The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-25
THE MISTAKE OF
KAISER WILHELM
How the War Lord OF Germany Ac.
cumulates Unpopularity.
IS OyERBEARlNG AND INTOLEpANT
German Rulers Quietly Dcvising
measures to Curb the EmpcrOr's
UsurpntiOns of Their POwcrs..i he
German Confederation More shGky
Now Than at any Previous Time.
From the New York Tribune.

| From the New York Tribune.
The other day when Emperor VIII
| liam had concluded the ceremony in
| Germany always regarded so solemn
of administering the so-called "Fahne-
neid," or oath of allegiance to the Nag.
to several thousand army recruits at
| Kiel, with one of his customary grand
Eloquent speeches. in which he inveigh-
| ed as usual against the fees beyond
! the frontiers of the Empire. as well as
against the enemies within Its houn-
daries, he singled out stolid-lookinC
recruit from the ranks, and, having
ascertained that he was the son of Il
Bava'ian farmer, proceeded to ques-
tion him in the presence of the entire
headquarter staff with regard to the
address which he had just delivered.
And who are the foreign foes, my
SOM" he inquired. with that affecta-
tiOn of paternity toward his troops
which was so touching in old Emperor
William. but which is somewhat ridic-
ulous in his youthful grandson,
THE Russians and the French. Your
Majesty" replied the recruit.
And who are the enemies within the
empirc?" proceeded to ask the emper-
or, expecting, of course, that the man
would say that they were the Social
lists.
"The Pruss!ans, Your Majesty" an
swered the man, without apparently
realizing that he had said anything
wrong or impolitic, and merely giving
frank utterance to the sentiments
in which he, like all of his countryinen,
had been brought up.
This incident is thoroughly charac-
teristic of the present situation in Ger
many, and 1t may safely be asserted
that at no moment since the great war
of 1S1O-Il has the cohesion between the
various states constituting the fedora
tion known as the German Empire been
50 impaired or the animosity against
Prussia so universal. This animosity
is no longer confined to the middle and
lower classes as formerly. but now
pcrvades the official and military cir
cles, and even the various reigninS
families, to a degree that must consti-
tute source of serious alarm to those
who have the welfare of the empire at
heart. At the same time it must be
considered as fortunate that there is
no longer Prince Bismarck at the
helm, since he would doubtless consid-
er the present state of affairs sufficient
ly critical, from a German point of
view, to warrant the declaration of an
other war such as that of 1870, de-
.'tined as was the latter to cement the
bonds of union between Prussia and
her German allies.
AGAINST THE KAISER.
At the present moment there is not
one German court of any Importance
which is not imbued with sentiments
the reverse of friendly to Prussia. The
young Grand-duke of Hessa, who until
few months ago was content to fol-
low blindly In the wake of his cousin
at Berlin, has now turned away from
him, and is reported to be organizing
a cabal Of the sOvereigns Of the non
Prussian states of the Empire, destined
to curb the authority at present CEN
tered in the hands OF the emperor.
Prompted, it Is believed. by his sister,
the cZarine, and her husband, the czar,
with whom he is on terms of the great
est intimacy, he argues, not without
reason, that inas,nuch as the. federal
states are not vassals, but allies, of
Prussia they should enjoy as much voice
as the latter In such important matters
as the selection of an imperial chancel-
lor or the conclusion of treaties and
alliances in the name of the German
empire. 1t may safely be averred that
there Is not a single nOn-Prussian state
of the federation whicn does not feel
mortified and disgusted at the manner
in which its prestige and fair name
have been beSmirched In connection
with the recent disclosures of Prince
Bismarck.
The governments of Bavaria. Wurt-
emLerg. Baden. Saxony. Hesse. Meek
!enburg. Oldenburg, etc. now learn for
the first time through these astound-
ing revelations that during the first ten
years of the Triple Alliance. which
bound the German empire by the most
solemn and sacred of ties to an often
sive and defensive alliance with Aus
tria and Italy, and which was avowedly
aimed against Russia ard France. the
Berlin Foreign office had, unknown to
any of them, been guilty Of concluding
in the name of the German Empire a
secret treaty of alliance with Russia,
which was to all intents and purposes
directed against Austria. and in flag
rant contradiction therefore to the
terms of the trpart!te agreement.
Bound as are the rciening families of
Bavoria, Wurtemberg and Sayony by
terms of the closest blood relationship
to the Imperial house of Hapsburg. 1t
may safely be taken for granted that
none Of them tor moment would have
given their consent to the Russo-Ger-
man treaty, SO treacherously conclud-
ed in their name. but without their
knowledge, against Austria.
CHANCELLOR'S APPOINTMENT.
AS ma alters stand now. the chancel-
lOr OF the German empire. who speaks
and acts not alone in the name of
Prussia, hut in that Of every one of the
federal states of the empire, Is select
ed and appointed by the German en-
pcror without any reference whatever
TO his brother sovereigns, and takes his
orders from him alone, uncontrolled. at
any rate as far as foreign relations
are concerned, even by the imperial
legislature or by the federal council.
And to what extent the federal states
have contided in the past the conduct
Of their foreign affairs to the imperial
chancellor may be gathered from the
fact that Prince bismarck had induced
nearly every one of them to withdraw
their legations ana missions from
abroad. and to intrust the representa-
ton of their diplomatic interests to the
German ambassadors, who received
their appointments from the emperor
and their Instructions exclusively. from
the imperial chancellor. Prince Bis
marck had even succeeded In inducing
most of the foreign governments to
Withdraw their legations from the
courts of southern Germany and to con-
centrate the representation OF their
diplomatic interests in Germany in the
hands of their ENJOYS at Berlin. Both
Russia and France are now taking
steps to repair this error. and for the
first time in many years French and
Russian envoys are being once more ac-
credited to the minor German courts,
and those legations reestablished which
were maintained with such care by
Napoleon III. so that henceforth the
governments of Hesse. of Wurtembcrg
of Bavaria, etc, will deal directly with
those Of France and Russia. and carry
on their diplomatic relations with the
latter without any reference to. or con-
currence Of, the imperial foreign office
at Berlin.
1t will readily be seen how powerful
n blow this constitutes against the uni
ty of the German empire. and 1t may
safely be taken for granted that the
-Prussian monarchs of the confed-