THE DREYFUS "SYNDICATE."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11399, 17 April 1899, Page 6

THE DREYFUS "SYNDICATE."

(St. James's Gazette.)

WHAT TIIE FBENOn lIELIEVE ABOUT IT.

The March number of tha "National Review" contains three articles iipon .the Dreyfus case Irom ' different standpoints. Perhaps the freshest and most interesting of the three is the statement by the editor, Mr L. J. Maxse, of the extent to which French credulity has gone in regard to 'the imaginary "Syndicate.". This wealthy and mysterious organisation, it now appears, had a good deal vo do with the sudden death of President Faure:—To La Patrie, an evening papei of large circulation in Paris, which, like the majority of French papers of large circulation, is studiously ignored abroad, belongs the credit of having prepared the ground foi this particular plant. It informed its readers a few weeks ago that Lord Rosebery and Mr Cecil Rbodes had arrived in Paris in order.to furnish the Dreyfus Syndicate- with the sinews of war for the campaign which that, phantom board is supposed to be conducting against the prestige of France on behalf of, British interests.

TUB WICKEDNESS OF THE SYNDICATE. ', '

The Frenchman (Mr Maxse continues) is predisposed to credit whatever he' sees' in print, and the.chief fact that has been dinned into him during the past,two years with regard to the Dreyfus case is that the whole agitation is due to the machinations' of a syndicate, of which the* principal - shareholders are Jews and Englishmen. France is thoroughly possessed with this idea—indeed, it would probably be no over? statement to say that this . syndicate is about the only institution which has any reality for the average Frenchman..; He is sceptical about most other things. .-. Then at a certain moment he learns from a . trusted organ—La Patrie—that two! eminent and wealthy Englishmen,! who are admittedly in Paris at the same time, 7a, sufficiently. suspicious coincidence in /itself, have replenished the coffers of the, syndicate. That sinister body is now, therefore, in funds. It may be expected to redouble its activity. At any moment it may manifest its power by striking a further blow on behalf of "the traitor." A heavy and unforeseen blow -falls. President'Faure, one of the pillars of Dreyfus's condemna-. tion, suddenly collapses and dies while in the apparent enjoyment of perfect health, leaving his confederates and' cause in the utmost . consternation and confusion. Advantage is immediately taken of this,crisis b/ the enemy to elect a new president, who, being uncompro'mised and uncommitted, might conceivably act with independence., Is it not clear that such a,catastrophe must have been engineered by the syndicate? -.:"' HOW IT BOUGHT TO THE CIVILISED WORLD. Our neighbours, have recently ascertained that the syndicate has bought up France's ally,' Russia, and that.owing to its diabolical intrigues the Dual. Allianceis trembling in the balance. To the Eclair, one of the chief organs of the French headquarter, staff, and the favoured mouthpiece of the ,late Colonel Henry— < forger . and hero —belongs the principal credit for this portentous revelation! Desiring to discover the state of foreign public opinion upon the Dreyfus case, the Eclair despatched a: correspondent, M. Andree Cheradame, who *is a good linguist'- and was formerly in'the service of the French Colonial Office, on a tour abroad. . M. Cheradame appears, to have undertaken his pilgrimage in a spirit-of impartiality,; and to have executed it with thoroughness and , accuracy. It is superfluous to . say that in \bc other countries he'visits, such as (iermany and Austria, M. Cheradame; finds public opinion in precisely the same" con-, dition as -in Russia. These observers -all agree'that Europe is Dreyfusard, and that this universal sentiment has struck a disastrous1 blow at [the prestige of France. Instead of pausing to consider whetlier.it be not possible for Europe to be in the right and the French War Office in the .wrong,'recourse is had to our old friend to solve the whole mystery. The French army; is tilt object of a deep-laid plot, which "ramifies all over the world. At the' bottom of this plot, it need hardly be said) is'to be found —the syndicate. , It is the syndicate which has poisoned the mind'of the Russian professor;'-, the. syndicate perverts! the . intelligence of the Russian manufacturer; the syndicate keeps the. Russian traveller from his pillow; the syndicate so-embitters the little children' of Russia .that t-tiej cause French journalists to weep. Germany and Austria- have "alike fallen victims to the syndicate. America is its tool. In fact, the alt-conquering syndicate hac enslaved the civilised world. ■ ENGLAND AT THE BOTTOM OF IT. England, of course, is quite as much at the bottom of the whole business as the Jews: — The Eclair inquires:—"Should the direction of this campaign be attributed to the Israelites alone?" And the answer- is-.' !'I\ To." According to both Journal and Eclair, England is the guilty party. She has corrupted the world. It .is beyond all possible probable shadow of doubt—all possible doubt whatever. Does it not "admit of easy demonstration? In the words ol the Eclair, "Si Ton doute qu'on se souvienne dcs six mois .gui ont precede Fashoda." England is apparently, as wise as shii is wicked. She foresaw six nionthf . beforehand that Major Marehand would bf found at Fashoda, on the morrow of thi victory of Omdurman, so she set to. wort early last year —via the syndicate—to convince Europe of Dreyfus's innocence,. in order that France might find herself. isolated in her hour of trouble. The syndicat. must likewise be credited with the issuf of the Czar's peace rescript, which made f virtually impossible for Russia to suppor France on the Fashoda question.