The Court of Cessation has for the moment saved Colonel
Picquart. That great Tribunal decided on Thursday, on an application from the Colonel's counsel, that it had as yet no means of judging whether the military proceedings and the civil proceedings against him were in conflict. All the docu- ments, therefore, must be remitted to the Clerk of the Court for a Report, and meanwhile there must be in both the civil and military cases "a postponement of judgment on all counts." This is a severe blow for the military party, as Colonel Picquart can now give his full evidence in the Dreyfus case. Public opinion, moreover, is turning sharply in Colonel Picquart's favour, mobs " demonstrate " on his side, and it is seriously proposed to elect him Senator for the Seine district, where there is a vacancy. That would be equivalent to taking a plebiscite of Paris upon his inno- cence or guilt. It remains to be seen whether the War Office will be cowed by this new situation, and the chance of a final exposure, or will be irritated into some great attempt to "reassert the just claims of the Army." We incline still to the latter belief, though the want of auy leader whom France knows hampers the military chiefs.
