Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-09
REPLY TO THE KAISER
Clever Response of the Presi-
dent Praised.
COMMENT IN EUROPE
ADRoITLY LABELED THE MES
SAGE "PERsoNAL."
Recent Bank Failures = Progress Of
Italians in Criminal
Records Of Immigrants.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.


Record Herald.
Several of the leading newspapers of Eu-
rope have called attention to the clever
manner in which President Roosevelt dodg-
ed all possibility of unfavcrable criticisms
concerning the congratulatory telegram
sent him on the morning after the election
by the German kaiser. 1t is difficult to I'M
derstand why anyone should object to such
a compliment from any source, but there
are plenty of hypercritical people, and. of
course. the President prefers to avoid I'M
favorable comments. At the same time no
body really cares less about them.
Certain people on both sides of the ocean
construed the friendly greetings Of the en-
peror to the candidate of the republican
party as interference in the political affairs
Of the United States. 1t is inconceivable
that Wilhelm II could have had such an
intention. He is an ardent admirer OF
President Roosevelt and always talks about
him with enthusiasm to every American ne
meets. Last summer he told friend OF
mine that he would rather know Roosevelt
than any other man living, and hoped that
some time he would have the opportunity
OF personal acquaintance. 1t was, there
fore, nothing but friendly personal interest
which prompted his cablegram of congratu-
lation He knew nothing about Judge Par
ker. and cared nothing about him. but
American. Nevertheless, the friendly in
terest CT foreigners in our elections has
caused considerable trouble in times past
as the Hon. Lionel Sackvlle-West former
ly her British majesty's plenipotentiary at
Washington, could tell you. Hence, Presi-
dent Roosevelt, or perhaps it might have
been Secretary Hay, considered it advisable
to turn the direction of the emperors COM
pliments by constituting his telegram as
purely unofficial.
The response of President Roosevelt,
which read, II thank you most heartily and
appreciate to the full your kind, personal
telegram Of good WILL is considered by
British and French commentators as very
clever, because of the Interpolation of the
word personal which relieves the kaiser
from all suspicion Of trying to NEEDLE with
erence for either of our presidential candi-
dates. So far as have seen, nobody in the
United States was smart enough to detect
the delicate distinction, but European diplo-
matists have high appreciation of phrases.
The Kaiser's Vigilance.
characteristic story is told of the Ger
man emperor by friend from Berlin, who
recently spent few days in Washington.
His imperial majesty is not only omnipotent
in his empire, but good many people con-
slider him omniscient also. Indeed, very
little escapes his attention. Not long ago
he read in newspaper that teacher in
vi
pupils the following topic for compositions:
What ideas of the different Hohenzollern
sovereigns are to be gathered by observing
their attitudes in the statues on the Sieges
Allee?
The Sieges Alice, as you all know. is a
splendid promenade in the Thiergarten of
Berlin lined on either side by rows of mar
BILE statues of all the famous rulers of Ger
many and Prussia and in the order of their
succession. 1t is one of the fads of the en-
peror. He selected the artist and approved
the design of every statue in the collection,
and has participated in the unwilling cere-
monies of nearly every one as they have
occurred at intervals during the last twelve
years. The figure of Frederick the Great,
which he presented to our government to
commemorate the visit of his brother, Prince
Henry, to the United States. and which was
unveiled only a few weeks ago at the new
war college in Washington, is replica of
one of the Sieges Alice statues.
That Berlin schoolteacher took a great
risk when he suggested such topic for his
pupils, but 1t turned out all right. AS soon
az the kaiser read about 1t in his news
paper he telegraphed the minister of edu-
cation to forward him all the essays writ
ten on that subject by the children of that
school. He kept them for fortnight, and
then returned them to the department of
education with characteristic comments.
One of the pupils, in beginning his essay.
observed that, in his opinion, better esu-
mate Of the character Of the IIohenzollern
their faces, rather than their attitudes.
That seemed to have pleased the emperor
more than anything else in the collection of
schoolboy compositions. He wrote upon the
margin of the manuscript: This is sem
sible boy-consider this the most suitable
commentator of the theme. Wilhelm II"
and he ordered a gold medal for the
youngster.
Banks That Have Failed.
Since the first of January, 1894, 1853 ma
tional banks have failed, and, according to
the report of the controller of the cur
rency, these failures were due to the follow
ing causes:
Fraudulent management, with other reasons 70
General stringency OF money market and I'M
Depreciation of values and injudieious loans. y
Wrecked by cashiers ........''.& 10
Excessive loans to officers and directors ....n
Excessive loans and failure Of large debtors. 20
EAcessive loans and depreciation OF securities IL
InjudiciOuS banking.
Excessive Investments in real estate and mort
CAGES. 49,. ...'.''.'''''. y
Excessive loans on real estate and mortgages.
Run on banks (Which have since resumed). $50.
ns-k~it,,k{ov, 80 oSoranfo