The Fox of France - Chapter 353: Unjust Laws

France and Austria joining forces to suppress the Hungarian noble uprising didn’t necessarily make them allies. At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface. In French propaganda, Austria remained a conservative, backward, oppressive regime. On the other hand, in Austrian propaganda, France was portrayed as irreligious, unruly, and a symbol of betrayal of traditions. Overall, in their respective propaganda, neither side painted the other favorably.

However, both France and Austria didn’t solely focus their criticism on each other. France continued to direct its criticism primarily towards England, especially recently when the English took advantage of France and Austria being preoccupied with Hungary and Poland to pass a series of resolutions, initiating comprehensive repression of workers within their own borders.

Initially, England passed the “Trade Union Organization Act,” declaring any inter-enterprise trade union organization illegal. They mandated the dissolution of all joint unions within a specified time, allowing only enterprises with over a thousand workers to form unions.

Furthermore, this law demanded that all union activities, including strikes and various meetings, acquire government approval. Even the financial aspects of union activities required government oversight.

Additionally, the English enacted an amendment to the “Navigation Act.” Despite its name, this amendment had no relevance to Mr. Rayne’s hopes of easing French discrimination against British goods for better trade access. Instead, it restricted British migration to North America.

According to this regulation, British nationals could only depart from British territory aboard British ships, whether bound for the New World or Europe.

Due to industrial growth in Europe, particularly in France, along with higher wages there compared to England, many British workers found a new path. They saved money to go to France, worked there temporarily, earned a sum, and then immigrated to the New World.

Consequently, England experienced significant population outflows over the years. This mass departure of workers was detrimental to England’s industry. However, to safeguard native and Rhine Alliance workers’ interests, France swiftly implemented controls on work permits for British citizens. Generally, only skilled workers received work permits, leaving unskilled British workers no choice but to work illegally in France.

While France indeed offered higher average wages than England, this didn’t significantly benefit undocumented British workers. Without legal status, these workers had no legal protection. Unscrupulous French employers, lacking the constraints of a revolution or revolutionary government, exploited their vulnerability, reducing their wages to levels akin to those in England.

Yet, despite these hardships, British workers continued migrating to Europe. However, their destination shifted from France directly to Europe as a transit point en route to North America. France incentivized migration to Louisiana by offering subsidies for those swearing allegiance to France and buying tickets for settlement in Louisiana. As a result, nearly two out of three immigrants arriving in Louisiana spoke German.

Regarding British workers taking advantage of benefits in France, the French weren’t too concerned. They even welcomed this trend, as it weakened British industrial capabilities. Moreover, those leaving England through this route lost loyalty to the country. Having more non-German speakers arriving in Louisiana was also deemed favorable.

Although theoretically requiring French language proficiency for subsidies, in practice, the French had minimal language requirements for these British workers. Basic phrases like “Bonjour” (hello) and “Merci” (thank you) sufficed, easily mastered even by the least skilled.

Due to these subsidies, the cost of tickets from Europe to Louisiana was approximately one-third cheaper than tickets from England. Consequently, the exodus helped reduce unemployment rates to some extent.

In modern times, a drop in unemployment rates would elate government officials for days, or if fortunate enough to be a knowledgeable king, potentially last an entire term. However, in this bizarre era, this figure troubled the British government.

The concern arose because, according to market principles, scarcity in any factor inevitably led to a rise in its price. Labor was no exception; a scarcity of labor would lead to increased wages, subsequently raising costs and decreasing profits for the “respectable folk.” Didn’t England maintain lower wages than the European mainland precisely due to its surplus labor?

Therefore, the government introduced a series of laws. They increased ticket prices from England to Europe, ensuring that British workers seeking cheaper French passage wouldn’t benefit. In fact, not only did tickets to Europe increase, but those bound for the New World also became more expensive. This strategy aimed to decrease the number of emigrants, ensuring sufficient unemployment rates domestically—a primary reason behind this amendment.

Certainly, by using governmental forces to artificially manipulate supply and demand, France designating England as a “non-free trade country” had valid grounds.

Rumors suggested that the French Council was preparing a new law referred to as the “Special Act 302.” This law would authorize the French government, during anti-dumping investigations of “non-free trade countries,” to consider prices from other “free trade countries” rather than the original source prices.

Following the swift passage of this series of laws, the English took immediate action. Initially, the London Police issued a notice to the “Textile Workers Union,” demanding they declare dissolution within 48 hours. The Trade Union Organization Act prohibited any cross-enterprise unions.

Apart from dissolution orders, remaining unions compliant with the Act’s specifications required various legal checks on their organization and finances, enforced by government-appointed personnel.

“In essence, this is a complete annihilation of us,” stated Jacques Gallant, holding the notice from the London Police Department.

“Boss, what do we do?” asked Grandet.

“We have two paths ahead. One is to confront the police department and, by extension, the government,” said Gallant. “We’ve organized worker patrols during this time and armed ourselves somewhat, but that’s only for defensive measures against potential attacks by a few factory owners’ lackeys on the unions. Yet, if we wish to confront the English government—the ultimate lackey for all factory owners and the wealthy—it’s far from sufficient. If we take that path, at least for now, we’ll surely fail.

“As for the second path,” Gallant smiled, “that’s surrender. We’ve already shown some capability in our prior confrontations with those gentlemen. If we surrender, considering our demonstrated ability, they might offer us a bone to appease us. What do you all think?”

“Boss, that’s nonsense!” Barkley exclaimed.

“Exactly, Boss, that’s nonsense!” echoed the others.

“If we take the second path, we might gain some benefits. However, we’d be selling out our fellow workers. I reckon soon, Mr. Rayne’s new contracts will come out, and they’ll be even more unreasonable than the last. If the workers won’t resist, why not take it a step further?” Grandet said. “Boss, you know us. Among us, there aren’t any cowards willing to betray our brothers. Tell us what to do; even if we can’t win, we’ll take a bite before we go.”

“We can’t directly confront them, but we can’t disband either,” Gallant replied. “Our united union will go underground, continuing to lead the workers’ struggle. Furthermore, we can’t retreat silently. Even in a forced retreat, we must leave something behind. Grandet, organize our members to go underground, while I, in the union’s name, will initiate one final strike…”

“Boss…”

Everyone understood the immense danger of such actions at this time.

“If we don’t fight, if we don’t sacrifice, there won’t be a future,” Gallant said. “As long as

we display the ability to cause them harm, yes, as long as we demonstrate that capability, they’ll have to consider if their actions are worthwhile. They’ll have to consider our interests before they decide what to do next. Alright, brothers, when we started forming this union, we were waiting for this day, just like Saint Paul and Saint Peter awaited the cross on their journey to Rome. Let’s take action now!”