New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-02


! gorod, toward Koyel, where Lltchnow-
SKY and his Cossacks drill the Austrian
wall.
Holding this supreme command. the
Kaiser uses IL. Our Presiden is COM
mander IN chief Of the American army
and navy, but as rule our Presidents
/ rarely direct the campaign Of our army
ana navy IN time Of var. Not the
/ Kaiser, for, unlike our Presidents, he
has studied military and naval science
his whole life, and he believes he
knows something concerning il
! point, by the way, upon which writers
( on military science differ.
Method with Army Direct
The Kaiser's method with his army
IS direct. He appoints the man whom
he believes 10 be best fitted for the
work 20 the Office OF chief OF the gem
ersi staff. This man il surrounded By
hundreds OF the most efficient and
I highly specialized officers in the Ger
man army. This general staff. quar-
/ tered IN the field at Chsrleville. France,
works out department by department
every phase Of the big military cam
! paigns. These campaigns. decided upon
by the chiefs OF staff, are then put up
to the Kaiser.
After the success Of the operations
in Serbia in the autumn of 1915. Fall
kenhayn formed a plan of campaign
that called for a spending of Germany's
offensive resources at that time against
/ France.
Hindenburg. then in supreme COM
mand OF the German armies of the East,
violently opposed this plan against
France Hindenburg and his great
strategist, Dudendorf, told the Emperor
that no offensive movement should be
made against France, but that decis-
ion should be first reached in the East.
The Kaiser had the two propositions in
front Of him. Falkenhayn fatty prom
ised the Kaiser Verdun. He had IL all
figured out convincingly. Hindenburg
came out against Falkenhayn's plan.
The Kaiser told Hindenburg he was
| wrong; but half year later Falken-
hayn's head went into the bucket next
to Moltke's. He had joined the lists Of
the Kaiser's chiefs OF staff who failed.
Similar is his relation TO the navy.
That, too, has its general staff. They sit
in q most modern building IN Berlin,
a palace compared with the headquar-
ters Of the army, and conceive their
problems OF naval strategy. In that
white stone building on the shores of
ore Of Berlin's canals was born the
idea of submarine frightfulness. For
two years they worked on the campaign
which was later announced 20 the
world. For two years they increased
! the building facilities OF the German
| shipyarGs, biding their time, as week by
week the number OF sea snakes grew.
| Then when they had raised the num-
/ Der OF submarines so IL would satisfy
| their plans, the German Admiralty
staff laid them again before the Kaiser
and he made his momentous decision OF
{ the war.
Likewise with his Foreign Office does
the Kaiser decide. In that musty old
building, Wilhemstrasse rs, there are
/ departments for every nation in the
world. one official with his subordi-
mates is in charge of the United States
: department, another of the English,
and so on. Ii is the duty Of these de-
partment chiefs TO be ready at the Kai-
/ ser's call to lay before him any diplo-
/ matte information which he desires in
relation to that particular country.
! As executive head OF the Foreign Of
/ fee was the Secretary for Foreign At
/ fairs. Won Jagow, with a mild. suaye.
/ tolerant. cosmopolitan type of mind,
quite all right for the rubber stamp
work that German Foreign Minister
/ under Wilhelm ii has 20 do. Quite all
right, until the brew OF submarine
/ frightfL mess began boiling. and out
went the mild Jagow for the vigorous
/ Zimmerman. who has in his turn given
way 20 Won Kuhlmann, a diplomat Of
the English school He IS responsible
: TO the Chancellor for the efficiency of
/ the Foreign Office. and the Chancellor
/ is responsible TO the Kaiser.
Rules the Chancellor
Like the army and navy chiefs bring
up their plans for decision. so does
DR.. Johann Michaelis Ii the Kaiser
/ likes the Chancelor's plan. he adopts
. it. II he doesn't, the imperial frown is
put upon il. One colossal blunder and,
} like Moltke, FalEenhayn, Tirpitz and
J Bethmann-H OF will go
; Michaelis's head into the imperial
basket. For the kaiser's chieftains
prblicly assume the responsibility for
the moves Of imperial Germany. II the
moves fail. they and they alone. are TO
blame, for, despite the fact that none
Of these moves can be made without the
/ kaiser's Endorsement OF them, Wilhelm
B II, being the Kaiser. "can DO no wrong"
J We find today the German Emperor
at the pinnacle Of his power, lusty IN
+ health, save for the shadow OF that
disease which mas cursed his family,
and which at any time may insldlously
creep over him.
The Kaiser has the vitality 70 keep
on the jump during this war. Grave,
bearing his responsibilities heavily,
: rarely Frightening except az the news
Of victory, he sternly and grlmly goes
, through the daily routine, knowing ex-
actly what is going on in every depar,
ment Of the German war machine. In
tensely religious, calling upon God IN
his hour Of trial more even than he
called upon Him m peace, the Kaiser j.
rel s.ous to-day almost % the point OF
fanaticism. One might almost say that
his whole life !s held together by his
belief that God Is on the side Of Ger
many in this war Without that deep
and sincere religious cOnvictlon-., is
almost insanity; Bergson called 10 a
mental complex" seems incredi bic
that the Kaiser could have stood up
against the strain. SO deeply has he
plunged himself into the war.
Believes lie Is Amounted by God
In considering the Kaiser to-day too
much stress cannot be laid upon this
religious side OF his character II he
were acting, II his ranting about God
was mummery, the task of the world
would be easier. For hypocrite
analyses and compromises quickly. No,
} a fanatic And the kalser's belief III at
he - a being put on this earth by God
. and anointed b. God to rule the Ger
/ man nation and 20 lead Il and It's
I l.-.-.... -. -