The National tribune., 1906-07-19
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DREYFUS INDICATED.

The sensational trial of Capt. Alfred
Dreyfus, of the French army. has taken
another still more sensational form in
the decision of the French Supreme
Court affirming his complete innocence.
The Ministry announces that 1t will pre-
sent an urgent bill in Parliament to re-
store Dreyfus to the army with ad-
vanced rank and to otherwise make
most ample reparation. The matter
began In 1894 with Dreyfus's arrest as
being the author of intercepted COM
munications which revealed French
| military secrets to the German authori-
ties. A secret court-martiaI was held,
which condemned Dreyfus to deporta-
tion for life, and he was publicly de-
graded before the army. He was sent
! to the lie du Diable. off French Guiana,
where he was treated with the utmost
severity. A year later evidence was dis
covered pointing to Commandant Es-
terhazy as the guilty party, and then
began most intense agitation, into
which M. Emile Zola, the great novel
ist, entered with energy, and the inves-
| legations showed an incOnceivable rot
| tenness in the upper circles Of the
| French army. The clique succeeded in
bringing ZOla and his publisher to trial
and conviction, but they avoided i'm
| prisonment by flying to England. NJ
Cavaignac, the Minister of War, tried to
the Chamber of Deputies that Dreyfus
had been justly found guilty. The next
month Col. Henry confessed that he had
| forged the documents which he had
shown M. Cavaignac, and which con-
yinced him of Dreyfuss guilt Henry
committed suicide by cutting his throat
| and Cavaignac was forced to resign. All
these proceedings were attended with
the utmost excitement among the peo-
pie. EsterhaZy fed to England, and
there confessed that he wrote the treas
enable communication. Dreyfus was
| brought back from lie du Diable and
given a new trial, which resulted In a
verdict of guilty and a sentence of 10
years Imprisonment. He was imme-
diately pardoned by President Loubet,
and the Government tried to check all
further agitation by passing an amnesty
| bill. Dreyfus's, friends still continued
their efforts to secure justice for him,
and the caseyfinaily reached the French
| Supreme Court june Is and was decid-
ed July II. 'preyfus is Jew, born in
Alsace in 1859, and had had a brilliant
record in the Military School and in the
army, arriving at the rank of Captain
of Artillery in, 1889 His vindication is
largely due to the incessant work of his
wife, who never for moment doubted
her husbands innocence. and spent her
| large fortune i'll her efforts to demon
strate it. She Visited Emperors and
Kings, pleading, her husbands cause,
and neglected no opportunity to inter
est friends in,his behalf.
The case VIII have colossal benefits.
1t will break up the corrupt ring which
has been dominating the French army.
| 1t has awakened the whole French peo-
pie to justice, as justice is understood in
English-speaking countries, and it will
go far to destroy the inquisitorial meth
DDS of investigation and trial which pre-
vail in all Latin countries and which
are directly opposed to the methods of
justice in England and the United
States. Such case as that of Dreyfus
could not have happened in Great Brit
ain or the United States, faulty as our
systems are. 1t is only possible in Il
Latin country. which has been educated
by the inquisition and by the methods
of the civ,l law TO secret trials and CON
! idemnations by juries insead of judges.