The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-29
KAISER WILHELM.

take command Of the Roman army,
Kaiser Wilhelm left his saw and wood
pile TO accept the Fluctuations Of even
more powerful army on the fifty fifth
anniversary of his birth. There the
analogy between Cincinnatus and the
German Emperor ends. Simplicity Is
no; one Of the Emperor Is virtues, If 1T
be a virtue in an imperial ruler. The
whole world will Join with the Germans
In congratulnting the Emperor On the
success of his reign and tho prosperity
of the nation. Neither his father nor
his grandfather, although they died
within a short time Of each other. lived
to see the greater glory Of the empire
which Bismarck established. II has
fallen to the fortune Of the present
Emperor to soe Germany rise from the
condition of second rate power to the
lofty position of a world power,
7ivaling in wealth and prestige Great
Britain and the United States. Much
of the credit for this happy result is
due to Kaiser Wilhelm.
When the present Emperor succeeded
has father, who was most popular and
Democratic sovereign, grave doubts for
the future were expressed throughout
the world. His father was easy going,
kindly, big-hearted, q giant physically,
and endowed with clear and judicial
mind The son was looked upon as
head-strong, erratic, high-spirited, war
like, and intensely imperialistic, just as
his son is today. 1t was freely pre-
dicted that war with France would be
precipitated by the new ruler, He has
now reigned for twenty-five years, and
Germany, except for some slight mill
tary operations in China and the Sa-
moan Islands, has maintained peace
with all the world There were times
when the Kaiser failed to display the
tact and caution so necessary in ruler
of modern empire, and sometimes it
seemed as if his speeches must lead to
war. Such crisis occurred about seven
years ago, during the Morocco dispute.
At that time the Emperor became ex-
cessively tslkatiye and apparently tried
to convince the German people and the
world as well that he and not the
Parliament was the real ruler Of the
empire He soon discovered his mis-
take. The German Parliament eff
fectually muzzled him and let it be
known that the German Emperor was
only servant of the constitution.
On the whole the Emperor has borne
his gigantic responsibilities well. AL
though lie undoubtedly is an excellent
soldier and loves the army, he has been
a true if sometimes an undiplomatic
friend of peace. Fortune has happi)v
denied him the privilege of shining in
the arts of war, but. being skilled in
the arts OF peace, he has gained for
himself a considerable reputation as an
orator, musician, and an author. In
many respects he is like one of the
other rulers of the present age-Theo-
dore Roosevelt, The American is also
born soldier and has had the oppor-
tunity to display his courage and bril-
liapey upon the field of battle. While
ii is not recorded that there is much
Of music in him, he is an orator of
ability and a voluminous author. Like
Emperor William, be is great
hunter, and the favorable conditions of
democracy have enabled him to be.
come what the German Emperor is not,
4 great traveller. But there are other
points of similarity, Both men are self.
willed, egotistic, and impetuous. Both
have cbafed under the restraints OF a
National constitution. The Emperor was
brought to tlmc by his Parliament, but
Congress did not possess the power to
silence or shackle Roosevelt. As re.
suit We have the Colombian dispute as
heritage from the Roosevelt admins
tration. The American President has
greater executive powers than has the
Emperor of Germany. even though the
latter has vastly more control over pub
lic affairs than the King of England.
The Emperor, in spite Of the fact
that the doctors ordered him to the
wood pile, is in fair health, and the in.
dications are that he will be able to
continue his reign for many years. II
is likely that time will have a SOLDERING
influence upon the Crown Prince and