New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-28
ESTERHf/T.
tempt.

Fsterhazv has confessed and has denied his
confession. and pcrhaps by the time these lines
arc read will repudln.e his denial As long ms
he is alive and NJ liberty and can find people
10 listen 10 him he viii doubtless maintain his
profusion of varicgaied mcndacity He does II.
Of course. for uotorieiy anu proht. eXhlbitlng
his moral deformity Just rs freak exhibits
his physical deformty In dime museum
After time people viii get tired OF him ana
transfer their attentions to some mere muir
derer or blgamist and then he Will subside Into
an obscurty most grateful TO the world. mat
any confession" lac may make Is TO be taken
seriously, except rs a revelation OF sell, III
entirely out Of the question. He might issue n
whole encyclopedia full Of sworn statements,
and its only possible effect would he 10 convince
the world OF his supreme facility and versatility
IN lying.
But as we have said his utternnces do serve
the purpose of self-revclatlon, and none Of them
more effectively than his lntest or one OF his
latest for he may have made several I'm the
last twelve hours. all different Note first that
In brazenly declaring himself n forger he says
he did the crime at the bidding Of Colonel Sand
herr And Colonel Sandherr is dead It has
been world long reproach TO old Father Adam
TINT he tried TO excuse his sin by saying. "The
woman tempted me-" But nj least Eve was
alive and able to speak for herself. This most
degenerate Of the sons Of Adam is not content
with throwing the blame for his nfamies upon
another-he throws 1t upon n man who Is for
ever past all power Of answering. noble
confession truly, ~, Estcrhazy, am n forger
"by compulslon. and am liar and coward
"by personal choice"
-, hat 4, !, nj off
"They all do IT," All other governments resort
to forgery and perjury and Ike crimes. He Is
n knave. Of course but SO are all men. He Is
ms good as anybody else. That. too. IS n pre-
fence well nigh as old as Adam. and it IS the
lnfabc hallmark Of utter vilainy. ''Honi
soft aui nal pcnsc" expresses a greater truth
than that of It's common application. He who
thinks evil of his fellows is not merely dcserv
ing of having evil done TO him he IS Of neces
city himself evil, essentially, intrnslcally evil
II is from the evil that dwells within him that
his evil thoughts of others proceed Whether
they will not. men must judge others by
themselves A knave Is always cynical. The
man who does the least 20 make the world bet
ter Is always the greatest pcsSlmISt
This self-drawn portrait of Eserhazy should
serve this purpose. to impcl the honest men Of
France and there are plenty OF them, with
power TO rule the Nation If they will-tO let
light into the dark places Of this whole dark
case. and TO discover and confirm and establish
truth and justice. no matter Mt what cost. No
! cost can he too great. 1t should impcl them.
too. TO do their duty without regard for the
perjurics and forgcrles Of Esterhazy and his
like. They must depend upon their own judg-
ment and integrity, not upon any confessions
and counter-confessions n sef-condemned GRIM
inal may make. That Is the duty-bIdden task
before them, in which they need and merit all
the worlds encouragement