The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-01
Other Powers Have No
Cordial Feeling for
Kaiser's Country.
DIPLOMATS ARE
HELD TO BLAME
Member of Reichstag Makes Re-
markably Frank Statement, in
Which He Attacks Bungling
Methods of Berlin's Repre-
sentatives-A Compare
son With France.

| Berlin, May 31--Very seldom does it
happen that a member OF the German
Reichstag makes public statement
about Germany's position In Europe
like the one published in prominent
Berlin daily by Herr George Gothein
| the other day.
Germany" ne says with the utmost
frankness, has no foreign friends The
people among whom we choose our
diplomats and influential military Of
| f1cials, the Junker class, are strangely
clumsy as statesmen. and the feelings
| they arouse abroad are never friendly
towards Germany, while they are ably
| supported in their praiseworthy efforts
by crowd of political court testers
who consider IL their chief task to
| throw stones at the window panes of
our foreign neighbors FRANKS, for
which the German people have to pay
dearly in ever-increasing taxes for mil
itary ornaments, that may have an
army and navy strong enough to pro-
| tect us against the Indignation which
we ourselves have provoked Really
we have no right to feel the least bit
surprised If the people of France make
4 use of our insulting impudence to
arouse i'll feelings against us in other
countries.
I'm this respect. France has been
! most successful in Belgium. Some OF
our tactless retired generals, having
nothing better 10 do. set up the cry
| that in case of a war with France Ger
many should consider only questions of
tactics, not of national rights. And
as the French fortifcations along the
Belgian frontier are much weaker than
along the German, Germany should not
respect the recognized and guaranteed
neutrality OF Belgium.
HOthcnds Cause Trouble.
no
! point where his defeat was most like
II. To make matters worse. Pan-Ger-
man hotheads. by their demand that
the German language should he made
the official language of Belgium,
helped to increase the fear Of the Bel
sians that Germany was planning to
rob them of their independence I'm
der these circumstances. no German
should blame France for impressine
IL upon the mind of the people of Bel
gium that in case OF a war their place
was al Frances side" -
| The writer shows that these French
efforts have been eminentiy success
full. and that Belgium sentiment at
present is decidedly anti-German
while all serious Belgian statesmen
advocate an alliance with France
which will probably very soon be an
this will mean an addition of at least
| $4,000 troops to the French armies
and denounces German diplomats. be-
cause they have not come forward
long ago with the open declaration that
in case OF a Franco German war Ger
many would respect the neutrality of
| Belgium as conscientiously as Bis
marck did In 1870. as long as France
did the same. Had they done this Ger
many would now have a friend in Bel
GUM. whose trade with this country
is far more extensive and important
10 Wi
opportunity is lost forever. because
of the amazing stupidity of German
statesmen.
In regard TO Holland, the German
policy has been marked by the same
mistakes, but here the Pan-German
LIMOGES have been the worst offenders
with their eternal clamor for German
Rhine to the very outflow of that river
into the sea. Holland suspects and
hates Germany to-day as intensely as
Belgium does.
Finally, the writer points out that
our stupid brutality in our political re-
lations with our neighbors has reached
its highest point in our shameless treat
ment OF Denmark. Here the brutal
Prussian Junkers have given their pas
sions free rein. and the way Prussian
officials have treated the Danish popu-
lation in the northern part OF Schles-
wig is a disgrace 10 this great coun-
try, and ii is being felt as disgrace
by the whole German people, though
Germany. of course, has nothing to
fear from a small country like Den
mark.
Germany" Herr Gothein says, can
not expect that other countries shall
trust her until she shows in practice
that she is a country worthy of conf
dence. but no power will ever feel any
confidence in Germany, which con
tinually threatens to violate guaran-
tees OF neutrality signed by herself"
The article. which is written in a
calm dignifed manner throughout, but
whose arguments are conclusive. has
created n sensation throughout the
whole country.
Political Sky Ciouded.
The storm In the Balkans is over
but the political sky is still very cloud
| cd. and there are many stumbling
blocks In the way of the statesmen " no
are trying to lay the foundatio of a
lasting peace.
Foremost among all questions is the
settled even when the powers have
agreed in regard to the boundaries OF
tho new states. and the Balkan allies
have given their final consent. or al
most equal importance is the question
who is 10 be the first ruler Of the new
| kingdom.
| There arc. of course, plenty OF idle
| princes in Europe who might fill the
position. and even the Kaiser might
easily spare one of his sons. who viii
never be Kings in any other way But
| these people of the Balkans have q
| very disagreeable habit OF showing
| their ruler their displcasure in a most
| forcible way, even If they do not ac-
! tually murder them, so no royal Euro
pean prince really cares for the new
royal crown, especially as the.reputa-
| ton Of the Albanians is not very good
even among their not very scrupulous
| neighbors.
Had Montenegro and Servia raised
tho siege OF Scutari when they were
first requested to do SO by tho powers.
a Servian or MonteneErin prince would
| almost surely have been chosen and
gladly accepted by the Alhanians. but
this, OF course. is now quite out OF
| the question.
We smiled not little when the
New York World seriously announced