Evening star., 1898-07-16

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| BERLIN. July 8, 1898.
| The following article Is written by a
| prominent German editor, how prominent
] would be recognized Immediately If his
name could be given. But to that he OBJ
| Jects most decidedly, as 1t would certainly
| mean his prosecution and Imprisonment on
| the very charge which he discusses. 1t is
| sufficient to say that he is not a social
| democrat-is, in fact, thoroughly opposed
to that political party and strong adher-
| ent of the monarchy.
Germany has attained an ni-fayored re-
| nown i'll foreign countries by the number
| less political trials which have occurred
| since the present kaiser ascended the
| throne. Most of these proceedings have
| been instituted on the charge of ese ma
! jeste, crime for which the Enslish-speak-
! ing nations have not even word in their
| dictionaries. The periods of Incarceration
| which have been inflicted on men and
women of all classes for the offense would
| aggregate centures. Venerable widows of
| seventy ard schoolgirls of fifteen have been
| sent to Jail alike for a word of criticism
! against the emperor, though the press has
! provided a good proportion of the offenders.
| Now, what Is this terrible crime of lese
| majestic? How does the law define It?
| Clause ninety-f1ve of the German penal code
| gives some information this point 1t
| reads thus: whatsoever is found guilty
of ibeling the kaiser or one of the federat-
| ed German sovereigns will be sentenced
| to prison for not less than two months, or
to Incarceration in fortress from two
! months to five years"
This is the law as 1T stood Of old. 1t has
| not been altered under the present emperor.
| The only change that has occurred is
! severe and extended application. such as
| was never before attempted. Under the
old emperor one did not hear much of
"MajestatS Beleidigungs-Pro {trials
| for lese majeste). His majesty performed
| the duties OF sovereign very much like
| Queen Victoria of England. He wrote his
name under what Bismarck chose to sub
nit to him and lived otherwise like an old
gentlemal of independent means. He
| played al soldier as long as he was able to
mount a horse, resorted to watering places
| In summer time, amused himself, but he did
hot meddle with party politics and never
indulged in speechmaking. So his venera-
BILE figure comma nded sympathy even
among those who disapproved his earlier
career and the bloody part he played in
fighting the popular movement of 1S4S, for
which he bore for long years the name of
"Kartatschen-Prinz." Under such cond-
tions no public man, no journalist or polit-
cal agitator felt inclined to criticise the per-
sonal acts of the old kaiser. 1t would have
been considered bad taste to do so, just
as 1t is in England to criticise the personal
dClS OIL queen flCtOrla.
A Heaven-Born Present.
But this state of things was altered al
together as soon as William ii occupied the
throne. His temper does not permit him
to be constitutional monarch of the mod
ern type. He has in himself nothing of the
charming modesty and the prudent modera-
tion of his father and his grandfather. He
is romantic character of the type Of
Frederic William ", who a year before
the revolution of 1S4S, emphatically ex-
claimed! mo power in the world shall in
duce me to put on sheet Of paper q. e., a
conStitution) between our Lord in heaven
and my people" From this monarch VIII
liam II has inherited the autocratio convic-
tion that he is not a man of flesh and blood
like other mortals, but rather a heaven
born present bestowed upon the fatherland.
From this monarch too he inherited fond
ness for spechmaking, which has proved
to be unfortunate for the kaiser himself,
for the whole nation, and especially for a
good many citizens. 1t is an unfortunate
tendency for the kaiser, for the reason that
nearly every speech he has delivered has
held him up to ridicule before the whole
country. Even those who lie in the dust
before him laugh at him as soon he has
gone, and many cruel joke on his
speeches which now is common property Of
his subjects was brewed In the ante cham
Der of the Schloss Of Berlin. 1t is unfortu-
nate for the nation because the friendly
relations which should exist between the
body and head of the state are violently
disturbed by these turbulent outbursts OF
an unruly personality. And, last but not
least 1t Is unfortunate for good many
individual subjects, because they have had
to reconsider their frank criticism of these
speeches in the prison cell.
The KaIser's Attitude.
The question whether there was room
for such criticism or not may best be an
| swered by some specimens of those
speeches.
Addressing body of recruits. William
once said: For you there is only one foe,
and that is my foe. In view of our present
socialist troubles, it may come to this,
that 1 may command you to shoot down
your own relatives. brothers and
parents, in the streets. which God forbid!
But if it comes to that you must obey my
orders without a murmur." After din
ner given In his honor by the Brandenburg
provincial diet he said: Those who op-
pose me 1 shall dash in pieces" And again,
to gentlemen of the Rhenish diet at Dus-
seldorf, with regard to Bismarck, whom
he had just dismissed: "One only is lord
in this country and this one am 1. Who
soever opposes me l shall smash'-whence
his nickname, william the Smasher''
(WIhelm der Zerschmitterer). This firm
belief that the Almighty and he are some
thing like very near relatives may be
learned from many of his speeches. For
instance: THE 'kingship, by the grace of
God" expressed the fact that We Hohen-
zolierns accept our crown only from
heaven and are responsible only to heaven"
God has given himself such endless
trouble with our house that we can as
sumo He has not done this for nothing
No. Brandenburgers. we are called to
greatness, and to glorious days will 1 lead
YOU" Again: THE first King Of Prussia
once said: Come mea nata corona my
crown Is born out of MYSELF. I in turn,
like my imperial grandfather. hold my
kingship as by the grace of God. 1t was
on this spot that King William openly de-
clared before his subjects that he held his
crown from God alone. This Is also my
deepest conviction and has ever served me
as guide in all my actions"
To Crush His Opponents.
A most undesirable thing for a constitu-
tional monarch to do Is to take an active
part in politics. William II has done SO,
although in the beginning of his reign he
told the people: Tho King of Prussia
stands so high above parties and party
conflicts that seeking the best interests of
all. he is in a position to make the well
fare of every individual and every province
in his kingdom his care"
He COON abandoned this position. When
after his famous labor rescripts in 1890,