The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-02 00:00:00

THE ACQUITTAL AT TOUUBS.

The Spectator says that the Nemesis of pinver is dogging
the Emperor hard. He had nothing to do with the
offence which provoked the recent trial at Tours, and.
very little to do with the acquittal of the offender, but
offence and acquittal alike will in all human probability
be visited on his head: That he either suborned, or
frightened, or in any way influenced the High Court, as
fanatics are saying all over Europe, we are entirely un-
able to believe. The history of his life may, as Repub-
licans think, make any calumny credible, but all the pro-
babilities which reasonable men are accustomed to weigh
tell against the reception of this particular one. He has
never displayed or felt any affection for his cousin, whom
he left out of the line of succession, and did not even pen-
sion Until he threatened to stand forward as leader of
the extreme democratic side. His interest was a verdict
of manslaughter, and a sentence of imprisonment, which
he might when some time had passed away have com
muted to one of seclusion within the limits of Corsica.
Moreever, it seems to be forgotten that he had
before this event, parted with his personal power.
Nobody can read the accounts of the trial, impartial as
some of them seem to be, without believing that the
governing motive in half the jury and at least half the
audience was loathing for the ideas represented by the
111arseillaise, that justice and dignity and equality were
alike forgotten in a sort of wild impression that the
shooting down of a journalist of that kind *as not an act
deserving retribution at all. We say nothing about the
charge of murder. To English observers the evidence
seems to shew that Victor Noir was shot down in a fit
of savage fury provoked not by the victim, but by tilt
previous reflections of the Prince, who even in the court
could scarcely restrain himself from threatenino, Maitre
Laurier, the opposing counsel, but we admit that on that
point the verdict must be treated as decisive. The
deference shewn to the rank of the accused by everybody
except the opposing counsel, who certainly spoke out with
sufficient plainness, was not in itself perhaps so unjust as
it appears. The Prince until condemned was legally an
innocent person, and the law itself, in according him a
special tribunal, recognised a distinction between him and
ordinary citizens. A considerable latitude of speech is
allowed even in England to prisoners under trial
on a capital charge, and in most cases the violence
of- the prisoner was provoked by equal violence
in the witnesses, who equally with himself were
bound to respect a Court of Justice. Nor is it clear to
our minds that Ulric de Fonvielle in crying " A snort, a
snort 1" did not actually mean to interrupt by violence
the proceedings of the Court, in which case his sentence
of ten days' imprisonment was mild in comparison with
the one Sir A. Cockburn would have inflicted. But then,
if the Prince was justly treated, all meaner prisoners are
entitled to equally considerate justice—to be held as the
Prince was held to be, innocent men under necessary de-
tention. Notoriously this is not the case, and the impres-
sion left by the whole trial in the French mind will be
that the law has been nullified, evidence twisted and
equally outraged to protect a man accused of murder
because lie bore the name of the Imperial House. That
the Emperor desired none of these things signifies
nothing. The regime is his ; the regime permits them,
causes them, justifies them ; and the regime stands con-
demned, with that condemnation of scorn which, in the
history of France has never failed sooner or later to prove
itself executive.