The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-29
DREYFUS AGITATION RUINOUs.
Paris ShOpI1eepers Suffer Big Loss of
Foreign Patronage by 1t.

New YORK IlmeS.
This Dreyfus agitation is simply running
trade in Paris declared the head of a we'll
known New York business house which has
a branch establishment in the Avenue de
POper9, in , the course OF conversaitlon titnca
in nearly all its branches IS largely depend
ent upon the patronage of foreign visitors,
notably Americans and English, and the
unsettled state of affairs resulting from this
interminable and dangerous case-which IS
now commonly alluded to over there as the
affairs diVerting the stream of tourist
travel from the French capital
1T Is a very serious matter as you can
judge from what occurred during the chol-
era scare a few years ago, when foreigners
were kent away, with the result that a
large number of shopkeeperS were ruined,
and the whole business community suffered
Formerly many American families were
accustomed to spend several weeks in Paris
every year-SometimeS the entire season.
Now they go to London, or the Riviera, or
Dinon and Dinard. in Brittany, where there
is quite a large Anglo-American colony IN
the summer. time or else to Italy. Ger
numbers last summer but their stay was
brief. and they spent little money:
Besides the Dreyfus affair, the recent
strained relations between Great Britain
and France have had a disastrous effect
upon the tide of travel from England, which
in ordinary times is very heavy. You can
get from London to Paris in about nine
hours by the prettiest route, through the
beautiful scenery of Normandy, and the
cost Of the round trip is so small that a
vast army of tourists takes advantage Of
these facilities at every holiday season.
From these and the American tourists, the
hotel keepers. the shopkeepers, and the
proprietors of those pleasure resorts to
which Paris owes it's appelation of the
gay city'-though this is a good deal or a
misnomer-reap a rich harvest, and when
anything occurs to check this influx their
interests suffer in proportion.
Therefore, what with the Dreyfus and
FashOda affairs, the shopkeepers, the most
serious and substantial element in Paris,
are having a very hard time, indeed, ana
naturally are becoming cOrreSpondingly DIS
contented. They are raising their voices IN
vigorous protest against the silly chauvin-
ism and anti-semitic sentiment of a mis-
guided portion of the community. which has
fostered the opposition to thorough IN
vestigation of the Dreyfus case and would
welcome almost any solution that would
put an end to it all. So, what will he the
upshot Of the crisis which every week ap-
pears to be developing unexpected and start-
ling features it is impossible to CONJECTURE.
But these drawbacks apart, Paris no
longer possesses its former attraction fCr
Americans 1t used to be common saying
that all good Americans when tney die
go to Paris However this may have been,
dence in the flesh in the Elysian Fields
Champs Elysees) and the Bois de Bou!o !ogne.
Now they make London their headquarters
in Europe London, in fact, is rapidly su-
perseding Paris as the center OF attraction
for all foreigners.
THE change that has taken place IN the
immense British metropolis during the past
twenty years has been most remarka Bile.
Congested districts have been opened Up by
wide and imposing avenues. handsome
residences now occupy the sites of once
dirty, narrow alleys. scientific plan for