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Chapter 18
Page: 251-266
(251)
I witness an interesting dialogue, and the sudden death of one of the interlocutors.
[An interlocutor is one who speaks in a dialogue or conversation].
Tired of living in a cave inhabited by tigers where I heard only howlings, and where I saw only blood, I decided to go into the countryside in the hope of finding more pleasant surroundings. I came across a group of peasants and country-women so I put myself amongst them. I heard a man in linen overalls speaking:
"Isn't it great how much better off we are now! There's no more militia, no more rats in the cellars, no more nobles, no more fat and lazy clerics - all that is done away!"
The wives, shrugging their shoulders, replied: "You poor imbeciles. If you had to pay the household expenses, you would believe a little less in your current well-being. See how badly we live now! We can't afford to buy shoes, shirts or clothing. Our children lack everything and in addition we have to pay the court costs of those involved in lawsuits. The militia was never unpleasant before. Each
(252)
parish paid for its own militiaman, and he was always a man of goodwill. Today, his work falls upon us, so someone has to go and kill - someone essential to his family. Or if he stays, he has to waste his time protecting his property when the family really needs his arms at home simply to subsist."
"You are ignorant beasts," replied the men. "Our wise legislators know more than any of us. You must sing Ca Ira [Onward with the Revolution!].
"Well then, let's wait until it [the Revolution] starts to go onward!"
"Sing, dammit! or..." [gives a threatening gesture...]
Yes, force ultimately wins every argument because it cannot be countered. So go ahead and sing Ca Ira, that the revolution 'will go onward', because it obviously can't.
A little further along were some good people who were lamenting their good feudal lord. "Alas!" they said, "we lived contentedly with him, but today he cannot relieve us or comfort us, and neither can he employ us. He is ruined, and we languish."
But here were also some women who spewed out incredible pro-revolutionary fervor: "Miserable whiners," they said. "Doesn't it count for anything that we now have the right to insult monsieur, the Count, or to argue with him as to who has primary place in the church? And what about the right to throw mud on the dress of his wife, the countess? And if I want to plunder and burn their castle, and to murder them if they dare to look at us with their former haughtiness - doesn't that count for something? Long live
(253)
the red bonnet [a symbol of the Revolution], and long live the Jacobins! And Ca Ira [onward with the Revolution] provided that things remain like they are because we are now the Masters, and that is a pleasant change!"
A few paces from there were more sad and disillusioned people who had counted upon a just and fair allowance - a payment that never came their way. Agitators, fermiers and speculators had bought plenty of their wares for a tenth of their true value and then wished to persuade them that they were now better off than before.
"They have taken all our goods, but we get nothing in return!"
"That doesn't matter - you are now happy! So cry 'Long live the Jacobins' or we will beat you with our executive powers!" These happened to be large clubs with ends like bludgeons.
The countryside not being any wiser than the city, I retraced my steps. It was now the dinner hour and I was in a borough where a sign which read, Bon Logis invited me to enter the house. While waiting for the meal to come, I reflected upon many things and then I heard a clear voice coming from the cubicle next to mine. There was a crack in the partition that separated us, and two men were in earnest conversation. Through the crack I could see a table and a man with an elegant tie sitting on one side while a man who wore a prominent wig sat opposite him. The conversation appeared very interesting to me so I took some rough notes in a kind of shorthand. This is a true story, so rather than name them, I will refer to them simply as 'The Tie' and 'The Wig'.
The Wig:
"For a long time you've been hounding me to know my views. Very well! I'll give them to you.
(254)
Personally, I don't think the French revolution will succeed.
The Tie:
Oh, really. Why not?
The Wig:
It seems impossible to me because in order for a government to work, it needs mechanisms that make it go. Government is an intricate political machine that needs weights, counterweights, levers and gears working together in order to operate, and I don't see anything like that here.
The Tie:
In other words, you find the constitution bad?
The Wig:
For sure, it isn't good!
The Tie:
I see great things arising from it.
The Wig:
Me too, but only if people's bias were neutral.
The Tie:
What bias are you referring to?
The Wig:
Everywhere I see Mirabeau's revenge against the nobility, and everywhere I see a zeal for special interests.
The Tie:
So give me an example of what you mean by special interest.
