The age-herald., 1902-03-13
Prince HenfY's Visit Recalls Story of How Pcmetkin Deceived Catherine.

lie interest just now Germanys foreign policy, namcly-which was discussed here immediately after the announcement that Prince Henry was coming hither.
 The foreign policy of Germany has been for a dozen years aimed chiefly at pro- noting German commerce and coloniza. tion.
 When the present Emperor succeeded to the throne some fourteen years ago, upon the death of his father, the Emperor Frederick, who reigned but one hundred days, he found the dreibun.> a safe guar antee of reace. This dreibund, or triple al- liance-the parties to it being Germany, Austria and Italy-had been established by Bismarck, and it was of greatest innu- enee at the moment the young Emperor assumed his exalted station. As soon as practicable he visited the Austrian Em- peror, and immediately afterwards in- vited the King of Italy to visit him. He could not visit the King in Rome be- cause to have done so would have neces- sitated his calling upon the Pope in the latter's capacity as a sovereign, con- dltion to which the King would not as- sent. Had the Emperor, who Is a Luth- eran, been disposed to ignore the Pope he could not have done so for two req sons He would have destroyed the triple alliance by offending the Emperor of Austria, who by his religion and the law of empire is bound to the Pope; and the Emperor William would have incensed several of the regnng sovereigns of states within his own empire and nearly half of all his subjects who are Catho- lies. So he personally met the King of Italy at the frontier and conducted him to Berlin.
 Then the German Emperor visited the Czar of Russia, who is his first cousin, and the Queen of England who was his grandmother; and all these visits, while ostensbly diplomatic in the public view, were made primarily with a view to the expansion of German trade. And with this commercialism still uppermosr in his mind, he began to build great navy and to enlarge as far as possible and as fir as possible nurture Germany's colo al possessions.
 And ceaslessly from the beginning the Emperor William has in the main turned his marvellous individual energy to the promotion of German trade, and his won- derful success is now the greatest mate- rial problem that confronts every other commercial nation except the United States. In this country Germany's won. derful strides in commerce constitute mere schoolboy play as compared with Dingleyism,
 Several of Germany's leading cities have during the past ten years grown in population and wealth faster than Chi cago or any other large American city.
 In five words, Germany's foreign policy is oommercialsm. This was undoubtedly the Emperor's main purpose in sending his brother to visit the American people; and assuredly his action was no less praiseworthy on that account In com mon sense, 1t is all tine more commend able on account of that fact, for the trade relations between the United States and Germany have reached a dangerous stage, as was months ago fully explained in this correspondence The German tar. if against our food supplies has been made as nearly as practicable prohibi- tive; the tariff burdens on our meat, grain and fruits being so heavy as to al- most destroy all profit. Yet there is determined effort in the German parlia- ment to make these burdens still heavier But the Emperor himself is not only rad icaly opposed to the proposition, but actually desires tariff reductions
 The extraordinary reception given in this country to the brother of the En- peror has so delighted all the people of Germany that better trade relations be- tween that country and our own seem almost certain. But it is we'll for our people to remember that the curse of Dingleyism is heavier against Germany tnan the German tariff is against us. Dingleyism seeks to bar all importations from Germany, but Germany has seri- ously handicapped nothing American ex- cept food products.
 If the Aamperors commercialism did inspire him to send his brother to be our guest then Germans and Americans alike owe double debt to commercialism.
 LUCIEN JULIEN WALKER.