The record-union., 1899-09-02

Ply HouSCo dTG SIX months DenlnQ WITH
orders. Prosperity smiles on our
grateful land. The CHASTITY ghosts of
want and hunger and idleness have
vanished. Behold, there is Republi-
can President in the National Capt.
tol! Compare the condition of the
country to-day with the condition it
was IN when Democratic policies pre-
vailed, and if you will be honest with
yourself you can form but one conclu-
sion
SHOULD BE SUPPRESSED.
Vacaville Reporter: The death of
pugilist Franey in prize fight will
have done some good if it calls atten-
ton to an evil which has gradually
grown up in our midst. There was a
time in the history of our country
when men like Franey had to secretly
engage in the contests which the law
made felony and which public SEN
timent condemned and demanded
should be punished. Now the swells of
the city, the gambling element, the
sports and the police, meet and see an
exhibition as brutal, and as degrading
In its effects, as the old-time bare
knuckle contests. We see no good to
follow from such exhibitions and rec
ogn1ze that they do much harm. They
| should be permanently suppressed.
AFTER THE RAILROAD COMPANY.
Santa Rosa Republican,: The South
ern Pacific Railroad Company does not
appear to have many friends among
the San Francisco neWspapermen. All
the morning journals and two of the
afternoon papers never lose the oppor-
tunity to hit the big corporation a blow
1t makes no difference what is done,
they find fault Their readers are
treated to one continued growl against
the company But the company and
its management are no worse than
they were when these papers were say
ing nice things about them. The
change is in the editors and not in the
railroad affairs
FRENCH MILITARY JUSTICE A
FARCE.
| Portland Oregonian: Nobody who
reads the daily description of the Drey-
fus trial can feel anything but con-
tempt for the proceedings of this NOM
| inal court of military justice. To Drey-
fus, whose liberty and military honor
are involved, the trial is a, tragedy, of
which this military tribunal is making
a shocking farce The military Judges
have not sufficient sense of official de-
cency and dignity to conceal their hos
tility to the prisoner. In the nine
teenth century the ex parte conduct of
this trial cannot be matched in the an
nails of Great Britain or the United
States. It's proceedings, SO far as the
Judges are concerned, recall the brutal
ity Of Coke in the trial of Sir Walter
Raleigh; of Jeffries in the bloody as
| sizes that followed Sedgemoor. The
Generals who appear against Dreyfus
are not checked when they expand their
testimony into long, insOlent and abu-
sive harangues to the court against
the prisoner. These army officers, while
nominally called as witnesses, are per-
mitted to act as prosecutors, and ad
dress long arguments to the court, ut
terly regardless. of the relevancy of
the witness statements to the ques
tion at issue before the court. Generals
Mercier and Roget have occupied hours
with violent speeches composed of per-
sonal abuse and gossip, old charges al
ready exploded, which rest upon moth
ing but their unsupported assertions.
In face of the reiterated confession of
the fugitive Esterhazy that he wrote
the bordereau, these Generals of the
they believe Dreyfus wrotel it. One
of these Generals, Mercier, was given
the lie direct by Casimir- Perier, ex-
President of the French republic. The
testimony of General Roget is contra
dicted by the Italian Panizzardi, who
declares on his honor as a soldier and a
gentleman that he had never heard
the name of Dreyfus before his arrest;
~, oJ10 hos OI
egraphed that. the alleged letter from
him charging Dreyfus with having been
in relations with the German attache
was an impudent forgery.
This French military court permitted
Major Cuignet to declare on the wit
ness stand, Il believe Dreyfus guilty"
And this declaration of opinion seems
to be treated by the French military
court as equivalent to the facts that
are necessary in the United States.
Great Britain and Germany to convict
a man of high crimes. The trial re-
ceived by Dreyfus is not the fair trial
that he would be sure to get in an
American or English military court.
His Judges are all officers of subordi
nate rank, who would naturally be af-
fected by the violent assertions of the
Generals, Boisdeffre, Mercier, Roget,
and they have thus far shown no dis
position to weigh evidence, or rigorous
ly exclude irrelevant matter and mere
personal opinion The temper of this
court was shown by its refusal to ad-
journ on account of the attempted as
sassination of Labori, the leading law
yer of the accused. Such a trial is
in utter violence of the elemental
rights of a citizen when deprived of
his freedom through accusation of
crime.
THE STATE FAIR.
Mountain Democrat: We are in re-
ceipt of circular entitled Editorial
Notes-State Fair" prepared and circu-
lated by Peter J. Shields the competent
and indefatigable Secretary of the State
Agricultural Society. 1t shows that the
Fair is to exhibit in the most attractive
form the highest type of development in
grains and grasses, in fruits and vege-
tables, in machinery and manufactures,
in horses and cattle, hogs and poultry.
It is to commence September 4th, and
promises to be more a farmers fair
than heretofore This is it's best feature
and is vastly more important to the
State than any mere sporting attrac-
ton.
Two Mothers Bibles.
Late last evening a tolerably well
dressed young man entered junk shop
with an exo,lisitaIy bound volume The