DISAFFECTION FRANCE.

Colonist, Volume XLIX, Issue 11968, 22 June 1907, Page 2

DISAFFECTION FRANCE.

\ Paris, June 20. [ M, Albert, whose arrest is sought on account of his agitation against . tbe Wine Bill, escaped disguised as a woman, j Fresh h.ertibei's of the Vinegrowers' ; Committee replace the arrested men. ■ When M, Ferroul was arrested at i Narbonne tne military was obstructed by a lar'gti body, of women, who ! arrived armed with pitchforks, tbo , leader wearing a red cap and carry- . iDg a big pistol. M. Ferroul appeared at the window in his night , cap and pyjamas, and urged his i bodyguard to remainj calm, declar- , ing, "I surrender on this, the 5 proudest day of my life. It needed . 10,000 soldiers tb arrest me." M. Yves Guyotj political editor ol "Le Siecle, " in a letter to tbti , "Times," states that the new tditi Departments concerned in tbe wine cisis represent 3% per cent of the t population of France, an J their , vineyards one-fifth the surf ace of , the four departments. Their output is 30 per cent of France's total wine i output, and 15 per cent of the total value. The cause of the crisis is . manifest. After the phylloxera , scare the importaton of Italian wines , was prohibbited, and Spanish wine t was heavily taxed. The vine-growers in the four Departments) imagining I that they comniarided the home market, planted a vine called "Ara« mon," which yielded much fruit , juice and very little alcohol. The result is that the wine will not keep : and cannot be transported. Then the , vineg'rowers, wishing to strengthen , their wine, added sugar to the vintage, as sugar changes into. alcohol* They next added water. Theiy Jpr£viously had too much wine, too '. feeble inf quality. They now made more wine Of worse quality. |and the wine trade refused to purchase it. Vignerons then|"ti_ed (to conduot the trade themselves, and being compelled to seek isolated oustomers, , they incurred losses. Reoeived June^2l. 10. 40p.m. Paris, June 21. A message"" from Narbonne, dated 19, but which was delayed in trans- ; mission reports that a patrol cuirassiers to-night, being hissed, charged the mob on the Boulevard Gambetata with drawn swords. The rioters hurled chairs at the soldiers horses and one horse was killed. Tbe cuirassiers then fired a carbine vol* 1 ley, the rioters replying with re» volvers. Fifteen demonstrators were wounded and one killed. Barricades were erected which the infantry demolished. Two of the wounded have since died. Many soldiers were wounded. Martial law was proclaimed on Thursday. Received June 21, 10.50 p.m. Paris, June 21 In reply to an interpolation in the Chamber of Deputies, M Clemenceau declared that the troops had defended and would continue to defend the publio buildings when attacked. His orders to the troops were not to load their rifles "until the last minute, and only to fire in the event of extreme danger Though his heart bled, his duty was clear, for the unity of the country waß at stake. Troops defending the sub-prefecture at Narbonne were assailed with revolver shots. M. Mulas, interrupting, said "They did not reply, they were heroes!" (Prolonged and unanimous cheers.) M, Clemenceau, proceeding, said that {firing continued, and men were seen to fall. The mob |was twice summoned to disperse, and then what might have been expected happened. One of the rioters was killed and 15 were wounded, but he feared that the number of the troops wounded was still greater. The on_« cials at Narbonne were unable to do their work. Similar events had occurred at Montpelier. The ex-con-victs were included among tbe rioters (several of whom the authorities had arrested), and nearly all the arrested at Montpelier were youths belonging to the anti-Republican party. This statement led to uproar amongst the members of the Right, and to cheers from the Left, with cries, "They are hooligans, not winegrowers, who attacked£the publio buildings at night."