New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-21
In THE FRENCH ARMY.
ReUelatiOns tn Regard to Spying ON
Private Lives of Officers.
Paris. Novarnhar q

| private detective system by which information
supplied TO the Ministry Of War. and upoo
which depended the promotion Of officers -
| important positions In the army was disclo.as
| by the numerous courts martial and investiv,
tons connected with tie DTeyfus case, and In IA.
| last week by the letters in the archives OF ths
! Grand Orient OF France. brought to light bv NJ
| Calmette. Editor Of the Figaro and which
| caused profound indignation throughout tina
/ country.
To appreciate the crisis which the French
| army is now undergoing. it should be borne =,
mind that after the downfall OF the empire tia
/ only careers left open to the sons OF the ola
nobility and Of the reactionary imperlaIlsts wer.
| the army. the navy. the Church and the tudl
| ciary. In the conservative regime OF the Presl-
/ dency OF Marshal MacMahon two-thirds OF tia
| officers OF the army were royaIsts. Bonapartis,,
| or merely fair weather republicans As point
! ed out by NJ. Berteaux in debate in the Cham
Der OF Deputies. officers OF plebeian birth or
those whose family ties were out and out re-
publican were Ostracized and treated as pariahs
Instances are cited OF captain who was re-
fused promotion solely because he attended tina
civil burial Of the daughter OF OF his frisnas
OF major whose advancement was delayed Ten
years simply because he was a Jew, and a.
dozens OF officers prosecuted because they dA
not attend service In the Roman Catholic
Church In the administration OF the War
Office by General Mercier. the chief o. staff Of
the army General de Mirabel openly pro-
claimed that II would 'be criminal not favor
officers who shared my own religious and polt-
zeal convictions" Abundant evidence ad-
duced establishing the fact that the Jesuit
priest Pars du Lac supplied private notes con-
corning army officers which were consulted by
the Minister OF War before submitting the an
nuaI lists Of promotions TO the President Of tn.
l
Cabinet called the general staff the "JesuItiers"
Officers Of every branch OF the army who vers
known to be republicans or non-Catholics were
left out In the cold and boycOtted by their
brother officers with the tacit approval OF their
superiors.
With the advent OF General de Boisdsrre to
the post OF chief of staff the mysterious infu-
ence Of Pere du Lac became greater than ever.
officers were denounced as subject to sus-
picion' because. according TO secret reports.
they were In the habit OF reading the republican
newspaper. the Temps" A young offlceT. re-
porting to Join his regiment was asked by his
superiors if he had any family friends or &C
quaintances in the town. The project and the
nrocureur-general," was the reply "Oh. you
| have then. very undesirable social relations.
! was the rejoinder. AT Orleans a captain saluted
| one of his comrades OF the same grade, VINO
| did not return the salutation- The latter. when
! asked for an explanation. said: II never salute
/ JeUsr' When the former sent his seconds to
| demand an apology or reparation the reply was;
| L never fight duels with Jewsi
! The spirit Of caste and reaction was fostered
in the cavalry regiments to such extent that
! In these arstocratic corps republican oflcers
were cruelty boycotted A regiment OF dragons
paraded one day with a pennon bearing the
/ Aeurs de Iys-the emblem OF royalty The
| coIoneTs explanation was that the trf-coiored
! nennon was being repaired. general ac-
| tualI,, refused to salute President Louoet aHeg-
! ting "a an excuse that he did not know MN!
Colonel Sever a retired engineer officer. states
h that from 1870 TO 1894 the reactionaries were
| complete masters OF the army
| The late NJ waldeck-Rousseau. when ne Sc
| ,sct.d General Andra to succeed General Do
| GauiHet as Minister OF War. impressed upon him
the necessity OF wedding out caste and privileges
,rcn, the promotion nsts and OF Thoroughly
! rsnubI,canizing the army" General Andrs
| tersx himself heart and soul into the task Es-
| ,orro began on two main ltnes-the recruitment
/ NJ the officers and the modification on q dsnO-
| cratic basis OF the curriculum and discipline"
| the military schools. II was perhaps unIor'u-
! nate that General Andre was member OF US
| Masonic fraternity. He appointed his nephs'.
| Captain Mouin also q Free Mason. member
his military cabinet. Captain Mollin was N
| trusted with the duty or obtaining inIOrHIa'40-
| concerning the political and religious opinions
| of officers previous TO their selection for pro
motion. Captain MoIlin did not hesitate 10 ap-
| ply for information to NJ. Vadecard' secreta'
| OF the Grand Orient Masonic Lodge Of France
calling for details Of the most confidential nat
| ure concerning the private lives and SURROUND
| fngs of army officers. Captain MOllin organizer
\ with NJ Vadecard an effective counter cheek u
/ the alleged spying system OF the military cerl-
/ Gals and their ecclesiastical friends. the pso-
/ ytnciaI curates and monks. The private Getec-
| tive system of the military JeSuits was replaceo
/ by a private detective system Of the military
| Free Masons of the Grand Orient. Instead N
! the Jesuit priest. Psre du Lac. 1t was the Ma
! sonic acoIyte lie FreTe Vadecard. secretary
| general Of the Grand Orient of France. VINO DC
/ came the leading Pinkerton Of the French wa
! Office The espionage Of the domestic lives :"
| officers continued in the old days. nut un'
| boot was now on the other leg Instead Oh a.
instrument OF clerical reaction. the detective
system became an effective weapon OF radie1
| repubncanism-
The Paris Figaro caused a tremendous sen
! satIon by obtaining from NJ Btdegain. a fIe'
Mason OF the Grand Orient OF France and sec
rotary of NJ Vsdecard, copies OF hundreds "
letters exchanged between Captain Molln :"
the cabinet OF the Minister OF War and Us
Grand Orient. The publication OF these see's-
| and compromising documents came Ike thas
| derbolt. NJ. Btdegain. who is alleged 70 nA'
| been bribed and who delivered the CORRESPOND
ence to the Figaro has disappeared. and
| the object of Masonic vengeance. The nature +"
the letters may be judged from the foIlOwins *
| ample Captain Mollin on July Is. 1901. Vr0''
an official letter to the Grand Orient stains
tg,F.r Wv. ar,Oryy N