Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-15
HOLLWEG QUITS;
KAISER ACCEPTS
HIS RESIGNATION.
Successor Credited With An
tipathy Toward Junker
Caste. 's'
IN PRUSSIAN STATE
SERVICE SINCE 1879
Minister of War Won Stein Also
Quits, and Won Hindenburg Is
Mentioned to Succeed Him.
WILD RUNIoRs IN CIRCULATION
Whole World Is Startled by Uncon..
f1rmed Report That Wilhelm Alb.
dicatcs In Favor Of Joachim.

LONDON, July 14.-Bethmann-Holl.
veg Is out.
The German imperial Chancellor re-
signed to-day. exactly eight years az
ter he took the Office. He was ap-
pointed Chancellor on July IA. 1903.
Emperor William. upon accepting
Hollweg's resignation. appointed DR..
Georg Michaelis to succeed him. @
The new Chancellor has been. since
1909, Under-Secretary in the Ministry
of Finance. He has a wide experiences
in the fields of finance, national econ
omy and government administrator.
He Is sixty-six years OF age. A Prus.
sian by birth and education. he has
been in the Prussian state service since
1879 ~
Dr. Michaelis is known to hold do
cidedly liberal views. He is credited
with antipathy. rather than with lean.
ings toward the Junker caste. His ap.
pointment came as a tremendous sur
prise to Germany and tho entente
countries. simultaneously with the,
central. responsible head OF the en-
pirc. the directing chief of tho Prus.
sian-and Herewith German-arny
system. General Won Stein resiEnedssI
There is strong probability that
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg will be
named to succeed Won Stein as War
Minister. In that case, Hindenburg,s
right hand" General Won Ludendorfs.
would become chief of STAFF, II Is
believed. i3ts.
CLOSETED WITH KAISER s&
AND THE CROWN PRINCE
Upon these two men. long since the
two directing geniuses of the Teuton
war machine. rests to-day to a large
extent, the fate OF the empire. Both
were summoned back to the capital by
the Kaiser just after they had started
for the front upon the conclusion OF
series of important conferences. For
hours yesterday and to-day they have
boon closeted with the Kaiser and the
crown prince.
Democracy is on the march In tho
empire. With the War Minister, the
entire Prussian Cabinet Is reported 10
have resigned. New blood. of the
Michaelis type. is about to be poured
into veins of the anaemic Prussian sys-
tenn. All indications tonight were that
the democratizing changes will he
brought about swiftly. smoothly, Viz
tually overnight.
as it sees itself passing into the ranks
Of self-govcrning nations: the fear that
the spirit Of discomfort due to tenn.
porary loosening of centralized author.
ity. may permeate the empires armed
FORCES In the same way that the rayo.
iutionary sentiment swept through tn.
Russian army after March 10 last, re-
sulting in months of disorgantzationi
10
ton forces would have no time to
solution had set In,
1t Is to prevent such a catastronha
that the two military chiefs are con-
ierrihg with the Kaiser and his eldest
son.
Within the next forty-eight hours
it Is believed the flames OF political
strife Will either have fared up into
holocaust or died down altogether.
with the crisis weathered temporarily
at least.
FEAR OF WEAKENING
POSITION WITH NEUTRALS
Another great fear casts Its shadows
into the council chambers Of Wilhelm.
strasse and the Potsdam Palace-tho
Tear that the internal upheaval viii
weaken the empires position abroad
In its relations with the law neutraia
that are left. 1t is for this reason,
observers here believe. that Berlin Is
still Keeping mysterious silence about
the status OF Foreign Secretary Zim-
hermann. The general belief is that
he has been shelved. But no successor
having as yet been chosen, Wilhelm-
strasse refuses to divulse vacancy
until new strong hand" has taken
charge. The crisis comes at a time
when circumstances played strongly
into the hands of tho Berlin Foreign
Minister. From Holland, Scandinavia.
Spain and Switzerland comes news 81
great Irritation over the American ex-
port control. Germany saw In this 4
situation her chance to align these neu-
trails. or some of them at least. den-
nitely on her side. Then came the
crash.
To swing the little neutrals into the
si2.so drip to, waynesvilis ,Aad \