The San Francisco call., 1899-09-14
THE SITUATION in FRANCE.

terry The Man in the Iron Mask the Prisoner of
Chillon, Napoleon on St Helena, and even the sue
cessor the Great Mogus and Arab Pasha isolated
islands in the Indian Ocean, excite and will con-
tinue to stimulate the imaginations OF men and to
inspire prose and poetic literature
The worldwide interest in the case OF Dreytus has
its metaphysical origin in the secrecy OF his first trial.
the tragedy OF his military humiliation and the pititu
incidents of the execution of his by solitary
confinement and non-intercourse with the world on
Devils Island, If he had been gulotined on his first
conviction the world would have forgotten him. But
the press OF many nations kept the solitary prisoner,
desiccating on a torrd island under vertical sun,
continually before the millions. SO it came to pass
that men and women, their quiet pillows, around
their tables and fresdes, at labor, recreation and wor-
ship, found the appalling and ptiful tgure OF this
doubtfuLy convicted and over punished man more
and more invading their thoughts and tugging at their
sympathies. Without going into the occult 1t may be
truthully declared that when the minds OF millions
engage themselves with one thought it comes finally
to be concreted in form OF action, and to this
influence must be attributed the revision the recall OF
Dreyfus the retria at Rennes and such universal at
tention to every detail to make II the leading news
feature in the press of the world The wish of mil
lions transformed into their expectation The
acquttal andvindicaton Of the prisonerwere expected
There was no effort made establish in the minds
of men the difference between court-martal and
civil court, and So everywhere are disappointed
by the absence at Rennes of the application Of the
fixed rules of evidence under either the civil law and
Code Napoleon, operative in France, or the common
law of England.
1t is true also that the court-maral at Rennes ad
mitted class of evidence that would be inadmissble
under the articles of war OF England and the United
States These incidents, taken in connection with the
confessed forgery Of incrminatng documents used on
the first trial. the dramatic suicide of Colonel Henry
the attempt to assassnate Labor and the violent eu
sion of the hatreds of race and religion have
bired to intensity the feeling of the world for the
prisoner and against his judges
Some things however must not be forgotten. The
Government of Loubet has not been unfrendy to
Dreyfus France has been so long in pursuit of glory
on the military road that the army is sngulary
seated in the fancy of the people In the cafes and
the crowds on the boulevards the of Bonaparte
conures powerfully than any other, because it
is identified with military glory transcending that OF
Alexander or Caesar. France would tomorrow rush
to the standard Of his peer commander and
conqueror eyes shut to the consequences in the form
OF her civil government.
Therefore, Loubet must move in the shadow of this /
sentiment in France. The worldwide impulse, which
we have attempted to describe, must be made mind |
full OF its cause and OF its wish. Its motive /
is TO benefit in some way the solitary prisoner of
Devils Island Let those whom that impulse don- |
mates consider wisely their purpose 1t should be to
make easy of execution every friendly and humane in
tention of the President of France. Passionate de-
nunciaton, and above all the proposition boycott
the Paris Exposition of 1000, only make il harder TO
do justice to Dreyfus. 1t is highly probable that /
should Loubet attempt the limit of his authority
a revolution would result which would involve Drey
fus and his friends and republican institutions in a
common carnage. Such result in France would not
urher the ends OF justice in any way benefit
kind We know by certain experiences in this coun-
Try that a suspicion Of foreign interference in our
affairs is far likely to confirm our steady
going people in the wrong than to turn them to the
right. This is much the case with the French
people The court at Rennes did for France what no
nation afford to have done for it 1t forfeited the
respect of the world But the world must not inict
urther injury by exhibiting the same order OF un-
linking passion which it has hastened to condemn
Rather should the attitude of the nations now,
oward France, be expressive of confidence in her
national conscience and in her capacity do Justice
% the weakest and most fororn, and to bravely cor
-ect mistakes and right wrongs.
In fine the world owes to France duty which
eIthet and invective do not express. The nations
should go Paris in 1900 in the spirit OF good neigh
oors to needful of instruction by example that
people may that the wreaking OF race hatreds
and religious anmosties is the path to a high
place in history the respect of the generations TO
come. Especially does this republic owe this form
If duty to her younger sister the family of the free
Delegates to the Democratic municipal convention
trying discover for what earthly purpose they
lave been elected Their best friends wouldn't triAe
70 far with the facts as to call them ornaments, and
heir utility has not yet been dscerned.
Every time Sammy Braunhart opens his yawp he
,us his foot in it. And that's no Joke when YOU
ome to consider that Sammy has No 6 head and
4-II-44 foot.