　diminished；　the　law

of　1788　had　suppressed　the　most　serious　of