The times., 1899-09-11
A Great Injustice.

A Great Injustice.
The apparent lazIness mentioned as being
4 part of the dramatists attitudes is also
noticeable in his speech. Mr. Zangwill
is enough an Englishman to insist upon
altering his tone at the conclusion of ev-
cry sentence, but his words are marked
by a drawl and a lack of energy that are
plainly not affected. There may be in
domitable will and a great capacity for hard
work in him, but both traits are latent.
1t was the desire of The Times reporter
that the subject OF this interview should
speak of Captain Dreyfus and of the case
which has long since ceased to agitate
France alone and is agitating the world.
With this end in view, Mr.. Zangwill was
asked il he had followed the affair closely.
Have you kept up with the proceedings
at Rennes?' was the specific question ask
ed II have and have not, replied Mr..
Zangwill, slowly. Il have lacked the time
and the inclination to read the columns
and columns Of matter that have been
printed concerning the trial. Those who
have done this have been wasting valua-
bic portions OF their lives. In the hours
that must have been so spent by any in
dividual who has pretended TO be thor
oughly conversant with the situation a
I
learned Greek or mastered a profession.
| Extensive study of the evidence and ver-
diet will not teach one more than the gen.
erality Of us understand; no careful cram
ming is necessary 20 the realization that
| in France has been done the greatest in
| justice of the century. That which is
written in letters ten feet high does not
require to be examined with microscope
/ There can be no doubt Of the truth in this
/ affair. Indeed. excepting in Paris, | have
never met anyone who had the smallest
belief in the guilt of the man who now
! stands convicted
ITO me the verdict reached yesterday Is
| the richest sort of bull. Treason is one
of those crimes in the commission of which
| there can be no extenuating circumstances
| If one is to take for a criterion the evil
dence allowed and made public there were
! no extenuating circumstances, and, this
| Icing so, it is only fair to suppose that tn:
| secret proceedings were equally without
| logic and without honesty. If Dreyfus
judges made idiots of themselves before th'
world is ii not allowable to determine tina
they may have repeated that operation
when no one was locking? Either the pris
oner is guilty or he is not guilty. If guilt,
he should have been shot years ago; If no
guilty he should never have been DEGRADED
or imprisoned Perhaps Dreyfus woult
have been condemned to death after hi
first conviction had his accusers wished t
go to that extreme. But even scoundrel
have consciences and it is doubtful TO M
If these knaves expected when they began
that they would find 1t necessary to plung
as deep in villainy as they have done.
Dreyfus' Confinement.
1T is not quite clear to me just hoI
much longer the victim of this iniustic
will have yet TO serve. Some one told m
this morning that his five years of soil
tary confinement would be considered tn
equivalent OF ten years ordinary duranc'
and that he would be freed Immediately
, This does not seem improbable. / am con
vinced that, having made Dreyfus scape
goat for their commissions, his enemie
would now be glad 10 drop the entire mat
ter If they could rely upon its ending ther'
But none of them can be assured thu
T Dreyfus would be willing to have th