The San Francisco call., 1899-05-20
THE DREYFUS CASE.

7 T is now expected that the Drevfus case will be
decided by the French Court OF Cessation early in
June There are few disnterested men who have
followed the investigation without being led to be-
lief in his innocence 1t is demonstratively proved
that his conviction procured by shameless frauds
and that his protracted incarceration Devils Island
is reproach to the republic of France.
1t is useless now critically to examine the addi-
tona evidence that has been received and published
Much OF it is cumulative. AS a whole it is so CON
elusive that it cannot be overborne by any comb
ration of military and political influence The find
ing that Dreyfus guilty must certainly be quashed
and it does not appear that any retria be justified
singular phase OF this extraordinary case is re-
vealed by recent publication in which Canon Delas
sus OF Cambria, in France complained that Dreyfus
had received moral support in the United States for
which he held the American Catholic church respon-
sibe. France is nominally republic and yet this
learned Frenchman is totally unable to comprehend
the formation and the expression of public opinion in
country where there is a complete separation be-
tween church and state, and where by constitutional
elimination, bigotry and intolerance are practically
impossible Millions OF Americans of all parties and
creeds Catholic and Protestant alike have considered
the Dreyfus and have believed that he was vic
tim OF fraud and OF military oppression They live
under form of government limited to secular OBJ
iects. under which man is invested with inalienabe
rights and among them that Of being presumed to be
innocent OF crime until proved to be guilty by reliable
and competent testimony. In the of Dreyfus
they that he had been made scapegoat by
French officers connected with the general staff of
the army. and that, by fabricated evidence he had
been subjected to cruel and undeserved punishment
The question OF his nationality or his religion was
not even element in their consideration of the
facts Equality before the law fair and open trial
freedom from concocted prosecutions judgment rests
ing upon truth and upon principle, are the preroga-
ves OF every human being in the United States citi-
zen or alien barbarian or civilized Jew or Gentle
Pagan or Christian.
American citizenship therefore, without distinction
OF race party creed, resents tyranny and injustice
no matter what the pretexts the sophistres in
volved to justify them 1t inquiries only into the case
itself, when its intelligence and its manhood are en-
listed by such conditions surrounded the trial and
the exile OF Dreyfus 1t condemns prosecutions in
America in Russia, in Germany in Ireland in
France-wherever humanity exists
The attack of Canon Delassus upon the American
Catholic church, using the phrase in which he
groups together Catholic fellow citizens was not
only unwarrantable but evidently grew out of his
total inability to separate questions OF government
from questions of race or of religion 1t was simi-
lar to the virulent criticisms by DR. Zahn of Arch
bishop Ireland whose patriotism has been so deeply
recognized IN this country, who has been so de-
servedly and SO sgnally honored by Pope Leo Kill
| and whose recent address upon Joan of Arc was
among the notable productions OF the century The
indignation OF Washington churchmen so forcibly
expressed will be shared by American citizens gen
orally who regard the separation OF church and state
as fundamental necessity and who believe that po-
ca liberty best subserved by religious neutrality