The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-02-28

Is TklALo w SSAs-N 49, 49, 49, = - = - ~
REVIEWED AND THEIR Les
SONS ADVANCED.
The recent events in the French re-
,ublIc, including the reoptning OF she,
prsytus case and the resulting trial and
conviction OF the author. zo.a, together
with the umrason!ng uproar that has
arisen against HE Jews, have aston
shed Amerltats who have been utterly.
urable 10 understand or realize the
lengths to which the eScl,ahle French
have gone. Here In Wheeling, n close
observer of events in France Is Rabbi
Harry Levi, ofthe ioca! Jewish congre-
CATION In speaking OF the zola case
and The events connected with his trial.
he gave an Intelllgeneer man a compre-
hcrsIve review OF the case. which will
be read with interest BY readers Of the
paper Said Rabbi Levi:
"Zola has been convicted, has been
found guilty of--telllag the truth. Not
one word uttered by defense or prosecu-i
lion Throughout the long trial IN which
this hero. willing 10 sncriflre his freedom
IN the cause OF Justice and truth, took
such an important part, proves any
thing except that the trla, lof Dreyfus
was farce, and that Zo!a's accusations
against officials in the army were corr
rect. The trial Of the present prisoner
on Devlvs Island may have been a se-
cret one. Zola's might Just ne well have.
been as far as the probabilities OF his
being acquitted BY O partial, terror
stricken jury were concerned. Before,
the trial opened, one with any amount
Of intelligence, heing neither . prophet
no. the son Of ~ prophet" could have
fert.o,d the conclusion to which the jury
would arrive; and when Furthermore.
this body OF men Is as much as urged
By the presiding judge, and forced by
a bowling moo 10 convict, the possibil-
tiles fer ore being wrong In his .conjec-
ture as 10 the outcome become less and
less. If
1T Is ore OF the most peculiar facts
In all history that the nation that went
10 all extremes to introduce liberty, and
that prlded Itself for decades upon the
part which It tookr deposing royalty,
which forbade freedom OF activity. and.
speech, should be the first to trample
upon the very privileges which It took
en- entire century to acquire. But that
Is exactly what France Is doing to-day.
For whereas It realized republication
decades ago. Il Is row daily moving far
Their from It. Whereas It insisted upon
the lralIenable right Of man to give ex-
preston TO his views, Il now denies
such right. Whereas it was one OF the
FIST countries to abolish governmental
distinctions OF creed. It Is now one Of the
foremost examples Of state wherein
religious prejudice has reached Its high
est pinnacle OF intensity. Such incon-
sistercy Il is that has brought France
10 tie position which II now occupies
IN, the estimation OF the world, that has
caused French ideas Of honor to be ridi-
cuied, French guarantees to be Knocked
n, and French justice to be laughed to
scorn.
A MILITARY DESPoTIsM.
The ssraHgest part OF Il all is this,
that France seems now TO be adapting
Itself in most important direction to
a state of affairs from which It took all
the horrors Of the French revolution, to
free 1t. mean to say that France is
to-day threatened with military despot-
Ism. No one who has followed the de-
tails OF French history since the Begin
Ming Of the Dreyfus matter, can fail to
see that II is the army which Is the DOM
iEant power In France, which dictates
governmental procedures, aweS the peo-
pc, pCrsues It's own plans without ac-
counting to people or state. and practl-
cally rules the country. That this
means military Giaspotlsm one can
scarcely for moment doubt. And the
worst OF 1t is, that the citizens proper,
The oGrGeoIse In their blindness, in the
frenzy Characteristic Of the mobile, pas
siohate. validating people OF France,
are uHeonsc.ousiy assisting in the real
izatior Of such despotIsm by imagin-
ing that the honor of their country de-
nonds that they overlook everything
cone BY The officials OF the army, that
'hey Immediately declare as false any
accusation made against this army.
Inc result OF Il all is that the military
see OF French lie Is able to follow any
course It pleases ard become as corrupt
as u desires, because Il is sure OF se-
curing public blindness.
Aware Of this state OF affairs, It now
heefns certain that :len high in rank In
.ae french army, relying upon the
power conferred upon them and the
surety that the pcpulace would oppose
any movement against q representative
Oh Inc government, proved themselves
unworthy OF their positions by using
their offices for purposes which threat
ehea the very life OF the French gov
eminent eminent 1t is now practically positive
Mat France has given secrets 70 Russia
am mas truckled In every possible way
70 us domireering ally. despite the fact
Snat this newly acquired mate Simply
pnuGns Mt the way 1t has duped France.
,n,HS.t,tiheFmoFc there has been treacliery
Mishin the French lines. and for this
Iran 1T, officers high in rank are respon-
zoe. The old saying that YOU may
1901 a.! the people some time, some peo-
We az the time, but never all the peo-
pae al! the time" was true here as
.reFywAere. For the corruption and
SmeasGneFy within French military raniss
sou!d not escape everybody. There was
sly raised by certain individuals for
va investigation of the affairs OF the
army headquarters. It is!characterist!c
VI me French that they Will yield to
ahy movement which promises excite