German Military Honour.-An Officer Degraded.
No filightseusationhafl just been caused here (the Berlin correspondent of the "Times" says) by an incident which well illustrates the degree of freedom enjoyed by certain classes in this country. In conformity with the verdict of a court of honour composed of the staff officers in the territorial district of the aimy corps of the Guards, a certain ox-Major Hinze has been deprived of Ins light to be called any longer by this title and to wear his uniform, while he is still permitted to retain his Iron Cross and another military order. The reasons for tills severe punishment are that about three years ago, after he had retired with a pension from acth o service, Major Hinze omitted to dialler - ■ a political opponent who, in the In ia. general election, had cast an imputation upon his military honour ; and, furthermore, ho had himself in political speeches made statements alleged to be inconsistent with his character and duties as an officer. As a matter of fact he had, as a Liberalist candidate, spoken in favour of the shorter service system and against the idea of a Septennate ; while as to his election slanderer he prosecuted him in a regular court of'law and obtained his punishment. A clause in the criminal code of tho empire forbids tho challenging to a duel with deadly weapons on pain of fortress imprisonment for at most six months ; and this, it appears, applies to military men no less than to civilians, So Major Hinze was thus confronted with the alternatives of breaking the statue law of the empire or of infringing the unwritten rules of military custom. The salient point of the case is that when Major Hinze laid himself open to the charges on the strength of which he has now been so acutely humiliated before all his countrymen, he had retired with a pension from tho active service of his country, and thus, as he himself contends, became quite free to act on the article of the Prussian Constitution which says, " Every Prussian is entitled to express his opinion freely by word, writing, print, or artistic representation." Having likewise ceased to belong to the army, Major Hinze thought he was equally entitled to demand satisfaction ftom a slanderer in a court of law, instead of by the illegal process of mortal combat. But in both respects he has been told by a court of honour (whose verdict was confirmed by the Emperor) that he acted wrongly. The case has a most ugly look from the political point of view, while at the same time in its legal aspect it stamps with authority the practice of duelling as a custom which shall prevail sido by side with the law than forbids it.
Tho fondness of the Jews for that; trade is shown by the derivation of the word jewellery.
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Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 217, 27 August 1887, Page 2
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480German Military Honour.-An Officer Degraded. Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 217, 27 August 1887, Page 2
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