The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-14
Its Political Bearings Are
Shown
In the Arrest Of De RuuIede and His
Associates.
The Actual Dreyfus Trial Trial of
Strength and Neither Side Will
Give In Until Utterly Routed
The Different Factors of Which
the Two Opposing Forces Are
Composed.

the Two Opposing Forces Are
Composed.
copyrighted, 1899, by Associated Press,
RENNES, Aug. 13.-The battle has
begun in earnest. Its political bearings
are shown in the arrest of Paul de
Roulede, the deputy and poet and TWEEN
ty-three of his numerous Royalist an6
Bonapartist allies, who have pooled
with him against the republic. AS il
the Boulangist conspiracy, the poo
would be of little consequence but fol
the military caste, which has found rep
resentative men in General de Negriel
and some of the Generals having great
commands.
1t is strange thing how the fight
thickened around the shadowy an6
emaciated redhaired Jew, whose uni
form of an artillery Captain so i'll fits
and BELTS his figure and physiognomy
Last Mondays sitting of the court
martial and the subsequent non-publi(
sittings were the first skirmishing oper-
ations, but yesterday was a field day in
which the hostile forces into which
France is divided and has been since
the revolution, set themselves in array
of battle and drew the first blood. Each
side stands committed to certain
course and has burned its ships. The
actual Dreyfus trial is a trial OF
strength. I cannot see a possibility OF
it's ending in a drawn game. 1t is now
a meek or nothing" combat, 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 Dreyfusites have the
brains, the forward impulse. the dash
and the flexibility. 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 Nationalist have social anG
other prestige, numbers and organiza-
ton. Their center is composed of the
majority of Frenchmen and French wo-
men; their left wing is formed OF 2e6tT
officers and their right wing consists
of the church. All profess respect fol
legality, but only from the lips out
One side is just as INSCRIPTIONS as the
other, but the most active and less
numerous side does really fight for the
cause of humanity, justice and truth
The Dreyfusites have, at any rate, wor
belligerent rights and they are sure OF
the friendly neutrality of the Govern
ment
Their adversaries can no longer make
nf he hof h,rt, ri
the razor that cut Henry's throat. The
Minister of War could not if he wanted
to read a 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 mean staying
powers.
Doubtless the Dreyfusites are sup
piled with Jewish funds. without ac-
cepting NJ. de Freycinet's estimate OF
39.o00,0O0 francs The sums sub
scribed by English and German Jews
must be enormous, for they, like
wealthy Gentiles, are fond of the pomps
and vanities of life, the titles of aristo-
cratic society. Many of them are fright
ened already atsthe 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 il
now in print. 1t has qualities for which
we did not give it credit during deliv-
cry. There are easy. flowing state
ments, plausibility and the art of lull
ing suspicion. AS the deposition APP.
pears in full reports it will everywher,
be read with delight by those already
persuaded that Dreyfus is a traitor
They will not see what was Pecksnif
fian. what was feline perfidy, figura.
lively speaking.
The deposition. which was really {
speech for the prosecution, shows Mer-
cier to be a fiauntist of the highes
order. He never loses his way in the
most intricate variations and keeps il
view that Dreyfus is cool, calculating
we'll informed traitor. The immediat,
issue of the fight is the freedom Of
Dreyfus, but yesterdays incidents ant
episodes are the beginning of a strug
gle of far-reaching consequence.
1 must give the Nationalists credit
for having, from the very beginning
foreseen what the revision would lea(
to. They, in many things, showed
blindness. They accepted the madmar
Quesnay de Beaurepaire as thei
spokesman. But they had a keen in
stinct for the ultimate trend of the
revisionist movement
Dreyfus is generally unfortunate il
the use of the pen. He lacks artistic
sensibilities and cannot disassociatt
himself from his egotism to enter tn,
feelings of others. One sees this harsl
egotism in his correspondence with hi!
wife. He was never more unfortunate
than in the letter complaining that M
Casimir-Perier did not keep promise
to him. 1t exasperated Casimir Perier
who treated as a foul libel the asser
ton that he, as President of the repub
lie, entered into a pact with an Officer
accused of treason. Casimir- Perie
has habit OF. thinking morbidly. HI
has taken deep offense at several as
sertions of MERCER and will try conclu
sions with him tomorrow. We expec
fur to f1y--in Casimir- Perier's case, ca
nine, in Mercier's, feline.
Some of Countess Marie Won Nuns
ter's letters in the secret dossier wer'
to Mile. Lucie Faure They may b.
forgeries. / cannot imagine that sh'
gave them to the Minister of War a!
proof that the family Of the German