Ernest Ferroul
The French Winegrowers
M. Marcelin Albert is at present the Government of France throughout the whole winegrowing district of the South. A month ago he was conferring with M. Clemenceau quite on equal terms. Rather later he admitted to a reporter of The Matin that his ultimatum was, so to speak, placed with too short a fuse; that it was not reasonable to expect that the French Legislature could prepare and pass the body of laws demanded by the wine-growers in a fortnight; that the date of the first stage of the strike, the refusal of the winegrowers to pay their taxes, fixed for , in the evening, had been fixed too soon and without due consideration. “I regret it,” manfully avowed M. Albert.
The viticulturist leader evidently meant that his hand had been forced. The normal population of Montpellier is about 75,000. There were half a million angry viticulturalists there , insisting on immediate action. The leader can no longer guarantee absence of disorder, as he did to the Prime Minister a month ago, when he expostulated upon the sending of troops against a law-abiding population.
“Do not give the Government a day more” than , exclaimed the fiery M. Ferroul on . He has been “brusquing things” ever since. For, after the first stage of the strike, the refusal to pay taxes, it was resolved, in the original programme, that a week’s delay should be accorded to the Government before the second stage, that of paralyzing the Government by the cessation of all official life and the vacating of all the offices, was to take place.
The fiery Ferroul has hauled down the flag from his “mairie,” and replaced it with a streamer of crêpe within forty-eight hours after the first stage arrived. He has been followed by the whole municipal “outfits” of Perpignan, Montpellier, and Florensac. In truth, the whole wine growing district is given over to anarchy.
One cannot acquit the French Government of responsibility. The voters of the South take their Socialism seriously, and call, after election, for the fulfillment of electioneering pledges.