The Wig:
How about the abolition of the dīme [an allowance for the poor]. I ask you what good does it do for the people to have it withdrawn?
The Tie:
Well, don't you at least approve of the new laws established for the administration of the kingdom?
The Wig:
Eh! How much more devilish could it be administered?
(256)
There is no fairness, and the general will is to pay nothing. I maintain that property taxes are too high which is ill-advised politically because it will increase the cost of food.
The Tie:
Explain that to me, please.
The Wig;
Well, doesn't the land produce hemp and flax?
The Tie:
Yes.
The Wig:
The more the land is taxed, the more their products must be valued in order to offset the higher taxes.
The Tie:
That seems reasonable.
The Wig:
Therefore shirts, linen and fabrics must also undergo an increase proportional to the increase in tax. But cattle too are fed from the products of the soil, therefore boots, shoes, milk and meat must also increase accordingly...
(257)
The Tie:
I agree.
The Wig:
And the cost of wine, brandy, beer, cider, and cheese must also increase proportionately. But we have still more levels to traverse because if the price of food products goes up, then the workmen will also have to receive wage increases to offset the higher costs of agricultural products. Therefore, from a badly thought-out tax arises a natural price increase on all consumeables. To me, indirect taxes are better because the man who collects nails from the gutter paid at least 40 liv. per annum for all his consumption, and he barely missed it. It is better to spare the land from taxation but to impose heavier taxes on luxuries such as fancy carriage entrances, liverys and coaches, coffee, maps and charts, liquor, cabarets, cosmetics, etc. Furthermore, a tax on dogs would be wise since it would help decrease their number. Let's suppose there are 3000 dogs in a city of 18 - 20 thousand citizens. For one thing or another they must consume about 1,500 pounds of food per day which amounts to more than 547,000 liv. per annum. And if there are 500,000 useless dogs in France,
(258)
it is easy to calculate the enormous quantity of food that must be produced in the form of cattle, poultry, etc. [This idea isn't quite the same as that of Santerre. I would be annoyed if I had something in common with that horrible man.]
The Tie:
I like your reasoning. Please continue.
The Wig:
Tax contributions are being levied arbitrarily while an article on finances in the constitution is completely missing. That's how I see it.
The Tie:
You astonish me!
The Wig:
In devising the property tax, an arbitrary amount was levied based on the expected income from a property without actually examining the quality of the land. In fact, attention was paid to only one small canton which produces excellent wine and is therefore more lucrative than a vast terrain that's full of weeds.
(259)
The estimated return on its produce was one arpent and taxed at 30 liv. whereas some properties do not return a single ecu. I know one property whose income is 10,000 liv. at most, on which a property tax of 6,000 liv. is being levied.
The Tie:
At least these errors are being returned, and before...
The Wig:
Look, I will agree on all that you would like, but you must also agree that it is quite awkward for us to go on writing petitions unceasingly, and thus continually being worn down in a futile attempt to prevent the force of government from overpowering us.
The Tie:
But don't you find the new municipal powers lighter than those formerly held by intendants?
The Wig:
I find them infinitely harsher. The municipal bureaucrat is an idiot who can only calculate his interests. Reason plays no part against his selfishness and force. The national assembly made a grievous error
(260)
when it armed the country folk. Murders are now more frequent; poaching replaced a taste for work; and a spirit of rebellion has arisen to a worrisome degree. Formerly, two constabulary cavaliers served as the police force for a commune, but now a detachment of numerous individuals is needed. It is dangerous to lead a lion to its cage.
The Tie:
At least justice must appear to you to be better managed.
The Wig:
That's another thing worth looking at. It seems quite strange, to me at least, that the courts come between the public contributions. Why make people pay who are not involved in a court case and therefore have nothing to do with the absurdities of those who are on trial? There couldn't exist a more effective way of multiplying the number of court cases!
The Tie:
But underhanded means of getting money has always been seen as a vice of government...
(261)
The Wig:
Well then, there should be a tax placed on lawsuits according to their importance, as was formerly the case. And the judges should be paid out of the revenues from this tax. Also, the litigants alone should pay the court costs with the burden falling upon the one who loses the case. At least this would put an end to the quibblers who have made an industry out of court cases and lawsuits.
