The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-12-12
CHAPTER Discontinued.


Bulgarians are wonderful fighters" he
confessed to me, shortly after the war
began. They're out-of-doOr people
and they have the strength and stam-
ina which fighters require. If they
keep on the way they're going they'll
be in Constantinople in a week. Con-
found those TurksI We furnished
them guns and ammunition and
trained their officers, but if they won't
fight we can't make them. We've done
our best!"
The defeat of the Turks iessened
their value to the kaiser as an ally
and he Immediately put into effect
measure for increasing the German
standing army from t5O.UO0 to 100000
to restore the balance of power. they
said. For this purpose a ''Wehrbei-
trag," or increased armament tax, was
levied on capital and, incidentally. L
was informed that 1 would have to
pay my share. The idea of paying
tax to upbuild the German army,
which was already so powerful that
it menaced the peace of the world,
did not appeal to me at all and
spoke TO Ambassador Gerard about it.
He advised me to pay it under protest,
agreeing with me that there was no
reason why an American should be
required to contribute to the German
war budget. However, 1 had to pay it.
The German efforts at colonization,
which were more or less of a failure
because the Germans refused to in
habit the German possessions, and the
% Nhn
mercial markets of the world were an
important part of the program of world
domination which Germany planned
for herself, anG it is not unlikely that
If she had confined her efforts along
those lines she might have progressed
further along her chosen path than she
has advanced by bathing the world in
blood.
IT have nearly 100000 people,"
the kaiser said to me on one occasion,
''and we shall have to find room for
them somewhere. When we became
an empire England had her hands on
nearly everything. Now we must
fight to- get ours. That is why l am
developing our world markets, just as
your country secured Hawaii and the
Philippines as stepping stones to the
markets of the far east, as l under
stand it. That's why 1 developed the
wonderful city of KiaO-Chau."
His plans in this connection were
changed somewhat apparently by the
developments of the present war, for
he told me that when it was over the
Germans would not emigrate to the
United States any more
mo more American emigration for
US after the war;" he said My
people will settle in the Balkans and
develop and control that wonderful
country. 1 have been down there and
know it is a marvellous land for our
purposes"
The kaiser'S vision of the part he
would take in the reconstruction of
stricken Europe was indicated by
remark he made to me in 1916 when
I was visiting him at the army head
quarters at Pless.
"Here 1 am nearly sixty years Of
age" he soliloQuized. land must re-
build the whole of Europe!"
Although the kaiser so freely admit
ted his designs on the world at large,
on the part of other nations. He often
spoke of England's grabbing pro-
pensity and viewed with suspicion our
annexation of Hawaii and the Philip
pines and our development of Cuba
after the Spanish-American war. He
professed to see in our new policy q
striving after world power which was
inconsistent with the principles upon
which our government was founded.
He objected to our interference in
Mexican affairs, although. as was dis
closed by the Zimmerman note to Won
Eckhardt, he was making every effort
to have Mexico interfere with ours.
what right has President Wilson
to attempt to dictate the internal poll
cies of Mexico?" he asked. why not
let them fight their battles out alone? ?"
Abiding to Americas threat to en-
ter the present war, he asked: 'What
right has America to insist upon the
Monroe doctrine of America and then
mix in European affairs? Let her rec
ognize also a Monroe doctrine of Eu-
rope and keep her hands out of this
conflict
There is no doubt that the kaiser
imagined that the great army and navy
he had built up would enable him to
carry out his ambitious program with
out effective resistance.
The one power he most feared but
for which he prOfessed the utmost con
tempt was England. He had an idea
that England would never dare tC
measure swords with Germany anC
that he could provoke a war when the
opportune moment came without much
fear of England'S Intervention.
In 1911. when the international stu
alton over the Moroccan affair wa:
particularly acute as a result of Ger
manys having sent gunbOat TO Aga
dir to demonstrate that she was seri
Gus in her demands. the kaiser hal
great hopes that war with Franc,
might thus be precipitated and he wa.
confident that England would keep gu
of it.
england would be afraid to wa
with u.s." he told me at the time, 70
fear of losing Egypt. India and Ireland
Any nation would think twice befor
fighting my armies, but England par
ticuiarIy because she would not dar
- -;Sly ff.o IaSS of bor Ox,orSoos -;