Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-09
THE TRIAL OF lola.

tragical farce II the expression be al
lowed-of which the conviction of Cap
tain Dreyfus as a traitor to France was
the opening act. In countries where
the sentiments of the people are less
eruptive than In the republic by the
Seine, 1t Is difficult to understand how
the fate of an army officer with no
higher rank than captain can cause
such commotlon as to shake the whole
country to its foundations. True,
Dreyfus was rich and popular and had
influential friends; but the passions
his case has aroused, the mysterious
attitude of the government and the vlo-
lent outbursts of mobs In various parts
of the country cannot be accounted Tor
solely on these grounds. Below the
surface must be some mighty forces at
work, the true nature of which only
the Initiated know. All the world over,
army officers have before this been
court-martinled. deported and impris-
oned without the slightest sign of dis
turbances either of provincial or ma
tional extent. The Dreyfus case Is
different. 1t has divided France in
two hostile camps and awakened inter-
est throughout the civilized world.
In 1895 Dreyfus was accused of high
treason. tried and convicted. II was
claimed that he had sold state secrets
to some foreign government. either
Germany or Russia, but the proofs
were kept from the public on the
pretense that the foreign relations of
France would be endangered should
the facts become known. Without any
evidence, as far as known to the pub
lie, the unfortunate officer was found
guilty and in accordance with the SEN
tcnce of the court stripped of his mill
tary honors and sent for life to an
island off the coast of French Guiana
and there confined like n wild beast In
an iron cage. From time to time. as
public sympathy has been aroused in
his behalf, his punishment has been ag-
gravated, 1t Is claimed, as If the inten-
ton were to end his case by torturing
him to death. The interest manifested
In the matter outside of France can be
explained on the ground that for hui
manitarian reasons 1t may be well to
public, man may be condemned to
slow torture without any apparent
evidence. That concerns the world.
The law In France appears to be that
an innocently convicted man cannot
be released until his innocence be
proven by fastening the guilt upon
somebody else. For this reason the
brother of Dreyfus accused Major Es-
terhazy of being the real traitor. The
latter was tried and acquitted Then
Emile lola stepped on the stage and
In newspaper article accused the
heads of the French army and some
members of the cabinet of having know
ingly convicted an innocent man. He
demanded to be tried and given an OPP
portunlty to prove his accusations. This
step he took in order to force the gov
eminent to reopen the Dreyfus case.
Zola's newspaper article was pointed.
He says he does not believe an act of
treason has been committed. The whole
thing Is the outcome of the hysterlcal
hallucinations of Lieut.. Col. Patty du
Clam. The evidence against Dreyfus
he reviews as follows:
He knows several languages; that
tells against him. Not n single COM
Promising document has been found in
his possession; that stamps him as a
criminal. He sometimes visits Alsace,
the land of his birth: another crime.
He is energetic, he wants TO learn
everything. crimel He is calm In the
presence of his accusers; another crime.
He becomes restless at last: more proof
of his guilt. We are told the judges
first acquitted him. Then the secret
document. that overwhelming proof
of his guilt which no one Is allowed to
see, which renders the whole proceed
ing lawful. before which all must bow
their heads, this divine. invisible, mys-
FERROUS document is brought forward
and he is declared guilty.
] deny that there Is such document.
/ deny 1t most emphatically.
Il deny that there Ia such n docu-
ment. / deny IL most emphatlcally."
Further on the novelist specifies his
charges. He says:
81 accuse Lieut.. Col Patty du Clam 81
being the hellish cause of vile actions,
though he may have done wrong with
out knowing II.
II accuse General MERCER of weak
ness In becoming q party to the great
est act Of injustice of the century.
II accuse ieneFul iSlliOt, the minister
Of war, OF being in possession of proofs
that Dreyfus was innocent; but he kept
these proofs secret and committed the
crime of perversion of justice in order
TO save the deeply compromised gem
oral staff.
II accuse General Dolsdeffre and
General Grouse of being parties to this
|, crime, the one from clericalism, the
other from a mistaken sense of esprit
de corps which makes him think the
ministry of war is n veritable sancs
tum,
General Pellieux and Major Rovary
| accuse of monstrous Partially.
II accuse the war office of having
started shameful campaign in the
daily papers in order to lead astray
public opinion.
1.-THE court-martial accuse of viola
tiun of justice and law by having con-
victed the accused upon evidence con-
taiued I'm a secret document.
Il do not know personally the men
whom ! accuse. l have never neen
them, am not vengeful against them,
do not hate them. To me they are only
representatives of n social evil. 1 on
ly wish for light-in the name of hui
manlty which has suffered so much
and has so much right to he happy.
My fiery protest Is only the outcry of
my heart
Bring me before the court Of nssizes
and let my examination be In the glare
of dayl