The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-23
The Dreyfus Revision Case Soon to
Re Decided,

According TO a telegram, it is officially
settled that in less than a week, that is to
say, on May 20, Judgment in the Dreyfus
revision proceedings will he pronounced
by the Court OF Cessation. During the
last month u remarkable change has taken
place in public opinion regarding the guilt
Of the accused, and there is now good rea-
son to hope that the change will be re-
tiected in the sentence to be rendered by
the supreme tribunal. The change is, to u
large extent, attributed to the publication
by the Figaro of the testimony submit
ted to the court, a publication which has,
practically, placed the Judges themselves
on trial before the fair-minded part OF the
French people.
There are general and special reasons
for thinking that the transfer OF iurlsdic-
tion in the revision case from the criminal
section OF the Court Of Cessation to the
three sections which collectively form the
supreme tribunal was the outcome OF a de-
liberate purpose on the part Of the anti
revisionists and OF the Dupuy Ministry to
secure a decision adverse to the appeal pre-
sented by Nine. DREYFUs. The impression
had become current that the criminal sec
tion, to which the matter was originally
| committed, had become convinced by its in
designations not only that the trial OF
DREYFUs by court-martial had been, as n
matter Of law, improperly conducted, but
also that, as n matter OF fact, the accused
officer was innocent OF the crime Of which no
had been convicted. The impression was,
OF course, confirmed by tho resignation
OF NJ. QUEsNAY DE B~EAUREPAIRE, a menu
Der OF the Court OF Cessation and q pro-
bounced anti-reyisionisU, for IL was argued
that he would not have resigned had he not
foreseen IA decision counter to his personal
views. The reasons assigned by DE BEAU
REPAIRE for deeming his colleagues OF the
criminal section BIASED in favor Of the ac-
cused were pronounced frivolous both by
the court Of Cessation and by the Commit
tee of the Chamber OF Deputies to which
the accusation was referred. Nevertheless,
Premier DUPUY carried through both Cham
bers a bill transferring the revision pro-
ceedings from the criminal section OF the
high court to the three sections sitting az
a united body. This transaction, which
cast an unmerited slur on the criminal sec
ton, could, on the face Of it, nave no motive
except a belief that a majority OF the three
sections sitting together would be prepos-
sessed against revision
This inference was corroborated by the
following particular circumstances The
committee to which the Brlsson Cabinet
had submitted the preliminary question
whether there were prima facie grounds
for inviting n revision Of the Dreyfus
case by the Court of Cessation included
three members OF that tribunal. These
three Judges had been selected from
the civil section OF the court for the ex-
press reason that, in the event OF re-
vision being recommended, the inyesti-
cation would be made by the criminal Sec
ton, and It would be obviously improper
that any members OF that section should
have expressed opinions on the case in a
preliminary proceeding. AS a matter OF
fact, the three judicial members OF the
committee appointed by the Brisson Cab.
met decided that there WAS no ground
for a revision, but, as the other three
members OF the committee took an op.
posite view, NJ. BRIssoN held himself at
liberty to direct the criminal section OF
the court to begin an inquiry. When,
therefore, his successor. Premier DUPUY,
carried through the bill transferring the re,
vision proceedings from the criminal sec.
tion to the three sections sitting together,
he violated a fundamental principle oil
judicial ethics, for he knew that the civil,
section comprehended three Judges who