The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-22
The German Emperor on German
Policy.

The Manchester Dispatch lately printed
a remarkable article purpOrting TO re-
produce statements made by Emperor
WILLIAM in the course of a talk with
an eminent European d~iplomatist. The
statements deserve careful attention in
view Of the editors assertion that before
publication the article was submitted to
the German Ambassador in England and
by him TO the Emperor himself, and
that authority to publish it was received.
The striking feature Of the declaration
is the earnestness with which the Ger
man Emperor denies that he or his people
cherish any design of territorial aggran-
dizement in Europe or elsewhere.
From time TO time we have been told
that the ultimate aim Of the German
Empire, the object for which its army
is kept up and its navy signally ex-
banded, is the acquisition of all neigh
boring countries which are inhabited by
Germans or by peoples closely allied in
point of race. Such countries are Rus
sia's Baltic provinces, in which Ger
mans formerly were dominant; the three
Scandinavian kingdoms, whose popula-
tons are of TeutOnic stock; the Meth
erIands, whose language is a brother of
the P~Iattdeutsch; Belgium. of which the
same thing may be said, so far ~ the
Flemish speech is concerned; Switzer-
land, which also contains a large
GermaniC element, and finally, those
Austrian provinces in which are con-
centrated most of the German speaking
subjects of the Hapsburg Kaiser. The
Emperor WILLIAM disclaims any wish to
annex any Of the countries named, with
one exception, as to which he is silent.
Beginning with the North, he points
out that the Scandinavian States are
very poor and consequently not at all
desirable. He comedies that in their
population there il much of the Old Ger
manic strength and tenaCity, but this,
ne SAYS, would only make more difficult
their assimilation by an outside Power
In the inhabitants Of Holland he recOg-
nizes the same tenaCity Of purpose ano
the same inextinguishable love OF indie
pendenCe. Belgium, in his opinion. would
be still less easily absorbed. for the
reason that It's population is by no meanG
made up exclusively of Jennings, but cOn
tains a large French speaking factor. Al
for Switzerland, she il already render
ing the German Empire all the servic,
Of which she is capable, for she performs
with ideal perfection the functions Of
buffer State. and If she did not exis
would have to be invented.
On the case Of RussiA's Baltic prov
inces the Emperor dwelt at considerable,
length. He denied that they can b,
looked upon any longer as German, 70
the classification Of their inhabitants ha
already been carried far and is making
progress daily. He pronounces it al
error Il suppose that a German arm
would meet with a cordial welcome II
those provinces. He went on to ss,
that even II Germany could and shOul'
conquer them she would be worse Of
than she is now. The extension Of he
frontier eastward would make her stra
teRical position much less tenable than j
is al present. Besides, IL would CONVEX
Russia, now friendly, into a permanent
and irreconcilable enemy. Germany
would have TO fight Russia, and ths
latter Power might fall back on tn
same military tactics which the Russian