Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-06
The Motive for Dreyfus' Prosecution


France is practically unanimous in its
opinion that Capt. Dreyfus is innocent of
The charge against him, 1t is at a loss to
understand the motive for the prosecution
which has sent him once into exile and
now subjects him to a palpably unfair re-
trial. That he is a Jew and disliked in con-
sequence is not sufficient of itself to ac-
count for the crimes and conspiracies of
the army clique which has assailed him.
His religion may, of course, have accen-
tuated the bitterness of his prosecutors,
particularly as his Coreligionists have made
much of the race prejudice in their propa-
garda for his release.
Some ingenious theories have been ad-
var ced to explain this strange phenomenon
of injustice. One of the earliest adduced
was based upon the Franco Russian al
lance. 1t was asserted that when the car
visited France with his warships there
was much fraternizing among the Russian
and French naval and army officers, the
latter seeking in every manner to cater to
the tastes and prejudces of their new al
lies. One of the Russian officers, 1t IS said
sEeerinGly commented upon the large num-
Der of Jews who wore the French uniform,
and the remark ranked so deeply in the
breasts of the French toadies that they
utltlHllfeu 10 uTiVe the Jews from the SER
vice. Dreyfus Is said to have been chosen
as a victim
Somewhat similar to this explanation is
a more recent one to the effect that on one
occasion several years ago Gen. Boisdeffre
row one of the most bitter of Dreyfus
prosecutors, visited of the army sta
items, and after witnessing the evolutions
gave dinner to the officers of the post.
At this dinner Dreyfus who was present,
discoursed most entertainingly upon GER
tain military topics, absorbing the atten-
ton of Gen. Boisdeffre, who, after dinner
Insisted upon continuing the talk with the
Jewish captain. The two, 1t is related,
walked to and fro on bridge for long
time, while the other officers, chagrined at
this display of preference, declared their
intention of doing Dreyfus at the first
opportunity, which is said to have offered
when as probationer on the general staff,
Dreyfus came within the area of suspicion
in connection with the well-known leaks in
the secret archives.
A third theory is that there was a gen.
eral traffic in French army secrets, many
of the under paid officers of the general
staff eking out their pittances in This man
ner, and handsomely recouping themselves
as an offset to the governments parsimony.
The traffic at last became so notorious
that 1t was found necessary to quiet sus-
picion by making d scape- goat of some I'M
popular, though innocent, officer. Dreyfus
vas personally disliked, largely because of
his religion, and this is believed to have led
to his selection for the sacrifice.
Still another statement in this connec-
ton is that Gen. Boisdeffre is, in fact. the
real medium of the leakage of Frances
secrets though he is not charged with I'M
patriotic motives. 1t is said that it was he
who managed the negotiations which Gull
minated in the Russian alliance At one
stage it seemed certain that the enter
prise would fail because Russia de-
manded possession of Frances military
secrets as a condition precedent, and
France declined to give them Bosdeffre.
according to the account, thereupon took it
upon himself to supply the documents to
Russia, thereby securing the alliance In
some way these secrets are said to have
leaked from St Petersburg to Berlin, and
Paris soon knew of the fact. 1t became
necessary to account for the German ac-
qUaintance with these matters. The real
explanation would never do. Bosdeffre
II ust be protected from the consequences
prosecution of a scape- goat.
There are other theories, all with some
degree of plausiblity, and in general agree
ing in the essential assumption that Drey-
fus IS innocent and that somebody else who
is guilty is for various reasons being hidden
and protected.