New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-03
A Revised Version

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
s. | subris herewith my revised version
Of Dr.. Won Bethmann-H ollweg's recent speech
in the Reichstag. have expressed the Chan
cellor's thought rather than his words.
"Whereas the Prussian blockade OF Paris
in 1870 was successful and the Prussian
blockade of England in l9l4-I7 is thus far
a failure, the world is ordered to judge that
the present British blockade of Germany is
entirely illegal. You are commanded, there
FORE gentlemen, to pull the Berlin wool over
the eyes of the world so that the Prussian
blockade of Paris may be forgotten and that
no one will observe that the brutal British
blockade could be ended at once by our sur
render, even as the French ended the block
ade Of Paris Carried unanimously
"And whereas individual initiative is IN
imical to imperial interests and fosters the
detested democratic doctrines of countries
where culture unfortunately takes the place
of kultur, you are sentenced to group mink
ing. Germans must think, act, speak and
hate England as one man, including women
remembering always that France-beioved
France, which we admire so intensely since
Verdun-has not the cold. fish heart of Eng
land and would not force us to live on straw
ana IuTUlpS III our iuuutildlu' NS"''ANN
unanimously. with the exception of one So
cialist, who is sentenced to five years penal
servitude)
"And whereas il is evident that even oul
enemies love and admire Goethe. Beethoven
Schiller, Schumann, Heine, Wagner and other
Germans, who, alas, were not Prussians, and
who lived before the sun OF Prussianism had
arisen to its meridian glory to dim the candle
light of duller days, be it enacted that hence
forth the world transfer its hero worship &c
Won Tirpitz and Won Hindenburg, and that i
tremble in terror before the might of the
twin titans whom God, with the consent oil
the Kaiser has appointed to crush the un
prepared and commercial criminals who
forced this Unexpectedly long war on ma
ton as heavily armed as ourselves. Gar
red as per order.)
"And whereas the naval battle of Jutlanc
was such a tremer dously overwhelming vic
tory for Germany that his imperial ma esty
all rise together when Won H.-B. lifts his
hand and eXclaim, 'Hoch! Hoch. twice
strictly in time with the waving hand)-a'
was saying the Kaiser. with the instinct,
of a true sportsman. has allowed tie shat
tered fleet Of England eight months to res
up. But we mean to continue this careful
crushing OF proud Albion's navy until W,
gain the German freedom of the seize anC
until our ships can sail unchalenged anC
haunt our flag triumphantly on the Prussiar
blue. loud cheers, followed by the singing
of Die Wacht am Rhen.D
And whereas the submarine, raised BY
Prussian prestige from its lowly rank as Z
mere American toy to the honor of being
admitted to the German navy, has accom-
plished the hitherto impossible feat of sink
ing great passenger ships ten times it's size
and has made an indelble record which NJ
other nation will ever initiate, which record is
set in letters of imperishable brass in the his
tory Of Prussianized Germany, we now de
clare that though our underseaboats hav,
mainly given their attention TO the sinking
Of unarmed and unwarned passenger and