New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-07-16
PARIS UNDECIDED
ON HOLLWEG'S FALL
Newspapers Agree That Political
Crisis is on In Germany

| ann-Hollweg from the German
CHARACTERISTIC with varying degrees
of satisfaction. Some of the comment
is jubilant, while other editors treat
the event soberly. All, however, are
agreed that it indicates crisis in
! Germany OF unprecedented import
ance.
| AS might be expected, the phrase
scrap Of paper" crops out in the COM
ment, and some of the journals trace
the Chancellor's downfall back to his
! early-1n-th e-war utterance. The "Pe-
tit Parisien' lis one Of the newspapers
that are not optimistic over the devel-
| opment saying:
Through the Chancellor changes,
/ the German masters remain the same.
1t is they, and not the retiring func-
| tlonary, who desired the war, to salts
fly their appetite for universal domin-
alton In what measure may they have
| changed their minds, and are they
capable OF speaking up now for peace?
Just in such measure as they realize
that victory has escaped them, and
that defeat is approaching; in such
measure as the intolerable sufferings
! of their hungry peoples are growing.
-Hollweg is being dis
missed because of his decla rations and
! mistakes at the beginning of the war,
but his successor will be no less bound
by his acts and words than was this
doc1le functlonary who never dared to
take the initiative. Bethmann- Holl-
veg would never have been disavowed
had the hopes Of his masters been
realized by victory. He who gets his
portfolio will inherit his burden and
the same insurmountable difficulties"
beginning of End?"
lie Journal says: 1.-THE Chancellor
| was so accustomed to let things by
that he seems to be surprised to find
himself at the bottom Of the abyss. His
famous exclamation, "A scrap of pa
perl which many thought to be only a
cynical utterance, now echoes like
cry of distress. It seems now as
though Hollweg had fore
seen the catastrophe.''
In the view of "L'Homme Enchaine"
the Chancellor's retirement marks the
beginning of tragic era for Germany.
It pictures an immense black gulf
yawning beneath the feet Of the great
militarized nation, and terms the
Chancellor a man Of straw
The Action Franchise" says the
Chancellor's departure indicates the
depth to which the Germans have de-
scended in their spirit of violence and
am ition.
lone can rightly say" it continues
that there is a crisis in Germany to-
day, but the crisis is the opposite of
: what was expected. It is not the Left,
it is the Right it is not revolution,
but reaction, that has brought it
about"
"Libre Parole" says: THE scrap Of
paper has finished by strangling Beth
mann Hollweg. That is perhaps the
sole thing that appears clearly through
the obscurity of the German crisis.
Liberated long ago by the war party,
the Chancellor made supreme effort
to hook up with the peace party The
latter has rejected him, not because it
doubted his malleability-.all his ca
reer showed he possessed that-but
because it considered him compromis-
ing.
Machine Running Down.
The "Gaulois" concludes it's rather
biographical article with the words:
And there is the war machine, long
oiled and FURNISHED, no longer running
as it had been expected it would; and
there in the Reichstag itself are tact
less men demanding that the promises
of the government be not treated by
him (Bethmann- Hollweg) like scraps
of paper. There was terrible fateful-
ness in these words, and finally the
day approaches when his simple little
scrap Of paper, tossed on the one side
of the scale, is beginning to weigh all
by itself more than the entire credit
of Germany"
n . q n
on the singular coincidence that Dr.
Won Bethmann-Hollweg's career as
Chancellor ended on an anniversary of
the day it began-July IA.
The Temps says:
,'Functionary replaces a functionary
A place cut out for a leader remains
intrusted to the performer Of anoth-
er's will"
The Temps thinks DR.. Michaelis
superior to his predecessor on two
points-he has been successful and
has character. His success has been !
shown in his position as Food Com
missioner, his character is shown by |
his speech last March in the Prussian
chamber, from which the 'Temps'
quotes the following: "No one shall J
make me swerve. I would not accept i
an office which would be but an edge |
less sword
All Distrllsted Chancellor.
Won Bethmann- Hollweg's fall, &C
cording to the "Temps'' was under |
unanimous reprobation, due to CONTRA |
dictory motives.
THE greater part Of Germany, wish !
ing peace continues the paper drives !
him out, because he is branded with |
having made the war. Other Germans, !
still desiring conquests, drive him out |
because they suspect he no longer |
wishes any conquests. The Emperor. |
who maintained him in office a COW
err for himself. now abandons him to |