Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-27
MISSION OF PEACE.
Peculiar Significance of 0ul
Fleets Visit to KieI.
We're There They Know It-They
May Size Us Up Correctly
We Visit Them on the Invitation OF
the Kaiser.

kiel June 26.-The dinner given by
| United States Ambassador Tower to
! the German Emperor, tonight, was made
the opportunity, both by the Emperor
and the ambassador, to utter speeches
of political Significance Ambassador
| Tower said in part:
1T is with very great pleasure that
| have been permitted to present to
i you Rear Admiral Cotton and the Of
| fcers of the United States navy who
accompany him upon this visit to Kiel
in response to your invitation. They
come here with their ships of war upon
mission of peace, bringing with them
cordial sentiments of friendship from
| America to Germany.
Il am convinced, sir, that YOU and
your people entertain the same senti-
ments in return toward the President
and people of the United States. Your
interest in us has proven this on many
memorable occasions, especially upon
that of the visit of his royal highness,
Prince Henry, who was received
throughout the country with demon
STATIONS of hearty and sincere welcome.
and who when he embarked left behind
him the universal wish that he would
visit us again.
speaking for the nation have the
honor to convey to you the cordial
greetings and hearty good wishes of
the President and the people of the
United States"
Mr.. Tower then proposed the health
of the German Emperor, the Empress,
the crown prince and the members of
the imperial family.
Emperor William, speaking in Eng
lish. made the following reply:
In responding to your excellency's
warm and sympathetic toast, 1 offer a
cordial welcome to the American squad
dron, Admiral Cotton and his of1icers,
in the name of the German people. We
look upon them as the bearers of the
friendly sentiments of the citizens of
the United States, to which l can as
sure your eXcelency the whole of Ger
many heartily responds. | am happy
that my hopes for better mutual I'M
derstanding between our two countries
through the personal intercourse which
my brother Prince Henry, was able to
hold with your excellency's countrymen
have been fully realized and have
strengthened the bonds of friendship
between Germany and America. That
my gift of casts of medieval German
architecture has been received in so
gracious a manner by Harvard, gives
me the greatest satisfaction. I hope
that the samples relating to our old his
tory will induce many young students
to come over and study the originals
and the people who live around them.
My sincerest wish is that our two
peoples may become yet closer ac
quainted No serious citizen in Amer-
ca or Germany, l trust, believes that
the harmony and continuance of our
mutual interests could be disturbed by
permanent factors in our relationship.
We are knit too closely together to al
low of the development of any antagon-
ism. 1t is my firmest conviction that
the fact of so many thousands of Ger
mans living and thriving in the United
States with their hearts still warm with
their love of their old fatherland will
render the task more easy of smooth
ing the path of undisturbed and pro-
gressive relations, which are of vital
| importance to our countries.
1T is now my duty to beg Your Ex-
cellency to thank His EXcellency, the
President of the United States for this
joyous occasion for which we are in
| debted to his kindness. We all over
here admire his firmness of character,
his iron will, his devotion to his coun-
| try and his indOmitable energy, and we
readily grasp the hand proffered to us
across the sea in cordial friendship,
feeling at the same time that blood is
thicker than water.
| Gentlemen, I propose the toast of
His Excelcncy the President of the
United States, God bless him and the
United States.''