Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-03

assertive. $50 M. Painleve wants Al
sace-Lorraine, does he? Good, but
he must come and take it,"
The following day he telegraphed
a federation of German unions. The
Fatherland is proud of its young
and old warriors. They will stand
against all hostile attacks and GRIM
inal attempts to introduce disunion
into the ranks of the German. peo-
pie in arms, indissolubly bound to
their ancestral purpose"
Beginning with the present year,
the tone of assurance noticeably
dropped. On March 10, 1918, he adj
dressed the Prussian upper house,
saying: Even If the road to gen.
eral peace is Il long one, a good be-
ginning has been made, and L con-
fidently trust that our victorious
sword and steadfast unity in this
serious work will soon bring "
within sight of the goal, which will
give us the great peace. God grant
it,"
On March 20, after the great Ger
man drive in France had begun, he
wired Hindenburg: The army will
not relax, until. with Gods help, it
has won for the homeland the good
victory which 1t needs as the founda-
ton or future based upon a strong
German peace"
A few days later he said to Ger
man author: The German sword
will regain us the respect of the
world. In France the detestable word
| 'Boche' is getting ever rarer. Things
will become different The sword
makes us respected"
| On May 15, 1918, he addressed
the town council of AiX-la-C -Chapelle,
and here again his grief" for
France became vocal.
Il inspected half a devastated
France" he said. There, gentlemen
one obtains the right impression of
| the awful state that has been spared
the fatherland. Whoever should grow
! faint-hearted, ought to come to the
| front and see the devastation. Then
| he would cease to lament his fate
and be satisfied with his lot and
bear patiently the hardships and
| priVations of wars horrors.
! Our opponents have had bad
/ time. They deserved nothing else
Our task in the west will be accomp-
! lished, but we must be patient. We
cannot settle in a day armies of mil
| lions.'
A little before that, in a speech
| to the Second Army, the boastfulness
came out when he said: THE most
| gigantic feat ever accomplished by
an army, and one without parallel
in history, has been accomplished
| by the German army. / do not boast
! 1t is fact and nothing else. Moth
ing can in any way place in the
shade or surpaSs what you have ac.
complished. however great and over.
! whelming it may be. . We dc
| xnnur Nuh ic OF -,
u.s. but you have seen how, in the
four years of war, Gods hand ha.
visibly prevailed, punished treach
cry and rewarded heroic persist
ence."
In telegram to the Sultan OF
November 8, 1917, he said: "MaN
our armies soon bring peace-oul
only aim in this righteous fight"
As the German drive commenced
last March, he sent a message to tn,
Schleswig- Holstein Provincial Coun
Gil, saying: We are at the decisiV,
moment of the war and one of thu
greatest moments in German his
tory" BY August the best he hoped
for, as he expressed it in a telegram
10 the Austrian emperor, was g;
good peace"
At the same time he addresse,
|
August /, 1918, with this not over
confident message: The fourth yea
of the war has brought us peace il
the east. In the west the enemy ha
been heavily hit by the force of YOU
aN ault. The battles won in recen
months count among the highes
deeds in fame in German history
You are in the midst of the hard
est struggle. The desperate efforts o
the enemy will, as hitherto, be foil
ed by your bravery. or that an
certain, and, with me, the entir
Fatherland."
Ten weeks later there was a dee
note of desperation in his speecl
when he addressed his soldiers il
Alsace, saying: Neither the Frencl
nor the Americans will breal
through our front in Alsace-L Lor
raine. We shall defend with the las
drop of our blood these province
which belong to us, and which tn
; Almighty has entrusted us to ad
minister as His stewards. We are un
der divine protection"
That was on October s. Within
thirty days the Kaiser had abdi
Gated.