From its first session, Zaouche demanded the suppression of the mejba (poll tax), which accounted for a sixth of the government's income and was used to pay a number of officials.

Zaouche used this as an opportunity to renew his attacks on French capital, arguing that the infrastructure paid for by ordinary Tunisians would bring them little benefit.

He sought to preserve the integrity and distinctiveness of Tunisian institutions by emphasising the importance of appointing individuals of competence, probity and independence.

For the five years that Le Tunisien was published, he campaigned alongside Ali Bach Hamba — whose first cousin Chérifa he married — and other Young Tunisians, producing a steady stream of articles highly critical of the French Protectorate of Tunisia.

It was the only means of ensuring that positions in the civil service would be opened to Tunisians (from which they were excluded at the time) and a necessary prelude to building a competent and independent judiciary.

The education of women was a theme to which he frequently returned in his speaking and writing,[9] and which was also taken up by other Young Tunisian spokesmen such as Sadok Zmerli and Khairallah Ben Mustapha.

He argued for comprehensive legislation to protect workers, providing for equality in access to positions, salaries and taxation; for the creation of professional bodies and the establishment of a self-regulating industrial and commercial sector.

Parallel social organisations emerged in other sectors, including Le Progrès (woolen cloth) in 1910, Ikbal (foodstuffs) in 1911, Les Sociétés tunisiennes in 1912, Itidal (glassware) in 1913, l'Aide mutuelle (grains et spices) in 1914 and La Renaissance économique (farming equipment) in 1920.

The Council withdrew the proposal, and Zaouche went to the cemetery in person to try and prevent violence, but such was the anger and tension that several days of riots across the city, in which several people lost their lives.

Victor de Carnières, leader of the French colonists and owner of the newspaper Colon français, used the edition of 26 November 1911 to accuse Zaouche of being the main instigator of the disturbances.

Nevertheless, the court simply dismissed the case on the grounds that anything damaging Carnières had said about Zaouche was only of secondary importance, and that his primary aim had been to defend French interests.

The Algiers court found in Zaouche's favour and awarded him costs with interest against Carnières, taking into account his bad faith and his intention to defame.

He published many reports on education and agriculture, and created special support funds for the farmers of the Sahel and encouraged the planting of olive trees.

[3] Founder of the co-operative movement, reformer, lawyer, editor, journalist, businessman and minister, Zaouche was also one of the most outspoken Young Tunisians when it came to criticising traditional religion.

His old opponent, the colonist leader Victor de Carnières hailed him as “Young Tunisian, hothouse plant, two centuries ahead of his co-religionists.”