The record-union., 1899-09-18
FRANCE, THE JEW, AND THE
TRIAL SYSTEM.

It has been repeatedly asked Of the
Record Union" why the French hate
the Jews in France so bitterly as they
do? If, it is asked, it is true that there
are less than 100000 Jewish people in
all of France. why should there be
such fear of them among 100000
French? 1t has been replied that this
hatred is the result of racial prejudice
running back into the dim past, that
the French have been educated to look
upon the Jew as a plotter, with sinis-
ter designs upon the stability Of the
Government, though it is all but i'm
possible to place the finger upon any
sound reason for this belief as disclosed
by French history.
In a late number of the "Conserva-
tive Review Hon. James B. Eustis,
late our representative in France,
makes reply to the question. Accord
ing to Mr.. Eustis the intense hostility
to the Jew in France played a most
conspicuous part in the Dreyfus trial
made that officer the victim, largely,
which in other lands gives the Jew his
enemies, but because the French peo-
pie consider him an enemy la patrie.
1t is not because the Jew is successful
as a trader and f1nancier; not because
he is economic and able to be a money
lender, or to attain supremacy in de-
partments of trade and industry; but
because of apprehension that the Jew
ish people are using their wealth Sc
cretly to dominate and control the
Government of France to its detriment.
In this country, says Mr.. Eustis, we
regard the State as a mere political
agency; in France it is looked upon
as a paternal institution, and the COM
mon accusation is that the Jew is plot
ting to overthrow French institutions,
and bring about the ruin Of the coun-
try. In studying the questions and en-
deavoring TO get at the root Of the rea-
son for the bitter prejudice. the essay
ist was startled one day by the excla-
nation OF a prominent retired officer
OF the army: '"The next time we have
a revolution, we win erect a guillotine
on the Place de la Concorde, and we
will behead every Jew in France
This he declares is not merely an in
dividual opinion, but quite the con-
trary The French people also be-
lieve that the Jews are responsible for
the corruption said to prevail in gov
ment entertained, it is therefore easy
TO understand that when Dreyfus was
arrested there should be an explosion
of this anti-semitic feeling and un-
questionably such bitterness in the
community operated against him in the
proceedings taken.
So strong was this influence, which
perhaps often operated upon men un-
consciously. that those who held Drey
fus to be innocent were much restrain
ed by indisposition to brave the anti
semitic sentiment. Military courts in
France are held by the people to be all
but infalIible, at the same time. says
our essayist military officers when sit
AAA6 % dANSSS QlACOlSCiOQSly SAGlQ "
the influence of the prejudices of others;
this is due TO their education. Mr.
Eustis cites the case of NJ. Scheurer-
Kestner one OF the Vice Presidents of
the French Senate, man Of independ
ent wealth, of the highest responsibility
and Of unquestioned courage. This
man afflicted by the torture of convic
tion that Dreyfus was proceeded
against cruelly and in violation of hu-
man rights. quietly and secretly APP
preached the Government upon the
question. But as soon as the fact was
made known such storm of anti
semitic rage was raised about his ears
that he retreated from the contest
under the ridiculous accusation that he
also had been paid by the Jews.
The Figaro which circulates among
the best educated and best informed
classes of the people, was gradually ap-
preaching the conclusion that revis-
ion Of the Dreyfus case should be had.
because of Irregularities, and because
it was becoming evident that justice