Washington sentinel., 1898-02-26
Trenoh Judtcial Nfeth ods. .

and a fine OF 5000 francs. The
proceedings throughout have
served the purpose of exhibiting
before the world in all their naked
deformity the judicial methods
which the French Republic has in
herited from the preceding ages OF
tyranny and corruption. Itwould
not be strange il it brought about
a struggle in which either these
methods or the republican govern
ment would be destroyed, for they
are utterly incompatible with tree
institutions.
1t was before known that in Grim
inal prosecutions in France the
court generally directed the trial
so as to secure convictions, acting
upon the presumption that the ac-
cused person was guilty. If, as
occasionally happened, the court
set out with an assumption Of in
nocence, the trial was directed to
an acquittal. In either case the
prosecution and defence were con-
trolled arbitrarily by the judge,
and the administration OF justice
depended upon his integrity and
discretion. He represented gov
ernment in its judicial aspects, and
it was for him to see that the Judi
cial will OF the government was
executed, and that was called JUS
tice.
We have now seen this principle
applied in two cases Of court mar
tial, which have attracted the at
teution OF the world. 1t was the
purpose Of the military auth ority
OF the French Government to have
Dreyfus convicted without making
known the evidence, and the thing
was done. Possibly if the facts
were known his conviction would
have been justified, though it was
made to appear otherwise. When
it was charged that Count Ester
hazy committed the offense for
which Captain Dreytus was con-
demned, the trial was distinctly
directed to his acquittal by con-
tinued suppression of facts.
The civil trial OF Zola for de-
nouncing the conduct ofthe Ester.
hazy court martial has been a
CHASTITY travesty upon the admin
istration ofjustice. The presiding
Judge has from first to last exerted
himself to prevent the truth from
becoming known in regard to the
circumstances which alone could
afford a defence and justification
for the accused. A single incident
illustrates the character of the
whole proceeding. The policy OF
suppression seemed to be turning
the tide of sympathy from the Coy
ernment and the army to the liter
ary champion of the wretched pris
oner OF Devils Island when the
commandments appeared as a
witness in full uniform, declared
that Dreytus was proved guilty by
a document confesse dly kept secret
for state reasons, from which a sin
gle sentence was quoted, excited
the Jury by a patriotic harangue,
and refused to answer a single
question Of counsel for the de-
fence, even to reveal the date ofthe
document upon which Dreyfu:
was said to have been condemned
without knowing Of its existence
Zola has been convicted on this
evidence that Dreyfus was rightly
condemned and EsterhazY rightly
acquitted, though the existence
the genuineness and the signifi.
canoe OF the document upon which
the whole fabric rests have no sup
port but the bald statement Of tht
y ilitarv officers who had the
highest interest in upholding
judgments already rendered BY
themselves, whether these were
right or wrong. In this maze o
| secrecy and suppression, which
is declared to be necessary to tn,
safety and peace OF France, nobody
can discover with certainty wher,
Justice turks; but it is plainly no
the purpose Of the judicial proceed
ings to bring her 70 light and pub
lish her DEGREES, but to accomplish
the objects OF those in power
: whether they are compatible will
justice to the citizens or not. A
it was under the Bourbons and tht
Bonapartes so it is under the Re
{ public, which will rest upon al
unstable basis until the right o
the citizen to a fair and open tria
is recognized.
GERMAN MILLIoNAIREs,-Wea
gradually being accumulated in Ger
MANY IN a measure undreamed Of befor