New-York tribune., 1899-05-18
THE GRINDING OF THE MILL.

Tho Dreyfus case drags on. An English hui
morist has depicted the sensations Of man
who. buried in 1890 and rcsurrected in 1999
should at the latter date hear newsboys crying
on the streets --latest Revelations in the Drey-
fus Caser' In one sense that may not ne
fight of fancy It is entirely possible perhaps
not improbable. that not merely one hut dozen
centuries hence historians will be wrangling ac-
rimoniously over the 'bordereau' and the dos
sier" Just rs now they dispute about the charac-
fer of Cromwell and speculate upon the iden-
TRY of the Man with the Iron Mask. Such n
prolongation of the controversy is suggested as
by no means unlikely by the accomplished
French Journalist whose letter on the subject
we printed in The Tribune Of yesterday
But that will be academic and pathological
For all practical purposes, we are glad TO De-
lieve with NJ. Guerac. the case is drawing tow
ard its close. with something of both the slow
ness and the sureness proverbially attributed to
the mills of God.
The grim earnestness with which the inquest
is now being prosecuted was shown last week
in the Cabinet changes NJ. de Freycinet. ven
erable and honored above most statesmen OF his
time. was forced to resign his place because he
had at least seemed to temporize upon this sub
1ect, and then TO lean toward the side which
was the more violent In its demonstrations. In
most cases such n resignation would have pre-
ciptated n general crisis Not so now. The
work on hand is too serious for play-actng
The inquest nears its end. The masks are COM
ing off The truth Is about 10 he revealed
And when France stands face to face with
Truth there must be no waverlng and no hys-
terics II this or that Minister wishes to stand
aside before the crisis comes he may do so, and
his so doing will be little needed rs was NJ de
Frevcinet's. in the intensity of interest which is
centred upon the Court of Cessation The Gov
crnment. as a whole. means evidently TO stand
its ground and see the matter through.
NJ Gucrlac confidently predicts n verdict In
favor of revision. Prophecies are perllous, yet
In this case 1t Is difficult to see how there can
be any other result than that for which this
competent observer looks. Step by step the in
dictment against Dreyfus has been discredited.
The "bordereau' can no longer be attributed to
him. save by one whose imaginative faculties
are equal to n vertable tour de force. So the
first count is gone. The second something
in the secret dossler" That mysterious packet
Is now shown to have been empty; so that count
is swept away. The third and last. the final
Dreyfus and the general circumstances OF the
case. 1t Is now established that instead Of
having been the pronigate his accusers declared
Dreyfus was man of exemplary life. and that
instead Of being in an environment tending tow
ard treason he was exceptionally free from all
such influences.
SO II Ia. as we have said difficult to see how tho
Court Of Cessation can do otherwise than TO de-
clare the charges against him were not proved.
Such verdict would quash the sentence against
him and order n new trial, II not his acauittal.
II would not establish his innocence. But that
his innocence will be established and that. in
deed. 1t already is established from n moral
point OF view NJ. Guerac is entirely confident.
In that confidence we should be glad to ioln.
and indeed we can see in NJ Guerlac's review
OF the case good ground for hoping It Will be