The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26
designations of Prince Hohen-
lohe and General Schellen.
dorf Are Imminent.
BIsMARCKs POLICY UPHELD.
Germans Must Meet On the Field of
Honor or Be Ostracised in
Social Circles.


lty OF the debate on the subject of duel
ing, which took place in the Reichstag
this week and resulted in the passage of a
resolution condemning the practice, is be-
coming generally recognized. The Ma
tlonal Zeitung has given color to the re-
ported differences on the question of duel
ing which had arisen between the EN-
peror and some of his Ministers by an
nounclng that the designations of the I'm
perial Chancellor, Prince Won Hohenlohe,
and General Bronsart Won Schellendorf,
Minister of War, are imminent, but opin-
ion based upon better information credits
the assertion that the chiefs of the Govern
ment are in complete accord on the sub.
]ect.
The sum of the matter is that the high
est personages in the country refuse to
take decisive measures to check. and
thereby condone the continuance of the
custom. The Leipziger Neuste Nachrich-
ten asserts that the Government could not
make a jealous defense of practice which
is in direct conflict with the public laws,
nor could it assume the tone voiced by the
extremists of totally condemning the Gus
tom OF dueling. Still, the article ADDS,
there might be found some mode of gov
ernmental utterance against the practice
which would be consonant with the cur
rent feeling of the public.
The Frankfurter Zeitung remarks that
as long as custom imposes upon the Off
GERS of the German army the obligation to
engage in duels and as long as the Cabinet
order issued in 1874, recognizing dueling
as legitimate, remains unrevoked and the
authorities of the universities do not take
severe measures to the end of putting
stop to such encounters among the stu
dents, the resolution adopted by the
Reichstag will remain a purely platonic
manifestation.
The Bismarckian press, in their reference
to the agitation against dueling, quote
Prince Bismarck's own words, "The best
that is in me is that my whole life has
always been that of a Prussian officer" as
the best proof of the ex-Chancellor sup
port of the custom. They admit that
courts OF honor may limit but will never
consent to the aboiishment of the usage
A worse incident than the Won Kotze-
Schraeder affair has arisen in the case of
an assessor OF police court.
This official, in the course of his hearin g
a charge of assault committed by three
persons upon one, told the three accused
men that they had not acted as gentlemen
should have done. One of the defendants,
who was an officer in the reserves chal-
lenged the assessor, who was also mill
tary officer. The latter declined to accept
the challenge on the ground that he had
given an expression of his opinion in re-
gard to the conduct of the defendants in
the discharge of h is legal duties. The mat
ter was referred to court OF honor COM
posed of officers, which insisted that the
assessor should accept the challenge to
fight.
The assessor held his ground and the
court OF honor removed his name from the
list of the officers of his regiment because
he adhered to his privileges. The assessor
appealed to the higher authorities, but
they only confirmed the finding of the
court of honor. Commenting upon this
case, the Vossische Zeitung asks: What
can be done with such courts where q
Judge presiding at public tribunal is con-
demned to fight duel because he rightly
reprimanded an officer who had Joined
with two others in committing brutal
assault upon single person?
The present position of the dispute be-
tween Great Britain and Venezuela has
reawakened great interest in the matter.
The Tageblatt in alIuding TO the situation
expresses the opinion that English di-
plomacy has taken fresh courage through
the weakened attitude of the United States
Government. both upon this and the
Cuban questions. The paper thinks that
President Cleveland is losing his former
decisive grip and is now content to allow
the resolutions passed by the American
Senate and House of Representatives to
remain as they are.
The Berlin Neuste Nachrichten in an
article based upon the reported refusal of
the Government at Washington to accept
a standing court of arbitration says: eff
this report is true the movement to secure
a permanent international court has come
to an absolute standstilI.''
The sentence of three years penal servi-
tude, the loss of his civil rights for five
years and the payment of fine of 1900
marks which was imposed upon Baron Won
Hammerstein. formerly the editor-in- chief
of the Kreuz Zeitung, is regarded as severe
by his friends, who cherished the hope
'A"s .Ae Mouiu eoCdpc Iuo iShoAhAuy VI IHe
convict labor and receive q sentence oil
simple imprisonment.
The case will now be appealed to the
Supreme Court at Leipsic.
The eldest son of the Duke of Cumber-
land, Prince George " illiam, is danger
ously i'll, and his life is despaired of. He
is in his sixteenth year.
The tenor LAWN of Detroit made his
debut in the Royal Opera House this week
as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. /"
He scored a thorough success.
NEGOTIATIONS NOT STOPPED.