The outbreak against the salt impost
was terrible from the beginning; sixty thousand men in Anjou alone
combined to destroy it, and the price of salt had to be reduced from
sixteen to six sous.[41] The people, however, are not satisfied
with this. This monopoly has been the cause of so much suffering
that they are not disposed to put up with any remains of it, and are
always on the side of the smugglers against the excise officers. In
the month of January, 1790, at B?ziers, thirty-two employees, who
had seized a quantity of contraband salt on the persons of armed
smugglers,[42] are pursued by the crowd to the H?tel-de-Ville; the
consuls decline to defend them and run away; the troops defend them,
but in vain. Five are tortured, horribly mutilated, and then hung.
In the month of March, 1790, Necker states that, according to the
returns of the past three months, the deficit in the salt-tax
amounts to more than four millions a month, which is four-fifths of
the ordinary revenue, while the tobacco monopoly is no more
respected than that of salt.
Pages:
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664