General de Galliffet has resigned. He and his colleagues were
charged in the Chamber on Monday with a plot to dis- credit the Army by proving that M. Cernuschi had been paid by the Staff to bear false witness at Rennes against Dreyfus. The Minister of War defended himself energetically, show- ing that he knew nothing of the attempt to incriminate Cernnschi, which was due to a subordinate detective named Tomps. The Nationalists, however, remained furious, and when in the debate the Premier called Captain Fritsch, who had revealed the fact of the detective's inquiry to the Nationalists, "a felon," passion rose to fever-heat, and fists were shaken in the face of M. Waldeck-Rousseau. The tumult was increased by a rumour that General de Galliffet, who, after writing a note, had suddenly left the Chamber, had resigned, and when after an adjournment to stop the riot a division was taken the numbers were for the Government 286, and 234 for the Nationalists, a majority of only 52. This would be sufficient in Great Britain, but in France it leaves the Cabinet at the mercy of the Extremist group, which by crossing over can at any moment destroy the Government.
Previous page
