Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/497

Frcncli i',ovcriuucnt in the West Indies 487 hostility to the Church but rather seek its favor. Their chief exer- tion seems to be to work on the dissatisfaction of the agricultural population by making vague promises of better wages, as well as by insinuating that the whites are trying to recover authority to gain the suffrage of the masses.' The Republican-Progressists on the other hand engage in so-called patronal socialism. They en- courage the establishment of old-age pensions by the employers with subvention by the state. In their election manifestoes they state " We are representatives of the school of Brisson and Bour- geois, who have assisted in the triumph of the Republicans without leading the people to violence. We favor a policy of tolerance. The industrial proprietors ask for quiet and peace not sectary politics. - The strife between the two factions is full of bitterness and ani- mosity. Election frauds,^ political duels, and even assassinations are the constant accompaniment of electoral battles. The masses, the agricultural population, are appealed to by both sides, which puts them in a state of unrest and excitement. Political agitation of this kind led to a veritable drama in the year 1900. During the two preceding elections, both parties had made lavish promises of increased wages and "better times" to the proletariat. As the hopes thus raised were disappointed, there occurred in February, 1900, a large strike among the laborers on the sugar estates, result- ing in the destruction of property. Military aid was summoned and a bloody encounter took place at the village of Francois, in which twelve laborers were killed and many seriously wounded. Although order was thus restored the lamentable event left behind it the most bitter feelings among the various classes of the island. It also led to an interpellation in parliament, which illustrates the manner of dealing with colonial questions in the home legislature. In the Chamber of Deputies the two Progressists of Martinique tried to fix the responsibility for the event upon the Socialists and upon the governor, who is a protege of the Socialist leaders. Their principal effort seemed to be to use this occurrence for the purpose of getting the official patronage of the island into their hands. The Waldeck- Rousseau government had so far classed these deputies with the Nationalists and had not allowed them any influence over the patron- ' Z« Colonies, March 17, 1900. 2 Lts Colonies, Oct. 6, 1900. The following election manifesto of a M. Paul Gaillardin is amusing in its naivete. "Je suis un republicain convaincu, j'aime la R6publique, ses lois sociales, ses institutions liberales et democratiques, surtout lorsque ces lois et institutions sont appliquees par de representants justes et eomme moi, aimant laliberte." ^ Les Colonies, Aug. 11 and Sept. 25, 1900.