Omaha daily bee., 1907-06-30
HERR HARDEN'S PEN
It is Now Most Dreaded Weapon Of
Any in German Empire.
UNIQUE POSITION OF THIS EDITOR
Did Not Fear to Criticise Emperor in
Early Writings.
BROUGHT TO BISMARCK'S NOTICE
Led to Friendship in Which Con-
Adences Were Exchanged.
BROUGHT TO BIsMARCK's NOTICE
MORE STATE SECRETS REVEALED
with Knowledge of Inside CabAIs of
German Government, He Laid
Foundation for Won MOItIxe's
Libel Suit.

BERLIN, June 9.-(SpeciaL)-The Ger |
man capital has a cause ceebre which
promises to be unusually rich in sensations.
This is the criminal libel action brought
by General Count Won Moltke, ex-miltary
| governor of Berlin, against Herr Maxi
milan Harden, editor Of the Zukunft.
| Herr Harden wields the most dreaded pen
| in the German empire and he has in the
! last few years conquered for himself
! position which is unique in the position of
! German journalism. He first came to the
! front about twelve or thirteen years ago.
He wrote a series of articles under the
! title of Apostata, which created a sensa-
/ tion in Berlin. In a country where the
press is kept so carefully in hand as in
/ Germany people were unaccustomed to read
such outspoken opinions. For Herr Harden
did not even fear to criticise the kaiser
himself. Some eight or ten years ago he
founded the Zukunft, a little weekly review
of about thirty pages, in which he con-
tinued his outspoken articles, There is
perhaps no journalist to whom he can be
compared, except perhaps to Henri Roche
! fort, the great French pamphleteer, in his
prime when his Lanterne shook the Second
empire with sledge hammer strokes. His
outspokenness was not long in getting Herr
I1dluSu llllb lIOuDlts Elt was dSOuSSu Va
lese majestic and did a term Of imprison-
ment in a German fortress.
Confidence of Bismarck.
But his writings attracted the attention
also of Prince Bismarck. then growing at
Friedrichsrhue and pouring out the bitter
ness of his heart about the way the kaiser
had treated him. He sent for Herr Harden
and a sort OF an alliance was formed be-
tween them. The journalist was a frequent
visitor to Friedrichsrhue and ne soon be-
came to be regarded as an active ex-
ponent of the views of the ex-chancellor
There Is no doubt that Prince Bismarck
conhded to him many things that gave him
the key to much that was going on behind
the scenes in German government circles.
Bit by bit Herr Harden became identified
with the Bismarckian standpoint and even
today he is looked upon as the best ex-
ponent OF Bismarckian traditions both at
home and abroad. But what the ex-chan-
cellor undoubtedly initiated him into among
other things was the intrigue and cabals OF
the Berlin court. There is no court in
Europe where more mysterious nets are
spun; no court where intrigue is so rife.
All Bismarcks career was undoubtedly en-
Uttered by a constant struggle against Ae
cret enemies. The court hated him TO a
man and undoubtedly did much to poison
famous Arnim case was only one Of the
few intrigues that became publicly known.
But nobody knew better than did Bismarck
how untring were his enemies, and no
sooner was one intrigue defeated than an
other one started. Powerful noble
men had the ear of the kaiser from his
youth up and used their great power to
embarrass the policy OF the iron chancellor
In this respect there has been no change
in German Official life. Intrigues and cahal
= are still rampant. The kaiser is surrounded
} by men like Prince Henckel Won Donner-
smarch Prince Phillip zu Gutenberg, Gem
eral Won Hulsen and a dozen more who
J form a kind OF power behind the throne
with which even the most powerful Of min
p listers must still reckon.
"FHsht Into Publicity
The extent to which these intrigues are
spun was clearly proved some years ago
when Baron Won Marschal Won Bieberstein,
secretary of state for foreign affairs, found
that the only way that he could sweep
away the network that was being drawn
around him was to indulge In what he de-
scribed as flight into publicity" He had
q few obscure newspaper men arrested and
put on trial for liboing him and proved
that the man who inspired them, and to
b whom they went daily for their instruc-
tions, was Herr Tausch, the head of a
political section of the Berlin police. For
, whom he was working never transpired,
A at least in open court. The criminal author
Y tiles did not dare to probe the thing too
l. far. For whom he was never transpired,
at least in open court. The press men were
sentenced to various terms of Imprisonment
and Herr Tausch (who practically commit
4, ted perjury during the hearing Of the case)
| trapsfarrad 10 I
! the affair did not profit Marschal Won
Beberstein. The court clique could not for
=. give him for having exposed their intrigues
and sufficient pressure was brought to bear
a on the kaiser to have him removed from
: ofice as secretary Of state for foreign af-
: fairs and exiled to Constantinople, a giIded
: exile, but still an exile.
: The next victim of court intrigue was
: General Count Caprivi, Prince Bismarck s
j, successor in the chanCellorship. Count
! Caprivi was a loyal soldier and one of the
: most chivalrous of men ever known in the
. service Of the kaiser But for this very
a reason he could not defend himself against
= the intrigues of the court His worst enc
- mics were the members OF the Fulenburg
family, and it was during a visit Of the
kaiser to Lebenburg castle the Flllen-
burg family seat near Berlin, that the
kaiser finally decided upon the downfall
! OF Count CaDrivi
Powerful Friends of Emperor.
- The Fulenburgs. General Count Won
Moltke. military governor of Berlin; Gen
eral Won Hulsen, chief of the military cab.
met Of the kaiser and half a dozen more
e members OF the court form a group whose
y influence must be reckoned upon by even
e the imperial chancellor. There has beer
: danger In the past even that this set OF
y men, knowing the military loving disposi-
II tion Of the kaiser, would even induce the
j. emperor TO take some step which would
+ cause some complications with the foreign
> powers. There was an example of this
, two years ago, and this Is the very affaiF
s which has led 10 the MoltlSe- Harden con
8 nict
: Three years ago one Of the leading OF,
l. fcials at the Foreign ONCE was Herr Won
; Holstein- He was next in rank to the
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