The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-16
SOBER SECOND THouGHT.
Proposed Dreyfus Mass-meeting In
New York Will Be Abandoned.

New York, Sept. 15.-There will be no
mass meeting in this city to protest
against the condemnation of Dreyfus.
Efforts were made to arrange such a
gathering, but the men who were asked
to take part declined to do so, and ex-
pressed the opinion that the move
ment was mistake. Consequently the
promoters of the affair decided to aban-
don the idea. Former Mayor Strong,
who was asked to preside; former Sec
rotary of the Interior Bliss, President
| Guggenheimer of the municipal council
and other men of standing, told the adj
vocates of the mass-meeting plan that
they would do Dreyfus' cause more
harm than good by holding it, and that
they could not consent to participate
| in it.
1t became evident that there is very
little basis for the talk of boycotting
the Paris exposition because of the sec
ond verdict against Dreyfus. Repre-
! sentative men expressed the view that
the entire French nation should not be
condemned because of the action of a
military clique, and that the feeling
aroused by the Dreyfus verdict should
not be allowed to interfere with the eX-
| position.
Il think that agitation tending to
and France because of the Dreyfus
trial places us in rather ridiculous
! position said Cornelius N. Bliss. My
opinion, like that of most other Ameri-
cans, is that great injustice has been
done, but talk of boycotting the Paris
exposition because of it is foolish A
man came to me last night and again
this morning to get me to take part in a
Dreyfus mass-meeting, but l told him
6i=n Of flr raIo l@
think that the exposition will suffer-
I'VE should pay no attention what
ever to the Dreyfus case said former
Mayor William Strong. That is a
matter of their own over there, and
what the judges have decided should
not interfere with the exposition in
any way. | intend to send some goods
! to the exposition, just as if there had
never been any Dreyfus case, and I
have not heard single man talk of
Withdrawing his exhibits
William F. King. president of the
Merchants association, is strongly OPP
posed to any boycott of the exposition.
I'm France, as in America, there are
good and bad elements" said he, "but
they have solid foundation there,
just as we have The action of the
military party should not condemn
France. In regard to the suggested
boycott of the exposition, I regard it as
very dangerous precedent to estab-
lish for one government to boycott a
sister government. No boycott ever was
successful, and none ever will be, as
civilization has advanced too rapidly.
L think the exposition will probably be
more successful than ever before. oW-
ing to the increased prosperity
President Guggenheimer of the coun-
Gil said: I do not approve OF the agi-
tation or of the mass-meeting plan, be-
cause l don't think they will do any
good at this time. We all recognize the
fact that a great wrong has been done,
but believe that agitation win not
help matters any. / believe that ex-
hibftors should decline to send any
thing to the Paris exhibition, and that
Americans should no longer spend their
money there. They can withdraw them
in quiet and orderly manner, how
ever, and without offensive disturb
arce.''
My first thought when I heard of
the verdict was that we ought to re-
taliate on the exposition" said Frank
S. Gardiner, secretary of the board of
trade and transportation. But, after
all, the exposition is a business matter
and our merchants are to show goods
there for their own benefit rather than
that of France. Therefore, it would be
foolish to hold back"
Joseph Larocque thinks that the sue
cess of the exposition will depend large
ly on whether Dreyfus is set free.
Everyone feels that justice has been
outraged" he said, "but that feeling
will not seriously influence action in
regard to the exposition A good denl
will depend Upon the action of the
French government and the higher
courts on the DreyfllS case