Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-11
Proposed Withdrawal From the
French Exposition.
PROTEST. AGAINST DREYFUS VERDICT
President Would Probably Veto an
UnfriendIy Resolution.
F E E LIN G IN CONG RESS

1t is believed that when Congress as
semhles there Will he considerable agitation
of a proposition for this government to
abandon its participation in the Paris ex.
position. 1t il known that expressions hos
tile to the exposition quoted from Senator
Stewart very widely sympathized in,
and it is thought that if the conviction of
Dreyfus is permitted to stand there VIII
be very little friendly feeling tor France
among members of either the House or
Senate. If .he invitation to this country to
participate in the exposition hal not al
ready been accepted by Congress and
money for the expenses appropriated there
is no probability that the United States
would participate. As ii is the matter has
gone so far that TO Withdraw now would
be regarded an official insll. to France.
No further legislation on the par of Con-
sress is needed to carry ou, the, plans of
TN country for the exposition. At.,ut
Sl,2oo.No has been appcJp.ia cd for he
expenses of the commission ami ne gov
ernment exhibit; the comm s~'on has been
appointed and the space desired for e bib
Its from This country has been secured.
How Congress Could Interfere
There are now but two ways in which
Congress could interfere: one would b., to
revoke such part Of the approximation "a
has not already been expended in the ex-
penses Of the comm ssion and the other
would he to pass resolution decllr.ng
that on account of the unsettled conditions
IN France the valuable COVER. .;n-nt "
hlblts should not be sent 70 I,ari. 80 a,
elther OF these things would IT,. sufti,ien.
since the matter has gone 50 Tar to hoax
on All friendly relations between The TWO
countries 1t would anouht t. a dol.lara-
ton th2t the DreyfuS aGalr iS an infrr
national question. involving tht, dignity or
interests ol this country. or els. thar some
thlng Ike a state or lnar..h,- exists i,
France and that the French government
Is not strong enough 10 pro.A foreign
property.
No matter how intense NAV be the feeling
OF indignation over tie Drevfus affair II
would he regarded as a VERY grave acrion
ior d government to make il the basis of
the wlthGraWal Of such invitation
ALREADY accepted and partially acted upon
Attitude of the President
Congress ard the State Department NAV
look at the matter from different points of
view. The President and the State Depart
ment having responsibility for maintaining
our relations with foreign governments and
having Il regard for the strictest proprieties
OF international Intercourse, cannot be. ex-
pected to find in this affair a reason for
involving this country in an international
complication. and ii is likely that the ex-
ecutlVe branch of the government will use
What influence it can To prevent hasty or
misjudged action. II is held that thcra
must he a clear distinction between what
the government can do with propriety and
what the citizens of the United States can
do as individuals.
Will Send Government Exhibits
Unless Congress expressly forhids il this
government will proceed with the prepara-
tions for the exhibition and will send to
Paris such government exhibits as are de-
cded upon, but this will be done with a
realization Of the probability that rnuo h Of
the space secured with such difficulty for
private American exhibits Will be left
vacant. Little doubt is felt that the lati-
tude allowed the private citizen Will be
quite extensively availed of to withdraw
from participation in the exposition. but
that the government is too far committed
to be able to withdraw. unless Ineanwhiis
a revolution should actually occur liz
France.
Feeling in Congress.
Congress is not always controlled by cons
sideration of fine points of international
courtesy, however and it is regarded as
likely that there will be difficulty in pre-
venting a resolution of withdrawal from
being adopted, but if it should be adopted
it is not likely that the President would be
disposed to sign it, unless good rea-
son other than the internal affairs OF
France herself should be assigned There
is abundant reason to believe that a strong
feeling viii be manifested in Congress and
that determined effort viii be made
to give EXPIRE ssion of dsapproyal Of the
disposition that has been made of the Drey-
fuS case.
Another difficulty in the way of an ef-
fort to prevent participation in the expo
sition, however, viii De found in the fact
that before Congress has assembled much
of the government exhibit viii probably be
packed and On its way t. Paris, if not ac-
tua!ly there. The exposition pens III April,
and the Work CT transporting ana preparing
the exhibit will have to begin some months
before that time. Up to this time it is
said the preparation OF the government
,yN;t but