The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-03-05
The Aaron Burr of France.

Bolo Pasha has been found by French
court martial guilty of treason and has been
sentenced to death. The result of the trial
seems to have been received in France with
reclamation. The government of NJ. Glenn
enceau now has the decks largely cleared
for an encounter with Joseph Caillaux,
former prime minister of the republic, who
was the real and logical head of the defeat
ist movement in which Bolo and others were
concerned. Information furnished by the
American government contributed to the
conviction of Bolo. Other information con-
veyed by the Washington state department
is of damning moment against Caillaux. The
apparently irrefutable evidence obtained
through the Italian government, which at the
instance of France seized the contents of M,
CaIllauXs safety locker in Florentine bank
shows him to have been hypocrite and self
seeker, who planned nothing less than the
overthrow of France and the setting up of a
pro-German dictatorship headed by himself
The safety locker was hired by Nine. Gail
laux under the name of M. and Nine Rem
Guard. 1t contained much valuable iewelry,
numerous British government bonds, CORE
spondence showing that Caillaux provided
or tried to provide money and French pass
ports for secret agents operating from
Switzerland, and memoranda in Caillaux's
handwriting bearing his signature, which set
out in full his plan to execute coup d'etat
and seize the government. The memoranda
include list of generals, senators and dep
uties upon whom Caillaux counted for sup
port in his coup. The arrest of President
PoIncare, ex-Premier BRAND and others, in
Guiding members of the government, was
shown to be planned. Gen. Sarrail then in
command at Saloniki, was to be made gen
erallsslmo. The French chamber of deputies
was to be dissolved, the senate reduced to
handful of CaillauX supporters and Gail
lauX and Sarrail were to be placed at the
head of dictatorial commission. A make
beheve' offensive was to be organized
against Germany, and Immediately after
ward France was to open peace pourparlers
These were to terminate in an agreement
by which France was to desert England and
Russia, was to be given a thin slice of Lor-
ralne, was to bring Italy into a Latin COM
blnation within the German orbit, and was
to cooperate in enforcing a policy of alb
solute exclusion of England and Russia from
the new European confederation
Caillaux in the past was a leader of GER
tain socialistic classes in France His policy
had been consistently one of friendliness to
Germany. During his memorable visit to
South America in the winter of 1914-15 he
was quoted in the Chilean press as stating
the war was folly on Frances part, that it
consisted merely in pulling England's chest
nuts out OF the fire, and that he had tried
to bring about an understanding between
France and Germany. Intercepted mes
sageS sent by Count Won Bernstorff to the
Wilhelmstrasse, furnished to France bv the
American government, show that in Buenos
Aires Caillaux had relations with Count Won
LuXburg, German minister. At the request
of CaillauX himself the German government
issued censorship directions to the German
press regulating press utterances concerning
CallauX and his policies, When Caillaux
sailed from Buesnos Aires Ambassador
Bernstorff advised his foreign office of the
f9ct, recommended the capture of the YES
sci in order to obtain certain papers the
captain carried, and added request that
every consideration be shown to NJ. Caillaux.
These things occurred when Caillaux was
presumably representing France on a mis-
sion to South America.
Some effort has been made in France by
CaillauXs friends to inject into the case a
fellglous issue. No direct connection with
the treason" of Caillaux is attempted, but
the effort may make it more difficult for
the government to do what it must do in
Caillaux's trial.
That the undertakings of Caillaux con-
stltuted treason against the French state
none can doubt. Perhaps there was meas
ure of egotistical sincerity in his desire to
reorganlze the state on another basis and
with other foreign engagements. The re-
ward of success in such revolutionary en-
deavor is place conspicuous and perhaps
admired in history. The penalty of failure
is obloquy and death. Joseph Caillaux is
the Aaron Burr of France.