Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-08-02
HE THINKS THAT GERMAN SExTJ-
MENT IS IMPROVING.
Severely Criticiscs Efforts That Have
bcen MRde by Newspapers ON
Both Sides of the Water to
Set the Two Nations
the Ears.

can press, L have undertaken to Obtain
information from competent quarters oil
TINS matter. | have asked Mr.. Andrew u
White, the diplomatic representative OF tn,
United States in Germany. for an explici
statement and Mr.. White was kind enough
to grant my request in the most satisfac
tory manner. Another valuable statemen
OF highly official character was Furnished
10 me III the German foreign office.
!fese two statements leave no room TO!
the slightest doubt that the official relation
between the two countries are the very
best. From the beginning the German gov
erhnent has maintained the strictest neu
tr:hty. in fact. a benevolent neutrality fol
the United States. The vast majority OF
the German populace is decidedly friendly
Clsposed to the Americans. Only the agrar.
lals and the anti-Semites show defiant
a,,l.ude. u There are, to be sure, quite d
number of journals that have published
unfaVorable criticism on the American war.
lars, but this is of meaning whatever
those papers only having in mind to ''keeF
up their right to criticse," which is as
popularity.
ally:
The relations between the German and
American governments have been and still
are. excellent. AS simple matter of
!act, no person acquainted with the mat
ter Will deny that the German government
mas treated ours with fairness, or claim
| 'hat II has been wanting in courtesy to our
government or to its representative in Ber-
| ment.
As to German people at large. 1 am sat
isiied that the substantial, thinking part of
| thein are, on the whole, friendly to Amer
| ica. am receiving letters every day which
| indicate this. Of course, there has been.
| on the part of a considerable number a
natural n : sympathy with Spain as a weaker
| lN, TOO. Sifara kia Of 4
| proprietors and cf leading manufacturers
| nave mad prejudices against the United
states, caused by what they have consid-
| cred interference with their prosperity:
ana ID must be confessed that very large
! majority of the German newspapers have
0een more or less hostile to the United
S SSta.es but is perfectly. evident that
! GERMAN sentiment is improving in this re-
| spect every day, as the real character of
seen.
provocatiGns from the American side. som,
OF our boasters and tall takers have been
taken too seriously here. There have also
been utterances regarding Germany from
time to time, even in some of our most re-
spectacle journals, which have stirred Ger
man resentment in some quarters. Indeed.
on both sides of the Atlantic there seems
70 nave been an elaborate and long con-
inued effort to misrepresent everything in
is responsible for this on this side of " the he
ocean or the other l cannot undertake TO
say. put this much is certain-that most
absurd charges have been telegraphed to
the United States and widely spread
, Leading Americans, too. suppose that
.he German government and the German
cans badly. whereas the very opposite is
the case; and, on the other hand. letter
writer's have frequently sent to the leading
German papers statements from. America
alleging that the Americans were treating
the Germans there badly. and showing a
general hatred of them
g
typical OF many: Shortly after my arrival
mere mere some one cabled to America story
strong, here that the emperor had felt
Obliged to publish an order insisting that
official people must present themselves at
my receptions. AS matter of fact, the
so-called order was simply the usual official
notification always issued when a new am
and is ready to give his
teous conduct and kind feeling was shown
by all concerned.
the reichstas ! was present in order to
hear most interesting debate. To my
amazement. shortly afterwards 1 learned
that story had been widely circulated in
America that the secretary OF the American
embassy and myself had been grossly in
suited from the floor by Conservative mem
berS of parliament.
In this. also, there was not the shadow
OF truth- On the contrary, one leading
Conservative member of the bundesrath
came up. to the diplomatic box. sat with
US. and-kindly pointed out various inter-
estinS men on the floor. Other members
saluted US kindly from their seats. Neither
then nor at any other time has there ever
been toward the American embassy or any
member of it the slightest indication of
persona Isn mall III feeling could mention Ger
intended to stir up i'll feeling equally un-
founded and absurd.
1t is clear that the so-cal,ed Irene in |
cldent was used by persons wishing to |
stir up strife in the same manner There |
was nothing in 1t to create the slightest |
aanhtagonism ahn between the two. countries. |
Ihe same may be said regarding the al |
legged altercation between Admirals Dewey |
and Diedrichs. The whole details were |
an invention.
Il neither assert nor deny that leading |
men in Germany have large plans for the |
extension OF the commercial influence of |
only natural but praiseworthy. Nothing |
has been done yet in furtherance of such |
plans of which We can complain. My own
ible in an extension of the commerciaI
spheres of Germany and other great Euro
pean powers in the East with our own in
properly managed, such interests may be
made to help each other. and that Amer
lea will be all the stronger and richer for
the extension of the civiizng influence of
Germany and of other great and enlight-
ened powers in those regions. Thinking
men in Germany realize more and more
that this is the feeling of the American
government and that German interests are
lar more likely to be promoted by main-
tanning friendly relations with us than by |
Interference. This is not mere |
'urmise on my part every thing I know re-
Sdrding the relations of the two countries |
shows me that this proper feeling toward |
Us exists here. and that. so far from Ger |
nsn sentiment towards Us growing worse,
is steadily growing better"
The foregoing was shown 10 a functionary
n the German foreign office holding a re-
'ponsible position. He fully confirmed Mr..
Whites statements and added:
more especially those emanating from Eng
ish sources. have been met with a prompt |
ienial and have. therefore. collapsed. This |
.pplies also to the so-called Irene affair |
The taking on board neutral ships of wom-
N and children is nothing unusual The |
official reports received by this Office show
hat neither the Americans nor the insur>
,entS have shown the least resentment |
bout the German ship. Both Dewey and
he insurgents intend to limit their hos |
ilities to the uniformed Spaniards, wearing
weapons; both the Americans and the in
like to have women and children
emoVed from the scene of possible hostili- |
les les as their presence is only embarrassing.
,eutrai man-of-war to take away four
spanish ladies and six children.
III you read some English and American ,
apers it would appear that We Germans
hance han to do harm; Such tales, are ut
erly groundless. All requests by Ger
lans. and non-Germans also. to land sea-
len at Manila for the protection of the
roperty Of foreigners have been fatty re-
Ised by this government. in order to avoid
ven the slightest pretext for an unfavor- 9
Bile comment. To those who appeared most | {
AIRED We said that: in an emergency. there
ouid be ships ready. to take them aboard {
Germans and Americans included. a
AT Manila there exist the best -ela- | I
ions between the Americans and Germans. | c