The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-14
HAS BURNED ITS SHIPS
Each Side Will Fight to the Bit
ter End.
BEGINNING OF STRUGGLE
The Decision of the Court Martial VIII
Not Close the Dreyfus Affair.
France Divided Into Fight
ing Factions.
Copyrighted 1899 by Associated Press.

RenneS, Aug. To- / lie Dattle mas De-
gun in earnest Its political bearings
are shown in the arrest of Paul Deroul-
EIDE, the deputy and poet. and 23 of his
numerous royalist and Bonapartist al
lies, who have pooled with him against
the republic. AS in the Boulangist con-
spiracy, the pool would be of little
consequence but for the military CASTE
which has found representative men in
General De Negrier and some other
generals having great commands.
1t is a strange thing how the fight
thickened around the shadowy and
emaciated red haired Jew, whose uni
form of an artillery captain so ill fits
his figure and physiognomy.
These last days sitting of the court
martial and the subsequent non-pub-
lie sittings We're the first skirmishing
operations, but yesterday was a field
day, in which the hostile forces into
which France is divided and
has been since the revOu-
ton, set themselves in array
of battle and drew the first blood. Each
side stands committed to a certain
course, and has burned its ships. The
actual Dreyfus trial is trial of
strength. / cannot see possibility of
its ending in a drawn game. 1t is now
a neck or nothing" combat. a desper-
ate fight in which neither side will give
in unless utterly routed
The moral situation of the forces en-
gagged reminds one Of that of the
armies of the FrenCh revolution, and
those they had to fight. The Drey-
fusites have the brains, forward i'm
pulse and enthusiasm. At the same
time, they are raw recruits gathered
70, ,Cl1 h., i,,ts .,e
the compass. Hatred of the military
caste, and, it may he. the secret hope
Of rewards. have made them homeO-
genous.
The nationalists have social and other
prestige, numbers and organization.
Their center is composed of the major
ity of Frenchmen and French women;
their left wing is formed of $4,000 Off
GERS and their right wing consists of
the church. All profess respect for le-
gality, but only from the lips out. One
side is just as .unscrupulous as the
other, but the most active and less nu-
merous side does really fight for the
cause of humanity, justice and truth.
The Dreyfusites have, at any rate,
won belligerent rights and they are
sure of the friendly neutrality of the
government Their adversaries can no
longer make use of the rope that hung
Picquart, of the razor that cut Hen
rvs throat. The minister of war could
not, If he wanted to, read a forged
document in parliament. 1t is impos-
sible now to stuff the dossier with ia
bles fit for Mother Goose tales. But
organization, numbers, prestige and
wealth mean staying power.
Doubtless the Dreyfusites are sup
piled with Jewish funds. without ac-
cepting NJ. de Freycinet's estimate of
39. 600, 600 francs. The sums subscribed
;-l, rct
be enormous, but like wealthy Gentiles,
rich Jews are fond of the pomps and
vanities of life. the titles of aristo-
cratic society. Many of them are fright
ened already at the onward pace of the
Dreyfusites.
General Mercier's deposition was in
audible, unless to the judges and short
hand reporters. 1t fell fiat, his voice
and delivery being bad. But We have
it now in print. 1t has qualities for
which we did not give it credit during
delivery. They are easy flowing state
ments, plausibility and the art of lull-
ing suspicion. AS the deposition ap-
pears in full in the reports, it will
everywhere be read with delight by
those already persuaded that Dreyfus
is traitor They will not see what
is Pecksniftian. what was feline per-
fidy. figurativelY speaking.
The deposition. which was really a
speech for the prosecution shows Mer-
cier to be tiautist of the highest or
der. He never loses his way in the
most intricate variations, and keeps
in view that Dreyfus is a COOL calcu-
latinfg, we'll informed traitor.
The immediate issue of the fight is
the freedom of Dreyfus. but yesterdays
incidents and episodes are the begin
ming of a struggle of a far-reaching
consequence
ir.c
for having. from the very beginning
foreseen what revision would lead to.
They, in many things, showed blind
ness. They accepted the madman,
Quesnay de Beaurepare, as their
spokesman. But they had a keen in
stinct for the ultimate trend of the
revisionist movement.
Dreyfus is generally unfortunate in
the use of the pen He lacks artistic
sensibilities and cannot disassociate
himself from his ego to enter the feel
ings of others. One sees this harsh
egotism in his correspondence with his
wife. He was never more unfortunate
than in the letter complaining that NJ.
Casimir-perier did not keep a promise
to him. 1t eXasperated Casimir-Perier,
who treated as a foul libel the asser-
ton that he, as president of the re-
public entered into pact with an Of
ficer accused of treason. Casimr-Per-
ier has a habit of thinking morbidly.
He has taken deep offense at several
assertions of Mercier and will try con-
clusions with him tomorrow We eX-
pect fur to fy-in Casimir-Perier's case
canine, in Mercier's, feline.
Some of Countess Merle Won Mum
ster's letters in the secret dossier were
to Mile Lucie Faure. They may be
forgeries I cannot imagine that she
gave them to the minister of war as
proof that the family of the German
ambassador took an interest in Drey-
fus.
The SChwarzkopoff letter. speaking
of the impetuOus Intervention in the
affair of the German emperor for rea
sons unknown even to Hohenlohe, is
believed to be genuine. In this conneC-
ton, it is said in military circles. that
a lady in which Emperor William took
a deep interest has fished out for him
Dreyfus as a person competent to in
form his majesty on French military
questions This lady, it is said, was
a relative to the late jacques Saint