The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 2, No. 5, February 3, 1898 | Page 7

party, which still hopes to restore the descendants of the first Napoleon to the throne of France.
So far, the mob has accomplished nothing, and the Government has stood firm.
In the Chamber of Deputies, however, the discussion of the Dreyfus case has led to very serious complications.
One of the members, ex-Minister Cavaignac, declared that a report existed, written by Captain Lebrun-Renaud, of the French army, which gave an account of a confession of guilt made by Captain Dreyfus. Monsieur Cavaignac blamed the Government for keeping silent about this confession, on the ground that by its silence it had practically led to a reopening of the case. If the Government would declare, he said, that the publication of the confession would involve some foreign Power, this would end further discussion of the matter. Otherwise, the whole case ought to be made public.
Premier Meline replied that such a confession existed, but the Government had decided not to publish it, as it would change the character of a case that had already been settled by competent judges. There was, besides, he acknowledged, another cause for keeping silence, the very cause that had made the trial secret. This was not "excessively great," but it was customary to conduct all such trials in secrecy, and the custom was not to be violated in this instance.
The Premier then criticised the newspapers that had taken sides with Dreyfus, and added that the Government had done right in calling Zola to account for insulting the army.
The President of the Chamber, Monsieur Brisson, then leaped to his feet and implored the legislators not to make a sensation while the streets outside were in a turmoil.
Premier Meline replied that the Government would quell the turmoil in the streets, and that those men should be blamed for the scandal who had started it. Then he condemned the socialistic newspapers for their attacks on the Government.
The socialistic newspapers are those papers that advocate the doctrine of Socialism, which may be said to have grown out of the French Revolution.
Socialism is founded on the theory that all rights and privileges and benefits should be shared equally by all the members of the community, and that the wealth of the world should be in the hands of the Government, which should have the power of distributing it. The citizens, instead of competing with one another, as they do now, should work together for the general good and be paid alike.
Many people believe that though this doctrine sounds very Christian-like, it would not work. The industrious would get no more for their labor than the idle. So the idle would become more idle, and the industrious would lose all incentive to do their best.
At any rate, Socialism has made great progress in France, and it is greatly feared there by its enemies. Its friends, on the contrary, think that it is going to make the world very much better than it is at present.
The friends of Socialism in the Chamber of Deputies became greatly excited by Premier Meline's censure of their papers. The excitement reached a climax when one member accused another of being a scoundrel and a coward, and several fights took place. Even the people in the galleries fought among themselves, and hurled abuse down at the members.
The scene was not unlike one of those disgraceful scenes that took place in the Reichsrath of Austria a few weeks ago.
The reporters were then asked to leave, and the rest of the session was conducted in secret. On entering the corridors the reporters found them crowded with soldiers who had been called out at the beginning of the trouble in case they should be needed.
Fortunately, their interference was not required.
Think of what the excitement is likely to be when Zola is brought to trial!
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[Illustration: A VEILED EGYPTIAN BEAUTY.]
There has been so much secrecy about the Egyptian troubles that it is not easy to explain England's present activity on the Nile.
The last report says that Colonel Parsons, on his way to take Kassaba from the Italians, met King Menelik. The King was very angry because the town had been surrendered to the Egyptians. He claimed that Kassaba belonged to his territory, and he was then engaged in organizing an army to fight for what he considered his right.
The situation in Egypt is further complicated by the report that General Kitchener's Soudanese troops, in whose fighting qualities he has had great confidence, have shown signs of dissatisfaction.
If they were to rebel against England's authority at this time, the consequence might be very serious.
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Just now England is under such terrible expense that it is thought that her present exchequer is in danger of exhaustion.
She is sending forces to the Nile to settle the Egyptian troubles there, and she has the uprisings