, 1879-02-01
UA1fHETTA.

GAMBETTA.
Appearing In Court After Ten Tenrs, ~ an
lt.tvnrntr III n Suit for Libel.
ChtrtspoaAtnts 1ytIs lark ,rnrid.
PARIS, Jan. 0.-Yesterday tho prolcan GAM
bctta appeared In q now part, or In IN old ono
rcyiye1 after q 1apss Of nearly len years. lie
donncd bis advocates cap und gown ind went
to plead u CAUSE before tho Civil Tribunal Of the
acine. Ills succcss Of curiosity may bo In
aNlnrd; the Court WIS crowded, und he was
mobbed with admirers when he left. Times
have changed etnce he wore the samo dress In
delivering tho fiery speeches Tor the dcfcnse ist
press trials under The Empire that first brought
him Into notice. NaY, they have changed since
lo was last seen III French cour. of 1usttc.
the Marshai) awaitlnR his nimost certain con-
demEatfon to int tr!konmtnt md trial.
l3c APPEARED III ordur to give Significance to n
tr1nl which seems likely to mark new point Of
public md the French press. Ills frtcnl n.
Clallcmcl-Lacour, a high}r-cstcenlcd Senator,
hatl bccn grossly illuminated in his prlyute
character by Royals. journal, ani hu had
taken the almost u.ieasil.oE course Of inatitut-
LnI clrii action Tor substantial damages.
Itcro Ncre several other nlrans OF redress oicn
to hin. lie might havu challenged tho editor
to duel, or nIade mxrtyr of htm bJ getting
him sent to comfortable press prison on n
criminal prosecution. II hc choso neither ol
l!,cse, It was apparently because. At the instance
Of Gambctta, he was bent on eiIcstiag whole-
hOnnu revolution ia 'nunncts. The action for
damages for the defense Of private character Is
one more Of those British innovations In French
lca1cr. II may have the effect, a Il ts certainly
dGs[Encl tu hare 1t, OF totally changing tue
character Of political warfare in the press, ald
In particular Of abolishtng that ordeal by sineH
hat LtNkt hH Inn,f
minds to bc wanting III sslllfctcury as mode Of
determining questions OF fart.
a few notes of uam6ttta's speech r,at he In
tortsting, rot only fur these rcssons, but as
At thu bar. 1llc farts Of the cass wcro Ut tic
simplest. Chalicmcl.l.acour having rendered
himself peculiarly obnoxious tu the rcactt0uary
party. certain OF Their organs set to work 10 ,lc-
la1us lin. The:7ao3e,te, d'"" Spech.sear opened
the ba'l with nj, on at that an eminent Raput-
llcan Senator hal been turned out Of club for
cheating at cards. Then another organ, Ia
Frame Noute'it, took up, tho game. "Who is
this Republican senatorl Can " bts''-u1tl the
writer proceeded to dcEcrlbo Challcmcl-Lacour
photogsaphtcally Without. however, giving his
name. The Republican Senator tuok no uuttcc,
thinking that tho la would he sufficiently cor-
trat!lct~l BY certain kown fActs Of his lite, ono
of them being that hu belonged 10 no club what.
never played Ut carl1. Thru tile France .fou-
txIEs, dying to druw Its badger, committed tl,c
biundeT nf coupling the lie with nane: "Can
L bs II. Challcmsl.l.acouri' Az this point Tho
Scnutor thought It might bs as well to answor,
10 he tuyltcd the edItor to accompany him b.
furs the Judges to show cause why lie should
not bo mulcted III 10000 francs, or, RECKONING
the expenses Ut the process, nearly double tho
sltn. uatHbettaa parable Has OH tho basis Of
ttlentlencn," he said, "it il useful and good
for inc u remember That have tut ecasc,l to
hcfung to the profession antl the order Of advo-
cates, md tllnt, remote as ! may be fr1H the
pursuits OF that order by snY nresent occupation,
lntay a. any ttina put Oh my old rubo md come
before you with confidence to sustain right.
The process before yoll concerns mt merely
question Of private defamation, hut whole
systcm Of ralutnny. OF which hope to explain
thu mechanism before have done. OF this
mechanism tho 1a1tttts a'un Slaartatsur IL thu
main aurInE. This correspondence puts into
circI!atton with m shllitY, with pcr'lLY wllic!.
liopu to enable you toapprsclate. letamstory
ruInoF, " first calculated 10 wound nobody
vague, undetlned, without precision or auplca-
tlon. But bcalle mud beneath thls hybrid osean
there Is m actty ant! numerous press, or
ganizrd by tlstrcta, whose mission Is to Ieceye,
10 hsat, 10 tefelup, to partlruIarze tlrso grrms
Of defamation, and to Etfe them their full
power OF Cyii. Gentlancl', It Is absolutely In
posssbie to batIle an organ|xattost Of this kind,
wh:ct etcllyera real hluwa, pcFtdious. murder
utnnY Tor getting up teDtincs of I!es in ull
llle principal cities OF Frauee. W. hare ha,l
keyca years Ut thia; and for sevcn years NO
have despisea insult a,lu outrage. hut tltnes
Aavu changed. Oue may support \ gtstlt deal
when ont u In tbs stats u struggle anI nppost-
tIuu, but for thoso who eit In tho col,Jslls Ut
FEaace 4 bccomes duty ailkc to tile individual
uni to tMc natlon to check such miserable pratt
tlccs. There, then, Kenllclueu, bc4ins your
part. The Republican party wilt soon bc con-
founded with ll.o nation, anA II JQu DO MT pro-
lett tlit honor aud ttle reputation Ut persons we
shall Alsurrdly sts hurgthle state OF M2nnev4
IN which each Of US VIII tin1 q temptation to
protect himself bY brutality ind violence; we
tlai! hav1 tho deplotaptc spectacle Of u society
iu which tslc Inv has become Eowcrles3t The
VIagistrsture weak lu the iAcu OF exaggerated
citizens, ln which lha uso OF weapons rep1s1cs
tlr use Of reason, a1a lu which liberty Of dis
ruastou. tho lltuflY Of the prcss !tself-whirh
has !ta necessary hnita Ia The respect Of per.
so,s In ti,u tnyioahiltty OF the lndlstdual Gun
scsice-uFa Ter wholly without defense. For
tals Iess2n It tas appeaFrd TO tns Tint should
MY habtts VI my oecupattons !n coming tu llts
lar 10 demand VI you q severe repression
iu lie sh4pe IT aesiuua dama:ss.
Any Other penalty. To- be atise
NJ, Krbllstnen, II you strike, strike Will. loree
aud r'lect. striks lily ine judges Of Euglaud.
II that country has entered verltsbly In p<4.ess-
ion not otIy u tho ,beofy but Of this prartice vi
liberty, It is because liberty 10 there dee,a1rA
With uil equal piston bs !naia In poxsr1nl bS
t4v uupositIou, by The MLs.Isters aud Ly tic
journalists. BY thuae WIN attack the Govern
nlcut "a ly ihose who .asfeud It; It Is bcgsusr
thu lon,sn Of private lfe, tbs tIot.or of private
citIzgbs has found serious guarantees, not uuty
tn the psius vi Imprisonment bu: In petu.l!ary
repression. uentlcu.eu, II you wLA 10 strike
LIE senI.tyc p4.t ,tu ms soa:a sG!s c1:lsorA'