The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-08-27
His Choice Was Not Made bv
Peoples Assemblies But
by God
THE GERMAN PRESS CR|1|CIzEs
EMPEROR WILLIAMS POSITION
All Shades of Opinion From Mild Re.
gret t" M"ckery Of the Alleged All.
s"lutfst Pretcntions Of the Emperor
Have Been Suppressed.

Berlin. Aug. 27.-The now famous
speech OF Emperor William at
hoeningsburg with it's openly ex-
pressed belief in the divine right of
the Prussian king and his choice not
by peoples assemblies but by God.
continues to be the theme of most
excited discussion in the newspapers.
The monarchist organs of the press
are divided in their views of the em-
perors utterances. some of them TAX
ing stand in opposition to his view.
SO that quite four-fifths Of the Ger.
man press are united in the criticism
OF the sovereign. Every shade Of
olsapproval is voiced from mild re-
gret to mockery of the alleged abso-
luist pretenslons of the emperor.
The opinions expressed in the
minor German capitals appear to
make no distinction between the
sovereign's position as emperor of
Germany and king of Prussia and
they aver that his responsibility to
the empire as whole preludes dec
larations as king of Prussia which
are inconsistent with his headship of
the empire.
The inquiry is everywhere raised
whether imperial chancellor, DIR. Won
Bethmann Hollweg, knew in advance
of the emperor's purpose to deliver
speech Of such nature. The press
generally comments also on necessity
of the German parliament taking
some action upon subject when it
meets The chancellor is at his
country place at Hobenfinow and the
excitement over the speech has not
caused him to break the silence.
The emperor reviewed an army
corps at Danzig today and was cheer
ed by the enormous crowds there.
The leading organs of the German
press devote extended comment to It,
generally criticizing the emperor's
utterances. and there are indications
that the discourse will have a deep
political effect upon the country, near
ly all the Berlin papers discussing the
subject in connection with the poll
tical crisis of November 1908. when
the publication by the London Daily
Telegraph of an interview with the
emperor aroused a storm against the
uncontrolled public speaking Of the
emperor.
The serious Vossische Zeitung, the
Tagblatt, the Post and other papers
point out the constitutional character
OF the kingdom of Prussia in the en-
pire and inquire whether the chan
cellor. DR.. Won Bethmann-Hollwag,
was privy to the emperor's purpose of
delivering such a speech. They pre-
dict that 1t will lead to a renewed
discussion of the emperor's constitu-
tional position when the reichstag re-
assemblies in November.
The strongly monarchist Tageliche
Rundschau, the favorite journal of
army officers, says:
This speech means storm. Never
before has Emperor William set into
such clear relief his romantic. medi-
eval idea of his non-responsibility to
mans Judgment. of his not being
bound by the constitutional co-opera-
ton of the people and of ruling by
Gods free grace. against all those
convictions and feeling which today
determine our existence as a state.'
Why" the Taceliche Rundschau
asks, should the emperor choose this
moment to emphasize his ruling by
Gods grace and his own right when
it will nourish an anti-monarchial
agitation and good monarchists be
thrown into condition of tragic dis
ruption."
The organ of the landed nobility,
the Deutsche Tages Zeitung, thor
oughly approves of the declarations
of the emperor.
The Local Anzeiger lays stress upon
upon the desire of the emperor that
the people cooperate with him and
points out that the emperor delivered
the speech in the castle where the
Prussian kings formerly were crown
ed. He said in the same hall in May
1890: eve Hohenzollerns take our
crown from heaven alone" and In the
same place on September 6. 1894, he
quoted the words of his grandfather,
William I, about ruling by Divine
right and added: so. too, do take
Ii.