The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-11
AcoU1TTAL OF BEILIss.

The acquittal of Mendel Beiliss viii
redeem Russia from some Of the harsh
opinions that have been expressed
throughout the civilized world since
this celebrated trial began. 1t was one
OF those cases in which an entire ma
ton was on trial with the defendant,
and in this aspect was like the Drey-
fus case. Another point OF similarity
was that both defendants were Jews.
Perhaps it would be necessary to go
back as far as the impeachment Of War
rem Hastings to find parallel in Eng
land. In the United States the trial
OF John Brown represented nation
divided against itself. To this day by
many men of the North he is regarded
as martyr who died for his principles
and as a sacrifice to the institution of
slavery And yet he was legally tried,
condemned and executed The nation
itself was not on trial because there
was no doubt that John Brown had
broken the law The point In the
Dreyfus, as we'll as in the Beiliss case,
was that the defendants had broken
no law and were made the victims Of
blind prejudice.
Russia has come out Of the shadow
more quickly than did France in the
Dreyfus case For a time there existed
a suspicion all over the world that the
trial Of Beiliss was designed by the
Russian government, or the secret
forces that control the government, as
a means of rekindling hatred Of the
Jews. 1t was thought that it heralded
brutal pogroms by which the govern
meut would be able to divert public at
tention from real evils and concentrate
1t upon imaginary ones.
1t must have been noted generally,
however, that the trial appeared TO be
conducted with fairness. While some
testimony was admitted for the prose
cution that might have been excluded
in an American or an English court of
law, yet this testimony had a bearing
on the case. For example, certain men
were called 10 give expert opinion as
10 whether any such rite as "blood
ritual existed among the Jews. In.
charge, it certainly Was necessary to
adduce some testimony that would
bear upon this point The opinion of
the world. outside of Russia, that the
charge was ridiculous, could not in
fluence the court officials one way or
the other. Even if they themselves be.
lleved it to be ridiculous, il was neces-
sary to try the case, inasmuch as we
must presume that Beiliss had been
properly accused and placed on trial in
due legal form.
There seemed to be disposition on
the part Of the court to give the de-
fense as much latitude as was granted
10 the prosecution. In fact it appeared
10 the casual observer that the govern
ment was anxious TO get Beiliss off its
hands by means of an acouittal. A
great mass of testimony showing that
the defendant was innocent was ad-
mitted and the testimony that was pro
duced for the prosecution was woeful-
" weak. This would scarcely have
been. the case had the sinister influ-
euces Of the government been used to
obtain the defendants conviction.
In acquitting Beiliss, Russia has ac-
quilted herself, Not that there is anv
less ignorance OF prejudice than there
was before the trial, but the Russian
courts have escaped the stigma that
would have attached to them had Bel.
liss been convicted Of crime that is
merely figment of superstition and
has not existed in any age.
For all time the charge of ritual
murder has gone the way of the charge
of witeheraft. The acquittal OF Beiliss
will be revelation to the Russian peo.
pie. 1t will be a torch of enlighten.
nent for them in the years that lie
just ahead, and this torch will dispel
some Of those ancient superstitions that