The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-07
5ANTI,sEAIIISH In FRANCE.
The Campaign OF Defamation Inaus-
Z uratcd by ~ Drumont, and How It
was Reinforced by Circumstances,

v
eral Freedman. Antl.Semltism has
become u power, and has transformed
Itself Into a political party in tho very
country which gave to the world the
Declarations OF the Right OF Man, In
which It Is said that "all men are born
free and cqual;'. the country which. q
century ago. accorded citizenship TO
Jews. and since 1881 has treated their
religion MS n form OF worship recog-
nIzed by tho 6tate, and salaried It's min
listers, cqualy5with those OF the Protest
ant and Catholic faiths Jas.
Numerous facts, taken Il at random,
chow the position suddenly acquired In
France by this movement, whlch~Gf-
teen gears ago, was unknown there.
& and which was then talked about only
us n far-ots epidemic raging In back
ward countries like Russia. Roumanin,
hustrla'and Germany. It Will be enough
10 recall tho part played. consciously
or unconsclously, by anti-Scmltlc preJu-
dice at the beginning of the Drcyfus
affair, when officers notoriously anti
Semitic were the first to suspect the
Jew Dreyfus OF having written that
borderrau which everybody knows to-
day was written by the good Christian
Esterhazy, former papal Zouave. We
know. too. how this persecution. born
Of anti-Semitism. gave birth In turn
TO q new eruption of anti-Scmltic pas
sion emitting In Paris that cry OF the
Middle Ages, Death 10 Jews" On the
other hand. for the FIRST time In the
general elections OF May last, we saw
deputies elected with the label OF anti
Semitcs, and In the chamber the for
nation OF n group Every feeble. no
doubt. fifteen at most) styling Itself
antl-Semitic. and which has already
made hubDub out OF proportion to Its
Importance. *
A month ago the city OF AlgIcrs, the
capital of our great African colony, not
satisfied with having chosen as deputy
the celebrated Drumont, who had fall
ed of election in France. and with hav-
Ing been for a twelvc-month the scene
OF veritable Jcw-baitings. boycottlng
OF jewish traders. street rows and en-
counters. elected as mayor young agi-
tator OF Italian origin, Max Regis,
scarcely twenty-five years old, and
whose sole claim to the place was his
Il having been one Of the leaders Of the
gangs who shout, Death to Jews!"
n This singular mayor was no sooner
4 elected than he declared he would make
Z Algicrs f"uninhabitable by Jews" de-
3 cided that the cry death to Jews" was
not seditlous. and In his newspaper,
the Anti-Julf, organized q special SER
vice unknown to the press of the en-
tire world. 1t consisted In the creation
OF a Photographic outflt directed against
the Christian women who patronzed
q Jewish dealers. In order TO publish their
X portraits and hold them up TO the pub
& lie. 1t must be added that the govern
ment Immediately suspended this bold
a and original magistrate for three months.
n Finally. as the latest feature betraylng
the violence OF antl-SemitIc passion In
Algeria, u lnrge French liquor house
having Jewish representative In that
S country had TO discharge him because
q Its customers refused to givcr orders
to a'Jcw. and court denied the dam
z ages which the latter sought 10 claim
u from his employers. AEeat >"
"a These few details give an idea OF the
~ extent and violence of the movement.
.,&To appreciate morcs.horoughly Its char
ii acterT one need only read the report OF
s. an santi-Sem!tic meeting In Paris or nm
n extract from the Librc Parole, or call
TO mind the savage. passions that char
4 Hclerized the prosecution of lola. No,
Il only did poor irilbecilcs or little street
Arabs cry, Down with the Jews," |
q remember when, in the course OF the
q trial. In company with some friends, |
made signs of approval OF Laboris adj
Y mirable speech. officers turned furi.
4 ously, saying. They are Jcws!"
Il Now, whence springs the antf-Sc.
mite movement, what are It's causes and
Its real Importance? think It easy TO
- answer these Inquiries exactly and i'm
"A partially. And first We must set one
side the anti-Semitism OF Algeria, which
IS peculiar to that country. and has re-
X lation to special economic and political
conditions. The Jews, In fact. form In
al Algeria Il population. scarcely nssimi-
q iated. OF usurers very unpopular with
u the lower classes, and who gained nre-
maturely In 1870 the right OF suffrage
81 denied to native Musselmans. But in
n Franco nnti-Scmitism Is quite otherwise
81 eSplainable. and only through NJ.
2douard Drumoat. To understand a
4 We must know who ". Drumont Is.
UP to 1856 NJ. Drumont was absolute.
4 ~ unknown to the public at large. He
was an obscure Catholic journalist
contributing con muIg t9 clerical journals like
the Monde. which is read chiefly by
priests. Though graced with n certain
literary and historic culture, and hav-
4 ing published estimable historical
WORKS or which one was crowned by The
| Academy. Drumont vcEetated poor md
unknown. A Partisan by birth. he pos
Sessed by nature n railing spirit Bred
N satholic surroundings. and living In
the world OF the clergy, he was az once
4 deVout and ,fanatlcal. As such, he nat
4 urally sdctested the republicans, who.
4 III the train of Gambetta and Jules Fer.
ny. made war on clerlcalism, expelled
the Jesults. and sccularized education,
The truth Is that Drnmont hated with
savage hatred the enemies and what
nc called the prosecutors" of the
4 church. He sworc to be revcnged on
them while ,revenging himself for the
obscure mcdiocrity In which he Ind
hitherto lived. whereas SO many others
rapidly attained success and fortune:
ana he wrote that astonishing baok
which burst like thunder-cla reveal
ing MS nemc TO the general public and
bringing him at once money and re.
how'll mean La France Julve.'
jewish France" appeared In 1856. In
very snort time lis editions were sold,
On the morrow OF It's publication the
press was full OF protcstations from
men who declared themselves TO have
been libcllcd by the author. and OF re-
ports OF dueis between N. Drumont and
some OF his victims. Several pursued
MN IN court. but the majority shrugged
their shoulders and said ct Ia n nam
l phlct. rak!ng together OF calumnIous
stories, fabricated anecdotes, and vcrit-
4 able Hes ~ magistrate would pres
n entity. In 4 suit brought against NJ. Dru-
Il mont. call II the Directory of dcfaria-
8 tion. Polemics, duels, suits. are more
= Than Is needed to make success OF ann
hook and the public eagerly devoured
n that OF NJ. Drumont.
III what In 10 be found In the two com
A5pact volumes OF which Jewish France"
3cnnSists? First OF all, scandnIOus tnIoe