Iron County register., 1899-08-17

henneS, Aug. 1.-Two men dIn-
bushed Maitre Labori, counsel for
Dreyfus, and one shot was fired, hit
ting Labori in the back. NJ. Labori fell
i'll the roadway. He is still alive.
Rennes, Aug. 14.-The battle has be-
gun in earnest. Its political bearings
are shown in the arrest ofPaul de Rou-
lede, the deputy, and poet, and 23 of
his numerous royalist and Bonapartist
allies, who have pooled with him
against the republic. sAs in the Bou-
langist conspiracy, the pool would be
OF little consequence but for the mill
tary caste, which has found represent
ative men in Gen. De Negrier and some
other generals having great commands.
A Strange Spectacle.
1t is a strange thing how the fight
thickened around the shadowy ard
emaciated re-haired Jew, whose uni
form of an artillery captain SO ill-fts
and BELTS his figure and physiognomy.
A Fight to the Death.
Last Mondays sitting of the court
martial and the subsequent non-pub-
operations, but Saturday was a field
day, in which the two hostile forces
into which France is divided and has
been since the revolution, set them
first blood. Each side stands commit
ted to a certain course and has burned
its ships. The actual Dreyfus trial is
a trial of strength. l can not see 4
possibility of its ending in a drawn
game. 1t is now meek or nothing
combat, desperate fight in which
neither side will give in unless utterly
routed.
The Forces Engaged.
The moral situation of the forces en-
the French revolution and those they
had to fight. The Dreyfusites have the
brains, the forward impulse, the dash
and the fiexibility. At the same time
they are raw recruits, gathered spon-
taneously from the four points of the
compass. Hatred of the military caste,
and, it may be, the secret hope of re-
wards have made them homogeneous.
The nationalities have social and 9TH
er prestige. numbers and organiza-
ton. Their center is composed of the
majority of Frenchmen and French
women. Their left wing is formed of
$4,000 officers and their right wing con-
sists of the church.
Both Sides without Scruples.
All profess respect for legality, but
only from the lips out. One side is
just as unscrupulous as the other, but
the most active and less numerous side
does really fight for the cause of Eu-
manity, justice and truth. The Drey-
fusites have, at any rate, won belliger-
ent rights, and they are sure of the
friendly neutrality of the government.
Their adversaries can no longer make
use of the rope that hung Pickard, or
the razor that cut Henry's throat The
minister of war could not, if he wanted
to, read forged document in parlia-
ment. 1t is impossible now to stuff
the dossier with fables fit for Mother
Goose's tales. But organization, num-
bers, prestige and wealth means stay
ing power.
Drcyfusits' Financial Backing.
Doubtless the Dreyfusites are sup
piled with Jewish funds without ac-
cepting NJ. De Freycinet's estimate of
39,O00,000 francs. The sums subscribed
by English and German Jews must be
enormous, but, like wealthy gentiies,
rich Jews are fond of the pomp and
vanitfes of life, thetitles of aristocratic
society. Many of them are frightened
already at the onward pace OF the
Dreyfusites.
Gen. Mercier's Deposition.
Gen. Mercier's deposition was inaudi-
BILE unless tC the judges and shorthand
reporters. 1t fell fat, 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 deliv-
cry. They are easy, flowing state
ments, plausibility and the art of lull-
ing suspicion. As the deposition APP
pears in full in the reports it will ev-
erywhere be read with delight by those
already persuaded that Dreyfus is a
Will SIC "IIdG was
Pecksniffian; what was the feline per-
fidy. Figuratively speaking, the de-
position, which was really a speech
for the prosecution, shows Mercier 10
be a casuist OF the highest order He
never loses his way in the most intri-
cate variations and keeps in view that
Dreyfus is cool, calculating, we'll
informed traitor
Only the Beginning of the StruggEe.
The immediate issue of the fight is
freedom of Dreyfus, but Saturdays IN
cidents and episodes are the beginning
of struggle of far-reaching conse-
queLce.
Foreseen by the NatiOnaIists.
/ must give the nationalists credit
for having, from the very beginning,
foreseen what revision would lead To.
They in many things showed blind
ness. They accepted the madman
Quesmay de Baurepaire, as their
spokesman. But they had keen in
stinct for the ultimate trend of lie
revisionist movement
Dreyfus and His Ego.
Dreyfus is generally unfortunate in
the use of pen. He lacks artistic
sensibilities and can not disassociate
himself from his ego to enter into the
feelings of others. One sees this
harsh egotism in his correspondence
with his wife. He was never more un-
fortunate than in the letter complain
ing that NJ. Casimir-Perier did not
keep promise to him. 1t exasper-
ated Casimir-Perier, who treated as n