THE OCTROI AT ISSOIRE. 449 



After tlie period of congratulation was over, the President of 

 the Issoire Citizens' Foot-wear Manufacturing Association called 

 the heads of a few of the rival houses to his office. They agreed 

 together to ask for an increase in the octroi, in view of the de- 

 pressed condition of the boot-trade, after which they would, in 

 view of the increase of the octroi, raise the price of boots to twen- 

 ty-five francs. They formed a new association called the Issoire 

 Equitable Confidence Society, the object of which was to prevent 

 the Clermont dealers from flooding the city with cheap boots, a 

 thing which the latter had been steadily on the watch to accom- 

 plish. The Equitable Society took special pains to serve Issoire 

 by regulating the price of boots according to the city's real needs. 

 The city had suffered from overproduction. Now, when any firm 

 outside the Equitable Society tried to resume work, the price of 

 boots was suddenly lowered, until the competing dealer would be 

 willing to sell out on favorable terms to some of the society's mem- 

 bers. There were a few dealers in Issoire who still brought boots 

 over from Clermont. These were made to understand that their 

 course of action was unpatriotic, and that it was displeasing to 

 the members of the Equitable Society. The office of the octroi 

 was visited by several men who accused one of these dealers of 

 having silk stockings concealed in an invoice of boots from Cler- 

 mont. All the boxes were opened and each boot examined. Then 

 all were thrown in a pile by the side of the street. The owner 

 gathered them up as well as he could, but the street boys helped 

 him, and before he knew it several boys and several pairs of boots 

 were missing together. And so in a hundred ways the Equitable 

 Society discouraged outside and inside competition, until at last 

 the entire boot-trade fell into its hands. 



But the rise in the cost of boots had its effect on the working- 

 men. Clearly the increase in the price of boots was due to the 

 growth of labor, for the price of hides was no greater than it was 

 before, while the value of hides made up into boots was mate- 

 rially higher. If a day's work was worth five francs before, nine 

 francs was not too much now when labor was so much more valu- 

 able to the capitalist. 



The big workman Jacques thought this out, and in the cafe of 

 the Lion d'Or he advised the workingmen to march in a body to 

 the President of the Confidence Society to demand their rights. 

 They did so, with the master-workman Jacques at their head. 

 Their demand was nine francs a day, or no more boots in Issoire. 

 The president had expected this. In fact, he had rather hoped for 

 it ; and so he had kept a good stock of boots in reserve for such 

 an emergency. 



He spoke very kindly to the deputation, patted Jacques softly 

 on the arm, but, in brief, said that the state of the trade would 



\0L. XXXIII. — 29 



