The Washington herald., 1919-10-26
CAHLAUX" HOLDS
CENTER OF STAGE IN FRANCE
Scandal Will Embitter Nation for Years His
tory of Case Against Former Premier
Now Being Tried for Treason

brilliant Mime. Caillaux, who walked
into the Office of the powerful editor
Of lie Figaro and shot Castor CAL
mette dead at his desk IT did It to
save your she cried hysterically to
her husband, when he came to her in
prison.
Paris Hears Many whispers.
That cry passes unnoticed when II
was reported without challenge, and
confirmed at the trial, that Madame
Caillaux' motive for the shooting was
to prevent Calmette from publishing
love letters written by her to Caillaux
at time when both were married to
others. This motive was sufficient to
secure an acquittal from a French
| jury.
But as the greater trial of her hus-
band approaches, Paris hears whis-
pered. to its astonishment, one Of the
best-kept secrets of modern times. II
was not love letters that had driven
Madame Caillaux to frenzy in 1915
documents of a far different kind
which she knew the fearless editor
to possess had to be suppressed to
Save" her husband. Paris has not
I ho" lhCic Ndi
mette's possession coded dispatches
sent by the German ambassador in
Paris in 1911 to Berlin in which
the then Prime Minister Caillaux'
surrender of French interests in
the Morocco dispute Is made clear.
These dispatches. IL published,
would have ruined CailIaux in 1914,
when just before the war his re-
turn to power seemed imminent.
Madame Caillaux walked into the
editors office and killed Calmette
and the dispatches never saw the
light. Whether Calmette ever in
tended to print them is not cer-
tain. but they and no love missives
cost him his life. During the trial
NJ. Lazarus. of the Figaro, declined
to discuss certain documents whics
he had said were powerful enough
to destroy Caillaux on the ground
that to give evidence about them
would cndanger the republic. This
brief reference. which passes un-
noticed. was the only time during
Madame Caillaux's trial that the
crucial motive in the case was
mentioned.
| Crushing Diplomatic Victory.
| The three metaphorically blood
stained kilograms show now Ger
many won a crushing diplomatic
victory over France in the summer
or 1911. when war seemed near. NJ,
Cambon. French ambassador in Ber-
lin, was appointed by mis- govern
ment to settle the crisis caused by
the arrival OF a German cruiser at
! Agadir. Morocco. Caillaux, prime
minister. negotiated with Germany
shameful surrender OF French in
terests without the knowledge OF
his cabinet. it now appears And
at the foot Of one of the secret
messages appeared the sentence
written by the German Ambassador
Baron Won Schoen. and damninE il
II be genuine. "Caillaux urge.
strongly that nothing about these
oyertures should be communicated
to Cambon."
England was prepared in 1911 to
back up France in resisting German
| aggression. To the surprise of the
world. the crisis was ended BY
France ceding Germany important
portions of her colonial empire. No
body has ever been able to under
stand why this was done until now
these kilograms reveal-if genuine
that the French prime minister
was willing to give Germany any
thing that England would allow
France to give away.
Here are extracts from two of tho
. kilograms dated Paris, July &c, 81
1911 sent to the German foreign
office and signed by the German
ambassador:
| I'm discussion between Fondere
and Caillaux as regards compen-
sation. the prime minister intrench-
ed himself behind England's, res
sistance to the important territorial
concessions which would be made Ia
us. but at the same time expressed
the opinion that France would. even
against the wish of England cede to
us French Congo territory west OF
CAMERON. with the Sengha as the
new frontier to the south as far as
the Congo"
| Caillaux Asked Question.
"Caillaux asks for an inquiry to be
made in Berlin as to what would be
| desired In the most different possible
directions. What he is thinking Of
f! although these would be but small
| concessions-is a German chairman OF
the Ottowan Debt Commission, the
| placing back on the Paris Bourse of
30 per cent Of the stock of the Bag
dad railway, and an agreement about
railways in the East. He has also
considered tho possibility Of ceding US
the French possessions in Oceanica." I"
The second telegram-if genuine
proves, according to Caillaux's enc
mics, that not only did he betray his
! country to Germany In peace time,
but used the betrayal to clean up an
enormous fortune in the stock ex-
change Juggling with the shares of
the .Bagdad railway and other gigan-
tic deals made possible by these ne
, sotiations to which Caillaux alone DOS
sessed the key made many millions
for the prime minister. so it is said.
No doubt that the three kilograms
have been correctly decoded exists in
the minds Of Caillaux's accusers. His
friends hint at forgery. Only an open
trial can decide.
So far have sketched. as far as
possible. without dragging in names
OF persons accused by gossip. the case
against Caillaux. One OF the most
brilliant generals of the republic, re-
port has 1t. was dragged from his post
as head Of a group Of armies in 1916
and sent to the East because ne was
said to be Caillaux's man, ready to
lead his troops against the capital
| when the master traitor gave the
word Revelations of this kind are in
the wind. and their imninence show
what "L~affairs Caillaux' seems likely
to convulse France.
All Frenchmen Partisans.
What is the case for Caillaux? Ev-
cry Frenchman Is a bitter partisan.
1