The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-16

The phrase "scrap of paper" frequer of the Journals trace the chancellor's utterance. The Petit Parisien Is not
 Though the chancellor changes the German masters remain the same. It is they and not the retiring function ary who desired the war to satisfy their appetite for universal domination. In what measure may they have changed their minds, and are they capable of speaking up now for peace Just in such measure they realize that defeat is approaching; in such meas ure as the intolerable suffering of their hungry peoples are growing
 "Bethmann- -Hollweg is being dis missed because of his declarations and but his successor will be no less bound by his acts and words than was this docile functory who nevsr dared J to take the initiative. He whc gets his portfolio will inherit his burden and the same insurmountable difficulties"
 Le Journal says:
 The chancellor was so accustomed to let things be that he seems to be surprised to find himself at the boz tom of the abyss. His famous excia- nation, "a scrap of paper echoes like a cry of distress. It seems now as if Bethmann- Hollweg had foreseen the catastrophe"
 TRAGIC ERA FOR GERMANY
 In the view of L'Homme Enchaine, the chancellors retirement beginning of tragic era for Ger many. It pictures an immense black gulf yawning beneath the feet of the great militarized nation and terms the chancellor man of straw.
 The Action Francaise says that the chancellor's departure indicates the depth to which inc Germans have dc- scended In their spirit of violence and ambition.
 Libre Parole says:
 The scrap of paper has finished by strangling Bethmann-H -Hollweg. Lib- erated long ago by the war party, the chancellor made a supreme effort to hook up with the peace party. The latter rejected him because it consld- cred him compromising"
 The Gaulois concludes its rather biographical articles with the words:
 And there Is the war machine; long oiled and furnished no longer running as 1t had been expected it would; and there in the Reichstag it- self are tactless men demanding that the promises of the government be not treated by him (Bethmann- Hollweg) like scraps of paper. There was ter- rible Usefulness 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
 Nearly all these newspapers com ment on the singular coincidence that Dr. Won Bethmann- -Hollweg's career as chancellor ended on an anniversary :, of the day 1t begun-July IA.
 ZIMMERMANN'S SUCCESSOR.
 Copenhagen, July 15.-The Berlin correspondents report that Count Brockdorff- -Rantzaus the German min ister at Copenhagen, has been selected to succeed pr. Alfred Zimmerman as imperial foreign secretary. This would mean the return of the aristocratic tra- ditions of the German service.
 Count Brockdorff- -Rantzau is born" in the German sense of the word, and highly connected at court through his twin brother, who holds high court position. and through his mother, Coun- tess Brockdoff- Rantzau. mistress of the robes to the Empress, and one of the nct ov+c ages in court life.
 Far more important for America is the role which Count Brockdorff- Rantzau played with respect to Ger man American relations during the war. Ambassador Won Bernstorff. at : Washington, not being satisfied with the conduct of relations through the prescribed channel owing to the vig- orous attitude of Ambassador Gerard, at Berlin. the German government en- deavored to open an alternative chan ne! through Count Brockdorff- -Rantzau and used the minister to transmit to Washington through the American min ister at Copenhagen. communications designed to take the edge from tense situations and build up working agree ments with the United States.
 KNOWN AS A SLUGGARD
 Count Brockdorff Rantzau long had labored in this direction. Finally he be- came convinced that the adoption of unrestricted submarine warfare and a breach with the United States were in evitable. After the failure of the Ger man peace proposals he accepted the pending rupture as a fact.
 Chancellor Won Bethmann- Hollwes and pr. zimmermann. after the conn plete rupture, endeavored to treat the American declaration of a state of war as non existent. or, at least. to act as if the declaration that state of war existed was not binding upon Ger many. But Count Brockdorff- Rantzau cherished no such Illusions.
 The new foreign secretary has a su-