The record-union., 1896-04-26

Has Taken Fresh Courage Through
the Weakness of the United States.
BERLIN, April 25.-The futility of
| the debate on the subject of dueling
which took place in the Reichstag this
| week and resulted in the passage of
resolution condemning the practice, is
| becoming generally recognized. The
National Zeitung' has given color to
| the reported differences on the question
| of dueling which had arisen between
! the Emperor and some of his Ministers.
| by announcing that the designations of
| the Imperial Chancellor, Prince Won
Hohenlohe. and General BronSart Won
| Schellendorf Minister of War, are i'm
minent, but opinions based upon better
| information credits the assertion that
| the chiefs of the Government are in
complete accord on the subject.
The sum of the matter is that the
highest personages in the country re-
fuse to take decisive measures to check
and thereby condone the continuance
| of the custom. The ''Leipsiger Neuste
Nachrichten" asserts that the Govern
ment could not make jealous defense
of a practice which is in direct conflict
| with the public laws, nor could it as
sumo the tone voiced by the extremists
of totally condemning the custom of
dueling. Still, the article adds, there
might be found some mode of Govern
mental 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
officers of the German army the obliga-
ton to engage in duels, and as long as
the Cabinet order issued in 1874 recog
niZing dueling as legitimate, remains
unrevoked, and the authorities of the
| universities do not take severe meas
ures to the end of putting a stop to such
encounters among the students, the res
oiution adopted by the Reichstag will
remain a purely platonic manifestation.
| The Bismarckian press, in its refer
| ence to the agitation against dueling,
| quotes Prince 3ismarcks S words: The
| best that is in me is that my whole life
| has always been that of the Prussian
| officer" as the best proof of the ex-
Chancellor's support of the custom.
| They admit that courts of honor may
limit, but will never consent to the abol-
ishment of the usage.
A worse incident than the Won Kotze-
Schrader affair has arisen in the case
of an Assessor of a Police Court. The
official, in the course of his hearing of a
charge of assault committed by three
persons upon one, told the three accused
men that they had not acted as gentle
men should have done. One of the de-
PENDANTS, who was an officer in the re-
serves, challenged the Assessor, who
was also a military officer. The latter
declined to accept the challenge, on the
grounds that he had given an expression
of his opinion in regard to the conduct
of the defendants in the discharge of his
legal duties.
The matter was referred to a court OF
honor composed of officers, which in
sisted 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 Off
GERS of his regiment because he ad-
hered 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 "Vos-
sische Zeitung' asks: What can be
done with such courts where a Judge
presiding at a public tribunal is con-
demned to fight duel because he right
ly reprimanded an officer who had
joined with two others in committing
a brutal assault upon a single per-
SOM"
The present position of the dispute
between Great Britain and Venezuela
has reawakened great interest in the
matter. The "Tageblatt," in aIluding
to the situation, expresses the opinion
that English diplomacy has taken fresh
courage through the weakened atti-
tude of the United States Government,
both upon this and the Cuban cues
tions. 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 Nachrichtec. in
an article based upon the reported re-
fusal of the Government at Washing
ton to accept standing court of ar
bitration, says: IF this report is true
the movement to secure a permanent
international court has come to an alb
solute standstill.'
The sentence of three years penal
serNituue' the loss OIL MS civil rights
for five years and the payment of a
fine of 1,2OO marks, which was imposed
upon Baron Won Hammerstein. former
ly the editor-in-chief of the skreuz
Zeitung," is regarded as severe by his
friends, who cherished the hope that he
would escape the ignominy of the con-
vict labor and receive a sentence of
simple imprisonment. The case will
now be appealed to the Supreme Court
at Leipsc.
The eldest son of the Duke of Cum
berland, Prince George William, IS dan
gerously 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