The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-02
SPEECH Of KAISER
CAUSES SENSATION
Says AlSatians Must Dance to
His Pipe or Suffer Dire
Consequences.
GERMAN PRESS DENIES
Startling Utterances Said to
Have Been Made at Dinner
in His Honor.
GERMAN PRESS DENIES
BY FREDERICK WERNER.
Spncial Cable TO The Tribune.

BERLIN, June 1.-The kaiser had
barely returned from Korfu, when he
began to make mistakes, j mean
speeches, but il practically means the
same thing. He made more than one
speech but one stands out among the
others-the speech which he made at a
dinner in his honor given by the secre-
tary of state for Alsace in his palace
at Strassburg. In this he made the as
sertion that the Alsatians knew him so
far only from his pleasant side, but
that prospects were that they would
very soon become acquainted with an
other side of his character and that if
they did not very quickly decide to
dance to the tune Of his pipe he would
make Alsace-Lorraine a province of
Prussia.
1t goes without saying that this
speech has caused an enormous scnsa-
tion IN France, though the German
press has hitherto maintained that the
kaiser has been misquoted and that he
never said anything like it, but simply
told the mayor Of Strassbur that be
considered the present situation as a
very serious one which ght have far
reaching and startling consequences.
Kaiser Is Angry.
Tt is more than likely, however, that
the French papers, which first quoted
the speech told the truth; for the kai-
ser is angry with the Alsatians, and
when he Is angry he is not in the habit
For some time past affairs in Al
sace-Dorraine have not been satisfac-
tory. There has been a strong re-
crudescence Of French sympathies and
q correspondingly anti-German feeling
These tendencies make themselves felt
in hundred different ways among the
FTench-speaking population
Enormous pressure has been brought
to bear and no means have been
thought too severe to crush out the
love Of France in the hearts of the peo-
pie Of the annexed provinces, with the
result that apparently the Prussianiz-
ing of the country made considerable
progress and short time ago the i'm
perial government thought the time
had arrived for granting Alsace-Lor.
raine g. constitution which practically
made it federal state Of the empire
with representation in the federal
council.
The diet, however, Of the new state
has not worked very satisfactorily. One
Of the first acts was to refuse to grant
certain sums to the kaiser known as
the "Gnaden Fonds,' and it was only
with difficulty that the diet could be
induced to reconsider its resolution on
this point.
Anti German Agitation.
:, Another matter is that known as the
Grnvenstaden affair. The Craven
staden metal factory in Alsace was in
a large way of business, frequently sup
plying the government with railroad
material. It's director, NJ. Heyler, how
ever, was man of intense French
sympathies; and tolerated, probably
encouraged, anti German agitation
among his workmen.
This was so displeasing to the Prus-
sian authorities that they withdrew
their orders from Gravenstaden, and
the action of the Prussian authorities
displeased the diet so much that it
passed a resolution condemning Prus-
sia for interfering in Alsace-Lorraine
affairs. This Gravcnstaden affair
caused much stir in political circles
throughout the empire, and it was this,
doubtless, which the kaiser had in his
mind, if he used the extraordinary eY-
preston attributed TO him.
Pretend Pleasure.
While extreme Nationalists hcre pre-
tend to be delighted that the kaiser has
put down his foot to crush French in.
trigue in Alsace-Lorraine, no serious
person can for q moment defend the
imperial utterances rs 1t is reported.
The kaiser cannot smash this constitu-
ton; he cannot incorporate the prov
inces with Prussia. It was the reichs-
tag which gave the province this con-
stitution, and the constitution itself
was the work Of the federal council
Without the consent Of these two
bodies not even an alteration can be
made In the constitution, let alone its
repeal.
1t may be added that the kaiser
showed his displeasure at the action
under secretary for the province, an ex-
cellency, It was this gentleman who
withdrew the orders from the Craven
staden factory.
Insurgents Number $4,000.
According to trustworthy reports the
number Of insurRent Albaninns is 12,-
900, Of these 5000 are in the neigh
borbood of Ipek and Diakova, 5000 at
Debra and 5000 in the valley of the
Save, near the Servian frontier. Great
alarm is felt in the Servian villages,
and the government has therefore been
asked to reinforce the troops on the
frontier OF arm the villagers in view of
the possibility Of an Albanian raid.
The latest reports say that the com
mander Of the garrison ut Uakub has
left today for Ipek with two squadrons,
some quick-firing guug, and Red
Crescent detachment, as serious fight.
ing is reported to have taken place re-
Gently. The AlbaniaDs besieglng Dia-
kova arc said to have arranged n meet
ing for the purpose Of discussing fur
thcr measures and the demands which
are to be forwarded to the porte.