The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-06
KAISER FEELS He
|S|N THE WAY, SAYS
JOSEPH Rt|NACH
Could Use Bethmann-Hollweg
as Telephone. But Michaelis
Is Ruled by Others
Try JOSEPH RMNACH.l

rarrs. July 24--tBy MaiD Beth
mann Hollweg the fallen German
chancellor. finished by uniting every
party against nimself-the Socialists
and Liberals because they judged
him as too weak to put through the
parliamentary reforms for the rea-
sons. perhaps. that. like thinner
mann, he would prefer to serve one
difficult master to 500 fools: the mil
itary chiefs. the Pan -Germanists and
the agrarians because he had adopted
the scheidemann- E.rzeerger E.enine
formula Of peace without afnexaticns
or indemnlties. Bethmann- II ollwex
was the shadow OF man walking in
the shadpw ~ N crime, Atnre ia
voring him stood the kaiser.
There can he no doubt about the
sincerity OF the kaiser In regretting
the necessity OF throwing away this
old shoe. which. though worn out,
was comfortable The imperial re-
because tho two men he hates the
most. his own son. the crown prince.
and Won Hindenburg. helped to get
rid of the favorite.
The military Dictatorship OF the
trio Hindenhurg Ludendorff-F o n
Tirpitz. 10 which the kaiser had to
consent a year ago. was a first capt.
tulation for the monarch. He still
struts the stage, but. with the in
stinct of an old actor who can sense
the spirit of his audieuce. he makes
no mistakes He feels that he is in
the way.
Last December he vainlv tried 10
return TO favor with a sudden peace
offensive.
For the historian who cares moth
ing about lese majestic, the July po-
litical crisis In Germany did not con-
Germ the chanceliorship but the rul-
ing sovereign. The kaiser question
has been debated In whispers In
Germany for a long time
When DR.. SPAIN. the leader OF the
Centrist party goes about proclaim
ing that the people are unshakahly
devoted to the emperor" you can
be quite sure there Is something
wrong. Such proclamations mean
the same thing In political strategy
as Two retired to stronger positions
prepared in advance" means in mill
itary strategy. The kaiser spoke
through Bethmann-Hol lweg AZ tel
ephone: he knows quite well that
the public discomfort IL not aimed
at the telephone transmitter.
The only thing we can say with
certainty today about the new chan
cellor. Michaelis. the first commoner
to succeed Bismarck. a kind OF Prus-
sian Roland with no buckles TO his
shoes--itself. a sure sign Of the de-
cline OF the regimes that he will
not be the kaiser's telephone.
He cannot go back on the royal
and imperial grant to Prussia OF uni
versal direct and secret suffrage in
the place OF what Bismarck called
the most foolish voting system that
ever existed. Neither can he 60 back
On the Infamous royal and imperial
lie OF August. 1914. that Germany
had not embarked on a war OF con-
quest but on defensive war.
The former of these questions. I'm
portant though It may be in the fu-
ture. does not yet interest us For
two reasons II is, doubtless. OF cap
ital Importance. The granting OF
universal suffrage to Prussia smashes
the instrument OF domination in the
hands OF the old Prussians. feudal
lords, agrarians and Pan Germanists;
the universal suffrage will bring to
the landtag (Prussian parliament)
an imposing minority of Poles who
Will claim the linking of the cradle
OF Poland to the renascent Polish
republic. But these things will fall
out In the distant future: and once
Hoio ict IL De sdiu we are nEnt1nx
neither for the establishment OF uni
versa suffrage in Prussia nor for
the establishment OF parliamentary
regime in Germany.
On the other hand. the latter of
the two questions mentioned above
forms the whole kernel OF the war,
because / shall never tire Of repeat
ing that the question of war objects
II also the question Of the oriRin OF
the war. Nothing viii Aave besa