Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-31
THE DANGER TO FRANCE

THE DANGER TO FRANCE.
There is good reason for giving Gre
dence to the statements of n correspond
ent at Rennes respecting the attitude of
the army toward the Dreyfus case. The
military men, with very few exceptions,
expect a decision against the accused
and In the went of his being acquitted
and the government taking action
against the officers who have been pretty
clearly shown to be involved in a con
spiracy against Dreyfus and to have
committed perjury, they are prepared to
resist such action even TO the extent of
attempting to overthrow the govern
ment. There is no doubt that the army
is practically unanimous in the deter
minatlon to stand by Generals MERCER,
BoisdeTre and the other military enc
mics of Dreyfus and probably 1t has the
support of n majority of the people.
The acquittal of Dreyfus would not
only put an indelible stigma upon his
accusers, the leading military men OF
France, but 1t would greatly impair If
1T did not quite destroy popular respect
for and confidence in the army. Acquit-
tai of Dreyfus would mean distinctly
condemnation of the general stan, every
officer of which has staked his military
prestige and his personal honor on the
guilt of Dreyfus. One after another they
have declared without reservation their
conviction that the charge against the
accused Is just. The only alternative
conclusion, therefore, lies between trea-
son on the part Of Dreyfus and conspir-
acy, forgery and perjury on the part OF
the entire general staff. 1t is a fearful
alternative, for If there Is acquittal the
accusers of Dreyfus can no longer be
permitted to hold their positions in the
army-even If they should not be Their
| wise punished-and what decentralization
might result from this cunno be fore
seen. These generals whom the civilized
world now believes to be conspirators
and p%erjurers are quite capable of or
ganizing revolution. MERCER and his CO.
conspirators are desperate enough to do
this, In order to set up a government in
which the military power, now subordi-
mated to the civil authority, would be
supreme-a government that would be
in effect a military ~despotism.
This is the real danger that now ON
fronts France and threatens to defeat
justice. The conviction OF Dreyfus
would undoubtedly be followed by seri-
ous Dopular sturb noes There would
be a tremendous protest against what
would be rightly regarded, in the light
of the proceedings of the Rennes court
martial, as a monstrous injustice. No
has followed those proceedings can
doubt that Dreyfus should be acquitted
and a different verdict would inevitably
be most vigorously resented by a large
element of the French people. But this
would be less dangerous to the govern
ment, less menacing to the republic, than
would n revolution organized by military
leaders and supported by the army. a
popular uprising can be suppressed
when the government has control of the
military power, but bereft of that power
the government would be helpless. The
conviction of Dreyfus, upon the rotten
mass of forgery and perjury his accusers
have presented, would be to the eternal
dishonor of France, but it is to be ap-
pretended that this will be the result
Of the powerful influence eXerted by the
army.