The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-13
LIGHT ON GERMAN PUBLIC OPINION

The Outlook: We learned, first
| from the Milan Corriere della Sera,
and then from the Journal de Gen
eve, two Of the best newspapers OF
continental Europe, that Prince Alex
ander zu Hohenlohe has been print
ing in the Neue Zeitung. of Zurich,
Switzerland, three remarkable art
icles on the present state of German
public opinion. These articles ap-
peared in the latter part of May, and
are noteworthy because of the per-
sonalHy of the writer. The Hohen-
lobe family is one of the Oldest and
most aristocratic in Germany. 1t is
Bavarian, and its members have held
positions of power and Importance in
the military and civil government OF
the German states for several CEN
turtles. When Hohenlohe speaks,
therefore, he speaks with knowledge
and authority.
Prince Shlodwig zu Hohenlohe was
an important statesman OF the nine
teenth century. He succeeded Cap
rivi as imperial German chancellor,
and was succeeded by Prince Won
Bulow in 1900, who was, in turn, sue
ceeded in 1909 by the present chan
cellor, Won Bethmann Hollweg. Thus
only the short period of seventeen
years has elapsed since Hohenlohe
filled place of Importance in the
German government second only to
that of Kaiser Wilhelm II himself.
The author of the articles in the
Zurich Neue Zeitung is a son of the
late chancellor, and, while he has
inherited the somewhat liberal ten
denotes of his father and is out Of
o., l. L.. l.
published in 1906 the frank and crit
ical "reminiscences of his father (who
did not like the Prussian method Of
'propagating enlightenment with a
big stick''), he is, Of course, far from
being destructive radical. His COM
ments on present political and social
conditions in Germany are highly
significant-perhaps more significant
| than the outspoken opinions of the
free-lance Macmillan Harden or the
| radical socialists journal Vorwarts
While the latter two are often quot.
ed in American newspapers, we have
seen no comment in the American
daily press on Prince Alexander zu
| Hohenlohe's articles, and therefore
describe and translate from the orig
inal articles in the Nue. Burche Zeit-
ung, which we have now received.
| Prince zu Hohenlohe begins by &C.
cusing Chancellor Won Bethmann
Hollweg' of dangerous insincerity. Did
he not promise at the outbreak Of
the war, in a speech in the reichstag,
to restore the independence of Bel
GUM and to indemnify her for her
terrible losses? And yet today he
appears to align himself with the Pan
Germanists, the militarists, and the
! junkers, who are demanding anneXa-
tion of foreign territories and in
IDENTITIES for themselves. This the
prince calls "a bitter deception a
phrase which he uses as the title Of
his. three articles. He declares that
the chancellor does not answer the
questions which the masses of the
German people are beginning to ask
in their anguish: Where is the gov
eminent leading US? What does it
want of us now that the menace of
an invasion by Russian despotism
has disappeared? Is it really for the
defense of our homes and our right
to existence that we must still bear
! the sufferings we are enduring? Or
does the government exact these
| terrific sacrifices from US in order
| to satisfy the Unsuitable ambitions of
| the aristocracy and. to save the al
ready compromised prestige OF the
ruling dynasty" If Germany is to