New-York tribune., 1899-07-17
DREYFUSISM.
>.rw POLITICAL ISSUES DUE TO THE
RENNEs CoURT-MARTIAL--Is 1T TO
BE RETALIATION OR THE
poIICY OF THE "SPONGE"o

,.ro the overwhelming majority Of Frenchmen
les, recognize as the greatest martyr OF the
.,ury." but who is still spoken OF as the
..o,,or" by headstrong group Of irreconcila-
-, whose ferocity recalls to mems minds
49, most bitter epigram that Voltaire ever ap-
,,.a 10 his countryrnen, has produced a new
hose Of popular feeling and given rise TO new
noiiical issues
Irpossihle as II may seem TO American OBJ
-..,.ers there are still in this country people
NO are convinced that the Dreyfus affair is
,ha result of a foreign conspiracy against
rance This group includes not only Jew bait
,,g fanatics like Drumont. irresponsible agita-
tors ike ROchefort, professional patriots like
vllevoye leaders Of Catholic reaction like
Count Albert de Nun. chronic frebrands like
nsroulede and inquisitorial ex-magistrates like
cuesnay de Besurepaire. but 1t also contains
poets like Francois Coppee political reformers
IKE Maurice Barres. Academicans like Jules
1euaitre and Brunetiere. students like Rene
Doumlc and popular caricaturists like Forain.
Americans who met NM Brunetiere snd Rene
Doumc when they visited the United States in
order 10 deliver lectures al Harvard University
have expressed the greatest astonishment that
men possessing such keen intellects should
maintain an attitude which to the American
-
principles Of humanity and justice.
John Edward Bodley recently passed through
Paris on his return from Bordeaux TO England,
and. when pressed for an explanation OF the
,r,econcilble position assumed by many lead
ing men in regard to the Dreyfus revision,
attributed 1t In a large measure 10 that peculiar
bitterness OF Frenchmen toward Frenchmen IN
their political capacity which dates from the
ha Of
treatise on contemporary France did not hes-
tate 70 trace mos, Of the Dreyfus animosity TO
che national habit Of regarding legal or political
controversy as desperate struggle between
,rrecorcilahle elements in which every letha!
,sapon is lawful 10 use. and all ties OF racial
tnsh.n are ignored" As Mr. Bodley has main
tained IN his book 1t was the discipline Of war
which raved the Revolution from degeneratins
into a1 orgy Of primitive barbarism. We Will
make q cemetery Of France" said the atrocious
Carrier. rather than not regenerate II after our
own fashion.
FRENCH INTOLERANCE.
Tho came principle Of intolerance which makes
r-ancbren So inhuman IN fratr!cidal strife is,
N NJ Bod'ey's opinion. responsible for the pres
o., ,r,,culant attitude Of many Frenchmen In
the D-eyfus affair Il is the principle "Gallus
f.
an old aphorism. rather than the anti-Semitic
f-al,or that IS al the bottom Of the present
mystery Archbishop ireland. during his recent
s,av in Paris. also attributed most Of the evil
that has srrung from the Dreyfus affair 70 the
"into,erarce and hatred of FrenChmen toward
ono another" NJ EdoUard Rod who brought
lack from the United states such pleasant
recoIlections Of his visit 70 the leading American
universities last winter could give no other rea-
son for the intcerGnt position assumed by men
Ike NM. Brunetierc, Francois CoQpee and Jules
Lemaitre.
y. Paul Dfrouleda in one Of his masniloquent
harang,,es qt St Cloud for the first time dis
cussed the possibility OF the innocence OF Drey-
fms and declared on Sunday that III Drey-
frs Is admitted 10 be innocent, no chastise-
-oert Is terrible enough pillory infamous
enough for all the Ministers. civil and military
who have accused Dreyfus or allowed him 10 ne
accused Of a crime which he did not commit
Al reprlsals would be excusable. The most eX-
cruc!ating torture would be justified. and as ior
,be n,ar,vr himself there are no hOncrs great
e,ourb M rehabilitation compete CROUCH for
hin, 4 verdict Of not guilty should not merely
he IN acouittaL It should be an exaltation; il
r.ust he an apotheosis Let there be no secrets
~ reticences No moro interventions Of the for
eigner"' This outburst OF Deroulede Is regarded
se q forecast Of the ferocity OF retaliation
which is likely 10 be advocated. after the 1uus-
mont ~ the Rennes court martial. by the very
men who have worked tooth and nall TO stlhe
the Dreyfus revision"
NJ Maurice Barres takes much the same
ground as Deroulede. The Nationalist leader
declares. we believe that Dreyfus IS guilty
because even the Ministers of War and the conf
petent military judges proclaimed his guit.
Moreover when France is divided into TWO
camps II is the duty Of true ratr1ot 10 thro"
himself headIong with the party against Which
Is arrayed the greatest number OF forelsheIS'
That ts why I believed in the guilt Of Dreyfus
II is the present system OF parliamentary gov
eminent TINT has permitted Frenchmen to tear
one another 10 pieces III Geherais Nc O''-'
Br1ot Chanoine and Zurnden. and NM Cavai-
gnac and Melne. have deceived US ana mace Us
their a,couplices in an atrocious crime OF keep
ing an innocent man in the galleys there Is III
punishment too severe for them
OPPONENTS OF RETALIATION.
Among the most vigorous opponents Of the
policy Of retaliation are the Temps the
Figaro" the journal des Debats and Nj
Iiho, now president OF the Parliamentary COM
uittee on Education and former Premier NJ
CornAl, asks in to-days Figaro: "Whither
are these unbalanced minds leading US II
seems 10 me to be an exaggeration on the part
Of Deroulede TO require that in case OF MS ao-
quitta by the Rennes court martial Dreylus
should be placed at the head Of the army anu
Mercier should be tortured. We suppose Una.
torture would be applied in the manner PROPOSED
by the antl-revisionists for the judges OF 'ne
Court OF Cessation, namely that their Eye
should be devoured by spiders placed over them
under walnut shells. The apotheosis OF ~
fus, The gallows for his accusers' Fa'fiou'
Frenchmen will agree that 1t is best cna'i'a
bly, TO suppose that even General Mercier So'eu
in good faith. There should be no re'aiia'i'"'
FOR If It once begins no one can say ""e.e'
when or how Il will end. The pohcy oi '.e