The Tie:
But the feudal system and hunting - weren't these odious things?
The Wig:
Who has the abolition of feudal rights benefitted? The people? To improve the lot of a few it has ruined a hundred thousand families! This whole business should have been examined more thoroughly, and this wasn't done. As for hunting, be assured that the damage to the animal population has been exaggerated and that calculations were based on false data. Rest assured that the fermier [the former feudal administrator], in order to pay the least amount possible, attached a great deal of importance to minimizing the damage to the animal population.
(262)
The Tie:
What changes should be made then?
The Wig:
Leave the owners alone. Let them hunt their hares and partridges. Allow others into the woods twice a year to cull wolves, wild beasts and vermin, and forbid hunting by professionals. This will prevent the overpopulation of voracious animals while at the same time being fair and useful.
The Tie:
But the areas around Paris have been devastated.
The Wig:
Don't believe everything you've been told. Go to the fermier and ask him. He will tell you that his catch before or during the Revolution hasn't changed at all. It is the hunters who have written the decrees on hunting, and this is another example of bias in the creation of new laws.
The Tie:
It seems to me that you would screw up the whole machine.
(263)
In judging it, you speak only about details, and about all the evil measures taken in overcoming obstacles to union and harmony. In 30 years, monsieur, the state will be free and general prosperity will follow. There will be neither rich, nor poor, no nobles, no commoners, no priests, no laity. Class distinction will be a thing of the past. All neighbouring nations will be seized by the same spirit, and peace will prevail... This is What the present generation is now adopting.
The Wig:
I pity you, monsieur, with your fanciful hopes. In 3 years all the national prosperity will be exhausted and we will be without resources. The fermier proprietor, no longer having to pay a fixed amount on fixed dates to his landlord will work less and cultivate badly. And those who don't have any land to work have another source of income: their talent and labour which are also valuable commodities of exchange. Thus distinctions are necessary. They uplift the heart
(264)
and offer something worth emulating. [The marshal of Saxony said that the two great pleasures of his life were to have received accolades at the college and the opera.] Priests are necessary to service the church, and in order to give them due respect they wear a particular garment. But, indeed, those who carry on a scandalous life must be dealt with severely. And the so-called shame of being in a class of servants is another misconception. People who are ill, old, or infirm as well as children need the aid of servants and domestics. In short, being a domestic is nothing to be disdained, and a good servant is the friend of his employer. The state will always make new laws for the people, but it will never attempt to train the people for the new laws. Furthermore, perpetual peace was a beautiful dream of Henri IV, and since then by the abbot of St. Pierre. And regarding the future well-being of the future generation, I knew a fool who thought of getting married and who sacrificed everything for the children he would have some day... But what do I see?...
[At this point a band of rascals interrupted the conversation. They mistreated 'The Tie' and cut the head off 'The Wig'. Evidently this conversation was being overhead by others as well, and 'The Wig's' arguments were judged to be 'aristocratic'.]
(265)
Through the window I saw 'The Wig's' body lying in the mud while his head was fixed at the end of a pike. I left this place of horror where two friends cannot speak freely, and where anyone who dares to speak with common sense is assassinated. Then once again I took the road toward Paris.
Arriving near the samaritaine, I saw an old soldier on guard in the process of seizing a load of chestnuts. I listened for a moment as he tried to force the owner to take a false assignat in exchange for his goods.
A little further along, about the middle of the Pont-Neuf, I see a girl about twelve or thirteen years of age, covered in blood. This blood flowed from her ears because a soldier, who was passing by, had just ripped out her gold earrings. Now the soldier carried on casually as if nothing had happened.
Arriving at the end of the Pont-Neuf I saw a young servant about fifteen or sixteen years old weeping and groaning. A soldier had just stolen four hundred liv. from him. "Here now," said the robber, "they belong to me, and it is you who is the rascal!"
One didn't have to inquire too deeply to judge these incidents.
(266)
These were matters of brazen criminality; impudence vs. innocence. "What is going on?!" I ask with incredulity after witnessing these three scenes while crossing the Pont-Neuf - all going on about the same time, in full daylight, along a passage frequently travelled by Parisians - and nobody says anything! Paris has become a city of cutthroats! It's time to save ourselves, and that's exactly what I did... I fled the scene.
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