Evening journal., 1899-09-28

the discipline OF the French military,
never at any period very pronounced,
lwill not suffer by the expulsion from its
ranks Of the Jews: neither will the
lighting quality OF Frenchmen in gem
leral be enhanced by their retention in
the ranks.
Concerning the truth or falsity OF
the direct charge Of treason against
men other than Dreyfus, it is extreme
ly doubtful II the whole truth and
nothing but the truth will ever be sure
ly and satisfactorily known. But we
do know that several generals of the
French army, and one or two ex-Minis-
tiers of War-men whose sworn testi-
mony is. or ought to be. regarded in the
light Of truth-have recorded, with a
wonderful unanimity, their belief in
the guilt of Dreyfus. We would refer
the reader to the evidence of NJ. Ca
vaignac, ex-Minister of War, who testi-
fed to the treason of Dreyfus, and
whose evidence has not been in the
least impugned. To M. Cavaignacs
Testimony may be added the evidence
under oath of Captain Lebrun- -Renault,
who testified, just as he testified before
the Court of Cessation. that Dreyfus
had confessed to having supplied Ger
many with documents, French war Sc
crets. Renault's evidence before the
court-martial was identically the same
as that rendered by him before the
Court of Cessation, prior to that Court
Of Appeal deciding to reopen the Drey-
fus case. Renault's testimony was
confrmed by one or two witnesses,
and all the efforts of the defense to
Ishake this gendarme's evidence were
in vain. 1t will thus be seen that it
was not at all necessary for the prose-
cution to prove that Dreyfus wrote the
bordereau, that the calligraphy Of it's
= contents was his, in order to establish
) his guilt. The fact OF Dreyfus having
r delivered documents appertaining to
I the famous bordereau to a foreign and
2 presumably hostile Power proves in
+ lcontestably that he was part and par
s eel Of the iniquitous scheme of treason.
t That fact was proved, so far as the
prisoners own confession, the sworn
e and supported testimony of Captain
= Lebrun- -Renault, and oircumstantial
evidence were able to substantiate it.
. Further than all this, it was conclu-
4 sively established that Dreyfus, under
the pretense of going to Switzerland,
= went to Alsace-a German possession
and that he went there without either
= permission or passport. And it is a
e significant fact that the German au-
. -lthorities at Alsace permitted him to re-
< main there without demanding Of him
? a passport. Now then, if Dreyfus was
d not bent on a mission Of treaehery to
t France, why did he sneak OF, without
a either permission or passport, to Al
= SAGE, German territory? The inference
q or reason is as plain as the nose on
e ones face. And NJ. Demange, when
= charging the Judges on behalf ol
e Dreyfus, made not the slightest refer
D ence to this damning proof of Dreyfus's
: guilt Perhaps the eloquent Demange
t fattered himself that the Judges had
= forgotten all about Dreyfus's clandes-
o tine trips to Alsace. But their verdict
Il proved that they possessed a very live.
j. ly recollection of the same. Again
It much adverse comment was excited by
: the action of the court-martial in re-
: fusing to allow foreign evidence to b,
;. imported into the case. But would i
/ have been either wise, polite or rea
/ sonable for the court in question to ac
', lcept the testimony Of the representa-
IS tives of a country which has ever born'
t more or less animus agains. France
Certainly not
So Now, unless we are prepared to ar
n rive at the conclusion that all thes
o French generals and ex-Ministers o
sr War were self-confessed perjurers
is that they were leagued together t
e, knowingly utter that which they kneN
o. to be false, in order to make a scape
e. goat of Dreyfus, and in order to brin
o. about the expulsion of the Jews fror
r the French army-unless we are pre-
lg pared to indulge in any such untenabl
Id hypothesis or suppositions it is diff
o. cult to arrive at any other conclusio
S: than that the man Dreyfus was, and il
er a traitor to his native land. An emf
Id nent Frenchman has very pertinent
of remarked Were several English G
ut American generals to testify to som
be alleged act Of treason, would not thel
sh evidence be accepted by the people a
ng the truth?' We think it would. VIII.
81. -F .