New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-17
THE FRENCH CRISIS.
DREYFUs's INNOCENCE ESTABLISHED.

W. LINN ttfhlsAC fEN1EWs THE TESTlhONt
AND PREDICTS HIS AcorITTAL-No FACTS
CONNECTING DREYrrs WITH THE
CRIME CHARGED.
To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: The resignation OF NJ de Freycinet. Minister
OF War. Is likely to be the last Incident OF the
political crisis which has grown out OF the Dreyfus
case. and which has already caused the downfall
OF five Ministers OF War. But 1t will not influence
in the least degree the impending conclusions OF
that dramatic and desperate struggle In which on
both sides. the last cartridges have been fired NJ
de Freycinets attitude during the last few months
and especially In the very unimportant affar which
has caused him to be questioned and even Kissed
In the Chamber OF Deputies shows that he was
not the right man 10 preside over the reorganza-
ton OF the General STAFF which Is to take place
when the Judgment OF the Court OF Cessation shall
have established all the responsibilities involved In
the case.
NJ. de Freyclnet who is seventy-one years DID,
has been OF the ablest statesmen OF the Third
Republic. He has been twelve times Minister or
different departments. two or three times Premier
and he Is not merely one Of the most scholarly
and the brightest men In Parliament. being both
member OF the Academy OF Sciences and OF the
French Academy; he IL also one OF Its most mar
vellous debaters. Nobody match him for the
fuency and the luminous logic OF his speeches,
especially when he Is dealing with the most tech
meal matters. IL is unfortunate tHdt Il man
dowed with of the rarest qualities OF shrewd-
ness and versatility should be cursed with weak
ness Of character which has been the misfortune OF
his political career Nobody Is less fitted 10 govern
in time OF crisis than that wavering politician
whom his friends used to call 1.-The little white
mouse" who has always yielded. II not TO the
strongest at least to the most audacious and
clustering party. In the Dreyfus affair he mas
avoided compromising himself, so that nobody ever
knew what was his position In the controversy.
Meanwhile. he sided with his staff as much as ne
could and his attitude in the little incident which
the other day aroused against him the Indignation
OF the Republicans OF the Chamber emphasizes
more his lack OF energy.
The Ecoe Polytechnique. which Is our greatest
military school. since 1t provides France with both
It's engineers and It's artillery officers, has now
among its regular professors NJ George Duruy'
who delivers there every week lecture or TWO on
historical or literary topics Professor Duruy IL a
well-known litterateur and teacher. the son OF
Victor Duruy the great historian and former Min
lister OF Napoleon III. whose name Is n household
word all through the country. Professor Duruy
has never been charged with being sans patrie
lie belongs to a family which has always been
rather Chauvinist.
Moreover. NJ. George Duruy has always been
reckoned q Bona artist and a conservative. and
supposed to be rather favorable to mitarism
But he is too much Of historian and OF a liberal
not 10 have been struck by all the facts which
have been revealed for two years. and which have
shown to all Frenchmen who able to think
for themselves that the Dreyfus case was an
awful blunder" as NJ Charles Dupuy himself
styled II In a private talk which has been re-
Gently made public And so NJ George Duruy, who
first had taken share whatever In that glo-
rious struggle of the Dreyfusards. which will al
ways be remembered to the credit OF the French
University men, ended by entering boldly the party
OF justice. He wrote in Figaro few very elo-
quent articles In the most patriotic spirit beseech-
Ing his friends OF the army to break off all ASSOC
citation with the disreputabe men whose baseness
Is already attested. such as Esterhazy and Du Patty
de Clam That enough to classify him hence
forth as Dreyfusard, and also to arouse against
him the bitter feelings OF the boys Of the Poly
technical School. who. OF course deem themselves
bound 20 share all the prejudice OF the army. to
which they soon to belong as officers.
NJ. Duruy who up to this time had been very
popular professor greeted at his lectures with
Kisses and was prevented from delivering his adj
dress Such fact IL not very rare in the Univer-
sity Of Paris and there is often no other remedy
than TO suspend the lecture for some time. But In
u military school In which the discipline Is pretty
strong such a measure IL mere sign OF weakness.
And still that Is the measure which was taken and
which VI. de Freycnet has defended before the
Deputies. who quite justified in protesting
against a theory which claims for the pupils Of a
military school the right interfere with the opn
ions expressed In newspaper by one of their pro-
fessors.
DE FREYCINETs CHANCE.
This little incident which gave NJ de Freycinet
a pretext OF laying down burden toe heavy for
his shoulders, shows more strikingly than any
thing else the spirit which still pervades the ma
jority of the officers namely that "the honor of the
army is interested In refusing to acknowledge the
judicial error OF which Dreyfus is the victim. an
error which Is established already beyond doubt
The largest part OF the inquiry before the Court
Of Cessation Is published now. Almost hundred
witnesses have been cross-examined. both officers
and civilians. All that can be known and all that
has been known by those members OF the stan who
talked so loudly about important secrets Is
made public. What is the result? have read the
documents all over. and can but say that to an
UMPIRE JUDGED mind the conclusion is that which has
been from the beginning foreshadowed by every
reasonable man. namely the complete, absolute In
nocence OF Dreyfus
Let us enimerate the arguments which have been
put forth by both parties:
First II Is well known that the single document
which was In 1894 the basis OF Dreyfuss accusers
is the so-called "bordereau." In 1894 three experts
In handwriting out OF five asserted that the bor-
dereau was in Dreyfus's handwriting. At that
time the prosecutor said at the end OF his speech.
putting aside all his other arguments Of whose
weakness he was aware zone thing remains: the
bordereau which is in Dreyfus's handwriting" To
day. since II has been proved not merely by ex-
perts Of the whole world, but by six OF the most
scholarly men OF the French Ecole des Charles
and Of the Institute OF France that the hand
writing OF the bordereau Is not that of Dreyfus.
but that of Esterhazy the officers who defend the
position OF the general STAFF resort TO another ar
gument They talk no more or as little posi-
Bile. about the handwriting and all their arguing
consists In showing that none but officer OF the
General Stan could have composed the bordereau
and have known the documents which are emu
merated therein On those points Cavaignac. Cen
eral Roget and Captain Cugnet have laid much
stress. But the Dreyfus side has brought forth
Witnesses especially high officers Of artillery. who
have asserted that the bordereau could not have
been written by artilleryman. since II is full OF
faulty language and betrays an author allen both
10 the technical vocabulary and the technical
knowledge OF artillery.
That controversy Is very important indeed. But,
whatever may be the solution. there cannot be
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