Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-04-30
1T HAS BEEN MUCH TALKED OF
ABROAD DURING THE WEEK.
OFFICIAL GERMAN VIEW OF 1T
THE GOVERNMENT ATTACHED NO
IMPORTANCE TO IT."
Foundation for Speech, "0ver Long
Ago md the Grass Has Over
groun It"-London Papers
Generally Find Excuses
for Coghlan.
Copyright. 1893. by the Associated Press,

Copyright, 1893, by the AssoClateu fieseJ
BERLIN, April 29.-The Coghian incident
at New York has been very generally as
cussed by the German papers this Week.
although it is evident, as stated TO the
Associated Press correspondent here by
responsible member of the government
that the Journalist nouthpieces OF the gov
ernment did not desire to construe the
Objectionable utterances as anything more
than the remarks of q man who had not
been accustomed TO measuring his words
For a day or two, however, number
of the leading newspapers published severe
structures on the case. With view to oD-
tanning a declaration from governmental
Headquarters, the correspondent here OF
the Associated Press sought an interview
with Priyy Councillor Hamman, a high
official of the foreign office Having oeen
instructed by the minister for foreign az
fairs, Baron Won Buelow, Councillor Ham
man said:
so far as the foreign office knows, there
never was a serious misunderstanding pe-
tween Admiral Won Diedrichs and Ad-
miral Dewey, not even during the early
part of last summer. We Will not deny
that there may have been slight hitcnes
at FIRST, for the situation was a dlmcult
one for both Germans and Americans. Ad-
miral Dewey may possibly have suspected
for a time that Admiral Won Diedrichs
was Intriguing with the Spaniards at Ma
niIa, or that Germany may have meant TO
take the hostile stand. This may have
been due to certain eyolutions of our ships
which Admiral Dewey misconstrued On
the other hand, Admiral Won Diedrichs
probably keenly felt the restrictions OF
stringent blockade, which greatly ham
pered the movements of his ships. This
irksome position may have tried the pa
tience. of Admiral Ven Diedrichs at ume
This, we believe was the case both at Ma
Mia and Iloilo, but whatever little un-
pIeasantness grew out of this condition
never il we have been correctly informed
took serious complexion, and 1t never was
SO understood by either party.
"Al this was over long ago, and the
grass has overgrown 1t. Ever since the
end of last summer the relations OF Ad-
yniral Won Diedrichs and Dewey have been
of the most pleasant character, and, ac-
cording TO the latest advices, are SO now,
TO the extent of rendering mutual services
and fraternizing on more than one occa-
sion. ..
THE same conditions exist at Samoa,
where all reports to the contrary notwith-
standing, our advices show that never
since the trouble began have the relations
of the commander and crew of the Ger
man cruiser Fake and those Of the En-
Elish and American vessels ceased to be
cordial and pleasant. Among the crew OF
the United States cruiser Philadelphia are
number of German-Americans, and
through them friendly intercourse came
quite naturally. All our reports agree or
this point
oEr,o.
Hamman continued, especially mention
that they had not had to suffer nearly as
much from the Americans on account OF
passport regulations and other warlike
the more urbane methods of the former.
Regarding the utterances Of Captain
Coghlan. the government" Councillor
Hamman concluded, has attached no i'm
portance to the incident The assurances
received from Washington on that subject
have been entirely satisfactory"
Some of the newspaper comments ELECTED
by Captain Coghlans utterances are very
significant. For example, the Frankfurtei
Zeitung admits that 1t saw no necessity
for the dispatch of a large German squad
ron 10 Manila, and asserts that the squad
ron interfered injudiciously with the Amer
lean blockade. The Zeitung. alleges thai
this interference was due to direct instruc
tions from Emperor William. Even more
significant is the fact that the Cologne
yolks zeitung, the main organ of tn
tag, has an article agreeing with the fore
going statement and containing the follow
ing mysterious passage: Perhaps it wal
due to negotiations on the part of Ger
many. In order to obtain, If possible, coal
ing station in the Philippines, that mum
Der of our vessels were sent to Manila. /
this presumption be correct, those VIII,
sent instructions to Admiral Won Died
richs without the knowledge of the foreigl
office received bitter lesson. The for
eign Office has since been engaged in RENE
dying the blunder, and has succeeded Will
the American government, but not with tn
people of the United States, as the Coghlal
Incident again demonstrates"
The force of this editorial article I
heightened by the fact that the paper Il
which it was published was, from the out
break of the war with Spain. one of tn
most virulent enemies of the United States
The VoIks Zeitung and other newspaper
advise Germans not to underyalue the i'm
portance of hostile demonstrations accom-
panying the Coghlan incident, puttin
them on parallel lines with similar Incl
dents on both sides in the period precedin
tne Franco-German war
The lingo Agrarian press sei2es the or
portunity TO attack the cabinet and par
ticularly the foreign minister, Baron Eo
Buelow. and to reiterate the charge that h
is pursuring a vacilating policy. The Mort
German Gazette. for example says:
Advancing at the wrong time and the
retreating at the wrong time-that has bee