A SOLDIER'S DUTY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1012, 30 December 1910, Page 2

A SOLDIER'S DUTY.

ICAISER. AT VARIANCE WITH THE . LAW. . Writing in tho "Berliner Col. Oracdke enters a. vigorous ..protest against .what he-declares -must be a'misi representation of tho. lvaisdr's words" at' 'the . ceremony, of the administration of the oath to rc.criiits of the Potsdam gar.risoil recently.'. The Kaiser is reported to' haviT'flMlaftitl'/ that : 'a soldiiA" 'InW ever recognise the duty of absolute 'obedience'to his war lords beforO his Own-conscience,-and'that-, to the righHy-con-stituted soldier there can be. no conflictbetween his conscience and.his duty. _ . Col. Gaodke. contends,' on tho contTafy, : that the' conflict, between his. military duty and his'conscience is the most difficult that-a right-minded soldier ever has to face. He quotes the conservative 'historian,. HeTr Treitsehke, to the effect that no thinking - creature . can Sacrifice , his conscience,;, not. eyen when he has taken his oath' to., the colours, ■ Col. Gaedke' then, shows' that' th' 6 military' penal code threatens with punishment soldiers who Commit what they know is a crime, in tho eyes of the law. at the command of a military "superior. Ho concludes as follows:— '' "The ICaiscr's . speech can, . therefore, liot 'havo been delivered in the form in .which. it lias been .reported. Otherwise,' tho Kaiser would find himself at variance with, the Imperial laws. Therefore, it is desirable that the true text of the speech ■ should lie speedily published."