Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-08-08

/ the herman DY AulTeW MeliQul OF l.
roqua. 1t was published in a German
paper, written by Klabund, editor of
several lyric and epic works, soldiers
novels and religious songs, presenting
the sentiment of the common people
toward their ruler and his autocratic
government:
Majesty: More than you in your
| political isolation and lonliness rea-
/ lize-imploring, reciting and in de-
manding manner the attention of the
world is turned to you. May your I'M
/ friendly press paint your vandalism
| and barbarism on the wall May in
competent and unfit diplomats ard
| Legislators, that would be better deS-
ignated as corrupt statesmen, preserv-
/ ing the bad system, destroy the Satan
I Militarism by tle head satan nation
alism. In all lands the eyes of man
| kind are turned on you. The vigor-
Gus, the gray, the blue and olive green
! eyes ere turned on you. The eyes of
| Muschiks, PolinS ard Tommies are
, turned on you. Still, your Majesty,
have it in your power to give imme-
date peace TO the world. You credit
yourself for Offering peace last Noyem-
I Der. In this deed you stretched your
/ hand to the enemy, but ii was with a
clenched list. Ii was the iron ClenCh
of the false God Of Beriichirgen 1t
was not the human hand of welcome.
! Majesty, understand the time. In
you the bloom of eternity. Realize
that all the idea Of might and power
in this war has been Shipwrecked.
Power is simply a false deity when
not connected with honesty and sin
cerity. Desire of tyranny palace rule,
police authority, hypOcritical religion,
i moneyiSm and mammothism-the lat
ter two prosper one by the other.
| Majesty, your authority has rene
trated the hearts of the German peo-
pie and dim ray of the stars is shin
| ing upon your glory. Understand,
that in speaking 10 people desiring
to be free and TO honor and respect
freedom, one must speak in free
spirit. You are speaking in a free
language to the people but exercising
! your servitude principles at your Off
cial and secret courts at Berlin. But
you were hardly deceived when you
! approved OF authority by the misrep-
! resentation OF freedom. Rights. your
Majesty, will not be last You are
originated from it. and are simply an
existing human being. Give up your
/ belief in divine pardon aaC I've as a
man among men. You are standing
on the purple robe of unity and COW
cred by the robe of greatness: broth
erly love. Establish the true peoples
kingdom OF Hohenzollern. Deliver it
free from suspicion, free from vain
hope. So free that from your small
Capitalistic clique to which civil and
military head officers are recruiting
will support the hearu-aching cry of
the nation. These, in fact, are tear
ing the throne TO pieces and will ag-
grivate the blinded Sampson until the
pillars of the government will fall.
Now, Majesty, you are sheltered
Kaiser. You stand in the shelter of
the autocracy the barons and plutoc-
racy OF the ammunition factories. Be
yourself. Be open as noble Chris
tian, because as such you pretend to
be the people servant. Forget not
your inscription in the golden book of
Munchen Do unto others as you
want others TO do unto you. Be ac-
cording to the dictatiOn of your con-
science. Present willingly liberty
and freedom to a freedom loving peo-
ple-uot as mercy, but from a step of
Righteousness and fellowship, as NUT
ual confidence and brotherhood. What
indescribable JOY will go over our land
when it is known. wilhelm II re-
nounceS the old system, the incurable,
inhuman rights only decided by war.
He needs the cooper alton and senti-
ment of the people for legislation of
human rights He will not be the
master, but the servant of the pep
pie The army would then be united
in the name of the Faderland. Then
it would be an army of people. I'm
mediately must the two houses con-
solidate and together organize a bet
ter system by which minority can
not Cypress a majority-a parliament
tary and democratic government in
which the minister is according to the
people and responsible to the gov
eminent instea of single individual.
Then the German people are deliver
ed from years of unspeakable suffer
ing. They can grow and prosper.
They need no more guardianship.
Majesty: Does not the enormous
responsibility in sleeplesS nights rest
heavy upon you? How easy you would
find the load when the people them
selves could help to carry it-take
part of the responsibility and govern
ment.
Majesty, you have it in your hands
to make immediate peace. Peace in
such war cannot be made between
democratic government on one side
and single autocratic ruler on the
other-a ruler whose power is not de-
rived from the people, but from an
imaginary idea, from the grace of a
supreme being.
! The new Russian government and
President Wilson in America are your
most peace-friendly enemies. They
waited that you might find a wav to
| freedom of your people until the voice
of the German people asking for mer-
cy became unbearable and they could
no longer deal with your diplomats.
Therefore, means must be found by
I people who have come to our rescue
not as monarch speaks to his sub
Jects, not as master to his servants,
not as foe to foe. Wilson and the
Russian government do not consider
a dictation for Germany. They want
to make peace with a representative
of the people of Germany - peace
that the people prefer.
Recognize, Majesty, that our inner
| political condition is the first essen
tial. Further possibilities or impossi-
bilities of victory on the west front,
the German leaders perhaps hold as
essential. Then in the future, inter-
national complications will demand
more Imperialism and militarism. The
time when war is decided by the wea-
Z L.. aa.-