The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-06-16


William II is so taken with the ide
of royal prerogatives as to be abov
due consideration of matters affectin
G his people, Nothing could be farthe
from the truth. He has at heart, an
intensely so, the welfare of all his PEG
ple-the low and the high, as well
- An instance of the sterling characte
: of this man, his fairness and goot
Judgment, as well as paternal interes
> in his people, was brought strongly il
evidence on the occasion of the recep
=, ton of deportation of dissatisfied
workmen.
L To the workmen he said: Every
subject who has a desire to express
has, of course the ear of his emperor
I have shown this in giving you per-
mission to come here and tell your
wants personally. But you have put
yourselves in the wrong; your move
= ment is against law, if only because
you have not abided by the fourteen
days notice required to be given be-
: fore striking. You have therefore bro
ken your contract Naturally this
breaking of your engagement has ir-
ritated the employers, and does them
wrong. Furthermore, workmen who
did not desire to strike have been pre-
vented from working by either VIC
lence of threats"
He summed up the wrong they had
done, but nevertheless promised to
have the matter thoroughly investi
gated. 1t is needless to say that he
came before him, no doubt expecting
sympathy as against strikers, they
were taken to task more cuttingly still
for their selflshness. ct beg of you
said the emperor, take pains to give
workingmen a chance to present their
/ grievances in a formal manner. 1t is
natural and human that each one
! should seek to better himself. Work
men read newspapers and know the
relations that their wages bear TO the
profits Of the company. 1t is obvious
that they should desire to have some
share of this" When one ponders
these words he cannot but wish that
in America there was tribunal that
could speak with both the authority |
and the justice that marked the Ger
man Emperors words to the disheart- |
ened workmen. In any case, this one
instance shows how to be a man in !
the fullest sense of the term.
In view of the charges directly and
indirectly made by such men as Sen
ator Lodge, and the inuendoes pro-
mulgated by Secretary of War Root,
it is interesting to recall the expressed
views and convictions of William II,
as spoken to Minister Phelps. Among
other things, he said: From childhood
have admired the great and expand
ing community you represent; and the
study of your history, both in peace
and in war, has given me particular
pleasure. Among the many conspicu-
Gus characteristics of your fellow cit
liens the world admires in particular
their spirit of enterprise, their respect
for law and heir inventiveness. Ger
mans feel themselves the more drawn
to the people of the United States be-
cause of the many ties that inevita-
bly, accompany kinship of blood The ,
feeling which both countries entertain
most strongly is that of relationship ,
and friendship of long standing; and !
the future can only strengthen the :
leartiness of our relations"
Such words as these, coming from a
nan whom even his bitterest enemies 6
nave not accused of dishonesty, must +
larry conviction to the densest mind. =
IN the light of their true value the t
hidden meaning of warnings from such Y
men as Lodge and Root concerning n
imminent trouble with Germany, be- s
ome easily transparent. A careful a
tudy of the character of William II d
wins believers in him.
From the point of view of the Cath -
lie there is much to commend the
Dung German Emperor. y
He succeeded to the throne at time #
7hen Catholics were suffering under
he Ubiquitous laws conceived in the
ateful mind of the unrelently Bis -
larck, who was destined to soon reil- "
se the humiliation that comes from II
snominious defeat, which, in this in u
lance, was doubly CALLING because the q
and that administered the blow was
hat of the young Emperor himself. L, -
William, Immediately that he had as y.
ended the throne, made it clear to all y.
nat he was to be the ruler of all the -,
eople. The oppressive laws which :
is fathers and grandfather's chan 80
ellor had enacted against Catholics !.
ere repulsive to the young Kaiser. ~
nd going directly to the root of the -
H. with no desire to temporize or ~
'mpromise, he removed Bismarck %
ON office and made assurance doubIy 81
Ire TO his Catholic subjects that at e~
S hands they would obtain justice. ~
appointing in the place of the
lightly man of iron, a Roman Catho- 90
to the Office of chancellor Thus did co
smarck, in spite of repeated and dc
-ughty reservations to the contrary. WI
to Cannosa. nc
So we might continue indefinitely to -,
umerate the acts that clearly and ~
mly establish the Kaisers right to oe
high place among wise and discrim- -,
ate rulers. The sickening and pue- -.
e talk of some American politicians
out the German Emperor is ridicu- ~
is. TO
.1oo, H. wa
AOoiA uei NdlSeI mas d meaning and 90,
value in the mind of the German,
d after all is it not better for the ~,
1ntry whose people cry Hoch der 80
user. than it is for a country whose -,
'ple's political shibboleth is: d POI
. President" We think so. aux
THOMAS H. MALONE. 1911
'aris, June 2, 1900. an'
the
COMMONWEALTH. owe
TIL