The Wichita daily eagle., 1898-01-22
Z0LA'S FORTHCOMING TRIAL
some Remarks About Frances
Modern Tnquisition.

hVucEH 1H4 ulsItiOn.
New York. Jan. 2.-The Heralds Paris
correspondent says:
Naturally enough NJ. Zola's letter and
the Esterhazy case that made him write
1t forms the roast beef of the papers just
now. The sweeping nature of Zolas s ac-
cusations has, if anything, caused them
to be received with rather less belief
than they might have been expected to
command. In the army of a country
where every man has been, is, or will be
a soldier, there must necessarily be some
black sheep. but from that to wholesale
discrediting of the officers who have
formed two court-martials is a long step.
At the same time much satisfaction has
been expressed that with Zolas prosecu-
ton the affair must be dragged into full
daylight. This, however, is by no means
certain. The code specially permits a
trial in camera of cases that may be pre-
judicial to the public morals or safety.
The question is, will the trial of Zola
for writing his now famous letter
''Jaccuse," and of Clemenceau's new
journal. Aurore for publishing it, come
under the head of such cases?
I have talked with individuals in very
varying classes of life about this point,
and the consensus of opinion is that al
though the government would probably
prefer to judge the cases in camera IL
will not dare to do 1t. Public opinion,
which in a large measure is uneasily con-
cerned with the possibility of justice hav-
ing miscarried in the Dreyfus matter,
would be dangerously excited should the
popular novelist be tried behind closed
doors for what is, after all, only breach
of the press law.
Even the conservative and seni-official
Temps admits that what is troubling and
scandalizing the public in the method of
investigation revealed by the recent cases.
The people, it says, recollect under what
strange conditions the domicillary visit
was made to the apartment of Colonel
Picquart; they have seen Major Ester
hazy accuse this same Colonel Picquart
with having broken into his house like a
burglar. These things have been said
and related as quite simple and natural,
as though such things were still done by
other hands, and with the same liberty.
That is what ought to appear enormous
to the public conscience, and which, in
fact will appear as such upon the day
when, meditating after the emotion of the
moment 1t takes account of the methods
employed in certain administrations.
methods which are Immediately covered
by the sacred mantle of the national de-
fence. This is more than a yelled con-
demnation Of the authority arrogated to
itself by the military government of Par
is, which General Billot did not even try
to defend in the senate on Thursday.
The Figaro, too, which has adopted a
more conservative attitude of late, de-
votes a leading article to what 1t calls
in a semi-humorous vein ''the new in
quisition." This has been re-established.
It says gayly in a modified form. though
the decree will not appear in the Official
Gazette, as the government wishes to
wash its hands of it. None the les, 1t
goes on, the inquisition banished by law
has taken refuge in our customs, and to
| spy on one another is one of the first
articles in the French catchecism." Even
| in the smallest hamlet of France, says
| the writer, A. Claveau, there is at a word
mutual surveillance, which is one of the
most delicate forms of modern solidarity
| However, the new inquisition has this in
| contestable superiority over the old one
| 1t does not burn its victims; it dishonors
| them