The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-10
KAIsER's WORDS HOLLOW.
Lack of Assurance Evident as He Plays
Desperate Game.


This time there is hollow, forced,
perfunctory tang to the Kaiser's con-
gratulations. The resonant, full
throated roar, swelling with convic-
tion, gives place to half mechanical
toying with the old phrases. Where
are "old Fritzy up there" and "our
good old Cod and "the good German
sword > and eve shall not relent' and
the rest of them9
On the occasion Of the capture OF
Riga / express to you and the Eighth
Army my and the Fatherland S con-
gratulations and thanks. Farseeing
leadership and steel-hard will to
victory guaranteed this fine success.
Onward with God,
The Kaiser responds to the usual de
mand for an inspiring telegram, words
that shall be half battles, but this time
he responds like weary horse under an
insistent spur. Riga would once have
| been great conquest, but he is not
| half so enthusiastic over il as he was
over Bucharest. The reason is that the
campaign against Riga and Petrograd
is insincere. 1t is a political campaign,
not military one. He could have had
/ Riga long ago. He did not want it.
His troops have been lying cynicallv
before it all through the days of the
revolution. Now the word has gone
forth to take it, and they have taken
it, and they are advancing perhaps to
Reveal, perhaps to Dvinsk, perhaps to
Petrosrad; but the campaign is not
against An enemy in the field, it is
against the people at home.
There must be a success that will
at least sound large to still the voice
of discomfort and hearten the German
people to stand through another Win
ter of war. That is the meaning of
this advance, that and the need for
more territory to bargain with in the
bargaining day which the Kaiser still
believes will end the war, though he
IS wrong and it viii not end in horse
trade. See, we have not only conquered
little countries like Serbia, we have
taken the capital of one of the great
allies, or are in position to take it;
hold out for a few more months longer
stand the agony of another Winter
and you will see them all fall. That
! is the will -tEe-wisp with which he
hores to dazzle the eyes of his long
suffering subjects; that is the trumpet
to still the murmurs.
Yet il is a desperate expedient, which
he must be undertaking with misgiv
3 ingS. The capture of Petrograd, even
the serious menace of its canture, may
be the one thing needed to stir the vast
: forces of nationalism in Russia into
rising and crushing the centrifugal
J forces Of anarchy and socialism and
9 unifying themselves. 1t took the cap
!, turo of the capital in 1912 to rouse the
1 nation, the same thing may have the
d same result in 1917. The Kaiser and
n hi lieutenants are playing with dvna
n mite, but their need at home is great
Whether they win carry their expe
# dent to the point of really moving ove1
:, hundreds of miles of frozen swamp il
;. Winter is doubtful, but thee may have
e to do ii III the initial success, the cap
II ture of Riga, fails TO evoke reverbera
n tions from the sounding board at home
5 If successful, the German advance int
10 RuH3ia will be a dangerous success
&c if 1t fails TO silence the home voice
e and reconcile the people to anothe
Winter of war. it will have failed u
~ tcrlv in its real object. whatever hap
le pens in the field. And therefore it i
n that tho old phrases no longer rush fror
le the Kaiser S throat in stentoria
ie shout, but drop mechanically from hii
IL in the voice Of tired man performin
ic q task.-New York Times.