The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-09-20
RELEASE OF DREYFUS.
French Council of Ministers Decides
Upon the Captains Pardon.
PARIS FREE FROM EXCITEMENT.

Anti-Dreyfusard Papers Make n Rabid
Attack Upon Loubet, But Fall to
to Arouse the Excitable Frenchmen.
The Captalnwnl Pro baby Go A broad
Paris, Sept 2O.-The council Of min
listers decided yesterday to pardon
Captain Dreyfus in principle, and
Dreyfus has relinquished his appeal
for a reversal of the judgment of the
court martial. 1t is announced that
the pardon will take effect in few
days, but this is only subterfuge,
and 1t may be that the pardoned Of
ficer is even now breathing the air
of freedom. 1t is said that Dreyfus
will be sent abroad before the pro-
mitigation Of his pardon, in order to
avoid demonstrations.
There Is much remark here on the
strange coincidence of the death yes
terday of M. Scherrer-Kestner, the
first champion of Dreyfus, and to
whom Dreyfus virtually owes his
freedom, on the very day the cabi-
net decided to pardon the prisoner. M.
Scheurer-Kestner's death was sudden.
He had been i'll during the last few
days, but it was not thought that his
illness would prove fatal.
The decision of the cabinet to par
don Dreyfus created less interest in
Paris than would the result of big
horse race. In fact. it may be said
that 1t caused no excitement what
ever. There was no rioting on the
boulevards. In front of the offices of
The Libre Parole. where a crowd
usually assemblies in the evening to
gaze upon the huge colored transpar-
encies outside the windows Of the
leading anti-Semite organ, there was
not the slightest gathering or the
faintest sign Of demonstration, either
for or against Dreyfus.
One would think that the fire Of the
Dreyfus agitation had burned itself
out. The anti-Dreyfusard evening pa
governments action by rabid at
tack upon President Loubet, but their
efforts were futile. The peaceful
crowds that filled the tables in front of
the cafes, slipping their after-dinner
coffee, looked at the newsboys who
displayed the front pages of these
sheets with their violent headlines,
but utterly refused to get excited. The
majority did not even discuss the mat
ter, or only made the passing remark
that the decision was just what had
been expected and predicted by every
Partisan newspaper since the Rennes
court martial delivered its verdict.
The anti-Dreyfusard newspaper.
Cot hn1 ha
ton, two lines of enormous letters
extending across the entire front page,
announcing 1.-THE Traitor Dreyfus
Pardoned; Outrage to the Army"
Then, in the course of an article vio-
lently attacking President Loubet, it
said:
"Loubet has given himself coup
de grace in pardoning Dreyfus. He
should be prosecuted for committing
an outrage upon the army, for his de-
cision amounts to this. BY stroke
of the pen he has destroyed the effect
of the sentences of two court martials
and has declared that two military
courts have lied The affair has be-
come grave when the chief of state as
sumes the leadership of the anti-mili-
tary movement and pardons confess
ed traitor, under the pretext that he
has been condemned twice instead of
once"
The Presse says: "Dreyfus with
drew his appeal today. This was the
various formsdities' mentioned in the
official communication as remaining
to be fulfilled before the pardon would
lie signed. The traitor will now be
set free and be able to give lectures
in England and America on the secrets
of the iron safe of the etat major bu-
reaux."