The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-14
THE BATTLE ON IN EARNEST.
FIGHT THICkENS AROUND THE
EMACIATED, RED-HAIRED JEW.

the French Are Divided-Both
Sides Are UnscrupuIOus-Drey
ties Have Jewish Friends.
| Copyright 1899 by the Associated Press.
Rennes, Aug. 13.-The battle has begun
in earnest. Its political bearings are
shown In the arrest of Paul Derou.ede,
the deputy and poet, and twenty-three of
his numerous royahsts and Bonapartist
allies, who have pooled with him against
the republic. AS in the Boulangist con
spiracy, the pool would be of little conse>
quence but for the military caste which
has found representative men in Gen. De-
Negrier and some other generals having
great commands
| 1t is a strange thing how the fight
thickened around the shadowy, emaciated.
| red-haired Jew, whose uniform of an ar
dllery captain so i'll FITS though befttng.
his figure and physiognomy
| Last Mondays sitting of the courtmar-
tal and the subsequent private sittinzs
were the first skirmishing operations. but
yesterday was field day, in which the
two hostile forces into which France is
and has been divided since the revolution,
formed themselves in battle array and
drew the first blood. Each side stands
| committed to a certain course and has
burned its ships.
The actual Dreyfus trial is a test of
strength. l cannot see a possibility of its
| ending in drawn game 1t Is now a |
neck or nothing" combat, a desperate
| fight in which neither side will give in |
unless utterly routed.
Like the RcvoIutiOnists.
The moral situation of the forces en-
gagged reminds one of the armies of the |
French revolution and those they had to |
| hsht The DreYfusites have the brains |
| the forward impulse. the dash and the |
HeNlDlllty. At the same time they are |
raw recruits, gathered spontaneously from |
the four points of the compass Hatred |
oil the military caste, and it may be, the |
secret nope OF rewards, have made them |
| homogeneous.
The nauonaHsts have social and other |
prestige, numbers and organizations |
Their center is composed of the majority |
OF Frenchmen and Frenchwomen; their |
left wing is formed of 22000 officers. and |
their right wing consists of the church. |
All profess respect for legality, but it is
only from the lips.
one side is just as INSCRIPTIONS as the |
other, but the more active and less num- /
erou9 side does really fight for the cause |
Of m manity justice and truth The |
I'ieS ICSlIes nave, at any rate, won be- |
hSeTent rights, and they are sure of the |
friendly neutrality of the government.
Their adversaries can no longer make |
use of the rope that hung Picard or the |
razor that cut Henrys throat. The min
lister OF war could not if he wanted to,
read forged document in Parliament II |
IS impossible now to stuff the dossier with
fables fit for Mother Goose's tales But
organization, numbers, prestige and wealth
mean staying power.
Doubtless The Dreyfusites are supplied
vita Jewish funds. The sums subscrib-
ed by English and German Jews must be,
enol nous, but like wealthy Gentiles. rich
Jews are fond of the pomps and vanities
OF lille and the titles of aristocratic So
ciety Many Of them are frightened al
ready at the onward pace of the Dreyfu-
sites.
How Mercier Spoke.
Gen. Merciers deposition was inaudibIe
unless to the judges and shorthand re-
porters. 1t fell fiat, his voice and delivery
being bad. But we have it now I'm print
1t has qualities for which we did not give
It credit during delivery. They are easy,
flowing statements, plausibility and the
art of lulling suspicion.
AS the deposition appears in full in the
reports it win everywhere be read with
delight by those already persuaded that
Dreyfus is a traitor. They will not see
what was Pecksniffian, what was of fe-
deposition, which was really a speech for
the prosecution, shows Mercer TO be
hautist Of the highest order He never
loses his way in the most intricate vari-
ations and keeps in view that Dreyfus
Is cool, calculating, well-informed trai-
tor.
The immediate issue of the fight is The
freedom of Dreyfus, but yesterdays incl
dents and episodes are the beginning of
struggle OF far-reaching consequence.
l must give the nationalists credit for
having, from the very beginning fore
seen what revision would lead TO- They.
in many things. showed blindness They
accepted the madman De Beaurepaire as
their spokesman. But they had a keen
instinct for the ultimate trend of the re-
visionist movement
The Letters in the Case.
Dreyfus is generally unfortunate in the
use of the pen. He lacks artistic sensi-
bllities and cannot disassooiate himself |
from his ego to enter into the feelings of
others. One sees this harsh egolism in his
correspondence with his wife. He was
never more unfortunate than in the letter
complaining that VI. Casimir-Perier did
not keep a promise to him. 1t exasperated ,
Casimir. Perer, who treated as a foul libel
the assertion that he, as President of the
republic entered into pact with an off,
Ger accused OF treason. Casimir- -Perier has |
habit of thinking morbidly. He has | ,
taken deep offense at several assertions
of MERCER and will try conclusions with
him tomorrow We expect fur 70 fy-in
Casimir-Perier's case, canine, in Merciers S
feline
Some Of Countess Marc Won MINISTER'S
letters in the secret dossier were TO Mile | ,
Lucia Faure. They may be forgeries. | ,
cannot imagine that she gave them 20 the
minister of war as proof that the family
Of the German ambassador took an inter-
est in Dreyfus.
no Ii, |
the impetuous Intervention in The affair
Of the German Emperor for reasons un-
known even 20 Hohenlohe, Is believed 70
be genuine. In this connection 1t is said
In military circle that a lady in whom
Emperor William took a deep interest had
hshed out Dreyfus for him as a person
competent 90 inform his majesty on
French military questions. Th lady 4