The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-26
THE DREYFUs CASE.


The controversy over the conviction
of Capt. Dreyfus, of the French army,
for alleged traitorous intercourse with
the agents of foreign powers has as
sumed national and even international
Importance. It has widened the cir
cles Of agitation about it until among
the possibilities of the outcome are a
change of government or an attempt
ed revolution in France. There seems
to be comparatively little doubt now,
at least in the minds of most who have
investigated the circumstances of the
case, that Dreyfus was unjustly con-
victed. Whether it was his assailant,
as is charged, who was the really
guilty party is little to the point. It
is enough if a man innocent of all
crime shall have been subjected to
the punishment and the indignities
that have been heaped upon this Of
ffcer Of the French army. His degra-
dalton is due to a charge that he had
secretly supplied important informa-
ton as to the military affairs to foreign
y.
All the evidence goes to prove that
there is not an atom Of fact at the
bottom Of this Indictment
Baron Won Bulow, the German min
lister of foreign affairs, has stated, in
the most public and solemn manner,
that no communication was ever held
between any German representatives
and Capt. Dreyfus. This clears the
skirts of the accused in one direction.
Far more important IS it that he
seems to be indicated by the quality
Of the evidence offered against him it.
self. The summing up of the tribunal
before which he was condemned has
been made public, ard it strikes the
American reader with amazement that
any human being could be deprived of
place, honor or reputation In any civ
ilized country upon such g. showing
The entire proof against Capt. Drey-
fus consists of a memorandum on mill
tary affairs, supposed to have been
prepared for the use Of another govern
ment, but intercepted and laid before
his accusers. The only thing to con-
meet him with this memorandum Is the
alleged similarity of the hand writing.
The case, therefore, rested entirely
upon the testimony of experts" in
chirography, and we know, from our
own experience in celebrated trials,
Just how much that amounts to.
1t would be a daring jury that should,
in any American community convict
man of Infamous crime on that evil
dence alone. STILL that is not the worst
of 1t. OF the five experts who were
examined, three were Of the opinion
that the writing was that of Dreyfus,
and two took the opposite side. One
Of these was decidedly the most COM
petent Of all who testified, being the
expert employed by the Bank of
France. He was quite positive that the
writing examined was not that
of Capt. Dreyfus. On the testimony,
therefore. Of bare majority of one of
the experts examined as to the resem-
blance between the writing of Capt
DISy anu lIldL OIL an anonymous
memorandum. he was stripped Of his
military rank and sentenced to a Sc
we're punishment.
The enormity of the act Is such that
we can readily understand the terrific
resentment which it has provoked
throughout France, the uproar in the
army and in the legislative body and
the increasing excitement that shakes
and threatens the government itself
The American idea of fair play, which
is a thing but little known to judicial
proceedings in France, is shocked by
the history of this case There is lit
tie occasion for surprise that public
sympathy is with Dreyfus everywhere
abroad, and that in France itself his
party has grown so numerous and ag-
gressive that his vindication is con-
sidered practically assured.