The evening times., 1899-10-07

PHILADELPHIA, Oct I'm a maga
Eine article printed today Thomas B. Reed
former Speaker OF the House of Represen
tatiyes, gives his views upon Paris ant
French Justice" Mr.. Reed says in part:
Perhaps the difference between nations
which causes US TO make the greatest mis-.
.akes in our estimate OF all nations but oul
1wn, arises not from the difference in think.
Ing or in principles, but from the differ.
ence in habits. Our habits go on automati.
cally, and so do theirs. When we come il
contact with their habits We have to do
thinking, and that is a disturbance and We
lnsensibly regard their ways of doing things
rs bad, because habit has made our own
way SO easy
While the new trial of Dreyfus did not
take place in Paris, the problem of its ef-
feet on the discordant elements of that
great city was the subject of much discus
sion. II is difficult for a foreigner to COM
prehend the full force and bearing of that
case. In the first place, the French method
of administering justice shocks every habit
and. preconceiyed notion of an Englishman
~ NN-A@N4'N~--- A-'NAs PA4hNAlJ1G oiihS Ol evil
denee and decorum seems TO be outraged by
the procedure Of the courts in such cases
Our courts martial seem sometimes TO
lawyers TO be tribunals where the widest
and, perhaps, the widest departures are al
lowed. But compared with similar courts
In France, and even courts under the charge
of civil magistrates, our courts martial are
models of propriety and of judicial strict
aess.
AS for the trial at Rennes, that seemed
beyond all the possibilities of our habits.
Ii ought TO be said, however. that We were
probably given very distorted picture of
what actually went on. All the testimony
which came to US was condensed by hands
which may have been skillful or may have
been unskillful with all the chances
against us.
Charles Reade once said that there were
but two men in all London who could con-
dense evidence and leave in the living and
essential facts. The chances are that
neither of these men nor his French equiv
alent was at Rennes. But whether We got
al the true case or not, one thing seems
fully certain, which is, that the way they
have OF getting at the truth is strange be-
gond even the experience of dreams
All the things which a court OF Justice 4
would keep out of the evidence as utterly |
irrelevant and misleading are laid before |
the court with the utmost profusion. In
stead of one directing mind on either side
managing the maFshal.ng OF witne sses and !
the display Of evidence. everybody seems /
united to furnish alike facts and opinions, /
no matter how remote the facts NAV be !
nor from whom the opinions NAV come
What we call 'hearsay testimony and 4
winch we reduce to such limits that any- /
one might fairly say that We discard il |
altogethe, seems the warp and woof of the !
"hole case. Speaking very generally. of !
course, our system is that no testimony is
worth having which cannot be put under /
the searchlight Of rigid cross-examina-
tion. Justice demands not only the truth 4
tut the whole truth. A half truth NAV be 4
the worst kind of a lie
W len you are told that man said /
certain words. and have no chance 10 ask
MN II he said them just that way, or what
else ne said, or why he said it. and when
Ne seld II, you have not even the highest /
human assurance of truth. and even the |
highest assurance of truth is very far
snort OF absolute verify. The great buil5
oil the testimony submitted and received
seems of this character.
IL Is OF course proper to say that there !
are minds so strong and discriminating so
wen trained and skillful, that such evil
lehce would lead the way to just conclu-
SION such tribunals, however. are rare,
ana are not often found in courts-martial ]
However all French procedure is in
lhe manner entlrely different from ours. |
ana yet. nevertheless. has so maintained
civil government liberty. and the rights
Oh property-has so nullified in a word
All the purposes Of courts of justice, that I
pIooably our criticism is but another in I
stance OF the inability of one nation to nut J
lseli IN another nations place Our hab- I
Is are simple TO US, and seem indispensa-
1ie' but their habits are equally simple TO :
mem, and equally Indispensable 4
ne question is often asked whether the !
'reyius case viii lead to disaster and the 4
Nerthrow OF the republic. OF course the r
lst OF prophecy has not survived the de-
ructlon OF Jerusalem, and before this ar d
lcle is printed il may be that the earth a
uake has come. Nevertheless. il is not &
all probable that any conspicuous ma X
ional disaster will happen. t
Inc truth is, that the affair is moi on C
ny line OF cleavage which could snlit
Ne nation into two discordant and belIig- .
rent parts. The differences of opinion on
his question are purely individual and ID
ave no force adequate to the separation
large masses. But the main reason for
he opinion here expressed is the fact that m
ne French republic is today apparently nj
ronger than ii ever has been before II :
as passed through not few crises which a'
ave tested its temper and its stability. m
To man who believes that suitable th
'Vernment is that government which any &C
iuon can furnish to itself, and that the -
eople OF country are, In the long run
elr own most capable governors. the ex- &c
'rience of republic in the heart of Eu 10
'pe. surrounded by monarchies and prin to
palities and powers, itself tumultuous by a,
lture and always yearning for strange -,
'ds is the most interesting of all human :"
'oblems. ca
That the solution may be successful Bl
ID permanent is the good wish of all of ca
who love the liberties we have. and for ri
Inch We would die, and who remember =,
al 10 france We owe the troops and the
ips which gave us the victory that ena- M
cd us TO offer the example to the world
people governed without the divine
sht OF kings and without the institution ST
aristocracy." va