The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-12-30
DREYFUS CASE.

Inc evil OF hlulng any public action
, is being amply shown i'm the Dreyfus
case. few weeks ago The Star pub
lished an account of Captain Dreyfus
in his cage at Cayenne. Since then
the case has begun to occupy strong
position before the world. and the
matter has become question discuss
ed over half the civilized world Be
fore commentary it may be well to
summarize the facts as far as known,
and for this summary the Literary Di-
gest is credited though the matter is
treated of in very many papers, Anne
rican. and European. The summary IS
as follows:
The French Ministry of War was
informed by some persons whose
names have been kept secret, that
foreign government-the public is
not informed officially which govern
ment-had received copies of conf
dental documents on military affairs.
Captain Dreyfus was arrested upon
information given by some person or
persons whose identity is also kept in
the background. He was tried by Il
court-martial, his witnesses for the
defense We're not examined, and he
was convicted upon the testimony of
two out of five graphological experts
who maintain that his handwriting is
the same as that of an discriminating
document said to have been stolen
from the waste basket of a foreign
embassy by detectives. Dreyfus was
publicly degraded, and sent for life to
an unhealthy island on the coast of
South America, where he is now kept
in an immense wrought-iron cage. He
is guarded day and night by veteran
soldiers, who are not permitted to
speak to him.
The Vice President of the French
Senate, Scheuren-Kestner, man of
worth and position, believes he
has proofs of the entire inno-
cence of Dreyfus. Dreyfus' brother
has denounced Major Esterhazy as the
real culprit. Esterhazy, though be-
longing to a line of French soldiers.
is "a dissolute fellow, and always in
need. Dreyfus was steady, rich, and
married to ii rich woman. To compli-
cate the matter still further in the
French mind Dreyfus is jew and an
Alsatian, Scheuren-Kestner is Il Pros
~ is of German descent. The French
are peculiarly prone to believe that
foreigners are antagonstc to them,
and suffer from severe attacks of spy
fever. But though the general press
Is still denouncing Dreyfus. reliable
papers like the Debats, Temps and FL
caro-, are afraid that a terrible error
has been committed
The case brings up the question of
secret court-martials. The essence of
Justice demands that trials should be
open and above board. What justice
can a man expect to get who was tried
in the manner that Dreyfus was. His
own witnesses were not examined, and
his accusers We're never produced in
court. If the case is reopened, it will
be of little use unless the public is
made aware of what goes on in court.
TO do this there must be a free rep
resentation of the press.
1t is in matters of this kind that the
immense value of the press to the
people lies. The representatives of
every tone of political and social
happen which they will not be ready
to comment upon when the right mo-
ment for it arrives. The mere pres
ence of press reporters has its infiu-
ence upon people who are carrying
ON public business. They are the eyes
of the public, and the servants of the
The public servant very frequently
resents the attitude of the press, but
it is as much for his good as that of
any one else that the eyes of the press
follow him. If it checks him in some
pet scheme which he would like to do
if nobody knew, it also protects him
from Vaccinations of others against
himself.
The case of Dreyfus, whether reop-
ened or not, whether he is proved in
nocent or guilty, will ever be cited as
one exemplifying the position, that
legal tribunals should be conducted in
open court, and not in any hole and
corner manner.