The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-26

sadowa. BISMARCK had to request an act OF
indemnity for the arbitrary methods tenn
porarily rcsorted to. and when King WILL
LIAM I. assured the Pruseian nation that the
encroachments complained OF should never
occur again. Az to the position which WILL
LIAM II. occupies toward the non-Prussian
members Of the German empire. this 10 even
less capable VI being misunderstood by any
man In his right mind. In time OF war the
PrussIan sovereign hos. by virtue OF his Inn
perial title. the supreme command OF all the
military forces OF Germany: but In time OF
peace his authority over saxony. Bavaria.
and other confetlerated States IL restricted
to very few matters OF collective concern.
such. for example, as the postal administra.
ton and tho diplomatic representation of
the German confcderacy abroad. In one
word. WILLIAM II. is within tho bounds OF
Prussia q strictly constitutional King.
while outside Of It he is. In pence times. the
mercst shadow Of q sovereign.
How is IL possible on the theory OF his
sanity. to OK lain the incomp ability OF such
patent and unchalleng 6Able facts With the
reiterated public utterahces Of the pres
ent German Emperor Let W. recall
some startling revelations OF his insane de-
lusions. 1t will he remembered that at
Munich an irresistible impulse led him to
write In the visitors book Snprema lee
regis volt,ntas tho supreme law Of the
land ls tho Kings will-than which formula
nothing conld be more laughnbly inapplica-
bic to the writer's relations to Bavaria or
even to Prussia itself He was obviously
beset by the same hsllucination. when
under the picture which he presented to
the Prussian Minister Of Worship he In
scribed the words put by VIRGIL In the
mouth OF the omnipotent JovE. - Sic roto,
sic j,ibeo such is my will. such my com
mand. Then again he showed himself
oblivious OF the existence Of such thing MS
His Majesty's Opposition In Prussia. or
Of constitutional right OF criticism and re-
sistance. when at the Brandenburg banquet
In 1890 he shouted. " Him who bars my way
I will dash to pieces" He gave vent to n
like thought. or rather to like negation Of
clear perception and sane thinking. at the
Rhine provinces dinner last year whom lie
broke out with. There Is only one ruler In
the country. I am he. and / will endure
no other!" The latest disclosure OF his
grandioee illusions was made on Wednes-
day OF this week at another banquet In
Brandenburg. Here he denounced tho
Parliamentary critics and opponents OF
the Prussian Ministry for the time
being as enemies Of the State. and
called upon all who loved the Prus-
sian fatherland to follow him In the
course on which 1t had suited his whim
to enter. He added that his hearers were liv-
ing in exciting days In which the judgment
OF the majority Of Prussisn subjects was
unfortunately astray. It is impossible to
reconcile such stupefying outgivings with q
recognition OF the Prussian Constitution.
and loyal determination to obey 1t. The
man who can make such speeches. must
either be laboring under Authorizations re-
gardlng himself and the world around him.
or meditating treason to the State by VI
olation OF his oath to respect his subjects
constitutional rights.
We do not believe that WILLIAM II. Is de-
liberately and consciously planning the
overthrow OF the Prussian Constitution.
We prefer to think him the unhappy victim
OF the well-known form OF lunacy known as
grandiose monomania. Not the less is his
condition fraught with the gravest POSSIBLE
tiles OF harm to his subjects and the world.