The San Francisco call., 1904-10-09
TOO MANY DIE
IN MIMIC VAR
Indignation in Germany at
CHASTITY Result of the
KaiSer's "BlOOdlesS" Game
HIS FARCICAL DISPLAY
Umpires at Maneuvers Must
Decide in EmperOr's Favor
in Spite of His Blunders

BERLIN. Oct. s.-Militarism seems
likely to be execrated more than ever
in this country as the result Of the un-
commonly deadly maneuvers which re-
Gently came to an end. Public indig-
nation is keen over the amazing num-
Der OF fatalities and accidents which
have marked the mimic battles-a num-
Der, as has been said. not far short
OF what might have been expected had
the strife been real.
These mishaps, the real total Of
which was not given in the first re-
ports, were particularly numerous in
those brilliant cavalry charges which
the Kaiser delights to witness. but
which would be impossible in real war
fare In one of them over fifty men
were unhorsed and more or less badly
hurt. In another. where the opposing
cavalry forces were brought into close
contact. a trooper ran his lance clear
through hussar, killing him on the
spot Another lancer wounded an op-
posing hussar in the leg. injurinR him
so seriously that the member had to be
amputated. During a cavalry charge
at Schoenhausen two officers and twen-
" men were unhorsed and injured.
some fatally. In another sham fight in
the same district the results were still
more disastrous. forty-eight men being
tumbled out Of their saddles and sew
eral Of them were killed.
In other branches Of the service So
called accidents were far less numer-
Gus, but there were enough Of them
to show that sham fighting as conduct
ed by the Kaiser is by no means all
make believe" A private Of the Nine
ty-ntnth Infantry Regiment was shot
dead. In the Kaisers own regiment Of
the Guards private was shot in the
eye and permanently blinded At Mu-
Dlenelschen during an artillery contest
a private attached to one Of the field
batteries had both his legs blown on.
An ofncer was severely injured by the
explosion Of military balloon. and a
similar explosion cost a corporal his
life In an infantry attack a sergeant
was killed and lancer pierced a dra-
goOn, fatally wOunding him.
In America or England such a Iong
list Of killed and wounded resulting
from what are supposed to be blood
less engagements would arouse a storm
Of popular indignation that could he
abated only by an Investigation and
the punishment of those Responsible
for the blunders. But in GERMANY that
is impossible. 1t could not be done
without involving the Emperor him
self and open criticism of his sacred
fs
kind.
Another source Of dissatisfaction with
these maneuvers. and which greatly
impairs their military value, is the fact
that the Kaiser always insists on being
on the winning side. The umpires' de-
cisiOns are governed by the necessity
of paying tribute to his infalHbiIity.
On the first day Of the maneuvers he
assumed the command of the red. or
invading army. and was credited with
winning a brilliant victory over the
luckless blue. or defending army. Next
day he gave a demonstration Of his
Napoleonic genius by changing sides
and leading the blues. with the result
according to the compIaisant head
quarters staff, that the reds were
soundly thrashed.
In previous years this great war
lord, who has never been under fire.
has won similar triumphs over vet
erans who went through the Franco
Prussian war. Sub rosa. many of them
declare that the Kaiser plays the war
game like an amateur. that he really
has very little knowledge Of strategy
and that in actual battle several OF
the armies with which he is credited
on paper with winning brilliant vic
tories would have suffered crushing de-
feats. They say that in maneuvering
an army he makes no adequate allow
ance for what the ether side might do
If we'll led and that as the umpires
similarly ignore such considerations
and always award him the fight. he
has never discovered how much he
has yet to learn to make a capable
leader Nor will he, unless in an evil
day for Germany he should undertake
to lead a German army against an
actual foe commanded by a man who
understands his business.