Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-17

spirit in her people, but in trying to
establish friendships abroad where
they would do the most good in the
event Of a world-war.
The German military preparation
was more or less obvious. The
Kaiser was always its warmest ad-
vocate and frankly admitted that it
was his intention to remain armed to
the teeth, although he protested to
me many times that his sole object
was to maintain the peace of the
world.
In 1913, for instance, was in The
Hague when Carnegie delivered a
speech at the opening of the Peace
Palace, in the coursei of which he
declared that the Kaiser was a
STUN bling block in the way of world
peace. When 1 got back to Berlin, I
mentioned the fact to the Kaiser,
hoping to draw him out.
Yes, l know exactly what Car
negie said at The Hague" he replied
rather testify, and 1 don't like the
way he spoke at all. He referred to
me as the 'war-lord' and said l was
standing in the way of world-peace.
Let him look at my record of twen-
| ty-five peaceful years on the throne!
| No, the surest means to maintain the
peace of the world is my big army
| and navy! Other nations will think
! twice before going to war with us!"
The fact that he had previously ac-
cepted 100000 marks form Car
negie for the furtherance of uni
versal peace didn't seem to occur to
him.
The world at large has learned
more or less of German intrigue and
/ propaganda since the war. but it is
not generally known that the same
sort of thing was going on even more
actively in times of peace. Countless
m essages, of the most subtle and in
sidious character, were taken to lull
! into a sense of false security the ma
tions she intended eventually to at
tack and to inspire fear in or COM
mand the respect of nations which
she hoped would remain neutral or
might even be induced to throw in
their lot with hers in the event of
war.
In this phase of Germany's prepa-
ration for war, the Kaiser took a
| leading part.
1t is a fact, for instance, that prac-
tically every officer in the Chilean
army is a German, and the Kaiser
has spared no pains to foster the
| friendship of the South American
republics, commercially and diplo-
matically.
! One of the South American min
isters told me of an eX-president of
Peru who had visited Berlin. This
Peruvian had previously visited Lon
don and Paris and had received little
or no official attention in either of
those capitals For reasons best
known to himself, the Kaiser decid-
ed to cater to this gentleman. and
accordingly arranged an audience.
In the discussion which took place
when they met, the Kaiser displayed
such remarkable acquaintance
with Peruvian affairs and the fam
| lily history and political career of
his visitor that the South American
was stunned. When he returned
home he carried with him most ex-
! alted idea of the all-pervading wis
dom of the German Emperor. To
what extent the Kaiser had spent the
midnight oil preparing for this in
terview. / have no knowledge, but
knowing the Importance he placed
upon making a favorable impression
at all times, 1 have mental picture
of his delving deeply into South
American lore in preparation for his
guest.
| There is nothing dearer to the
| Kaiser than caste and social distinc-
! ton. Morganatic marriages were ma
turally abhorrent to him. Neverthe-
less, before Archduke Franz Ferdi-
nand, the successor to the Austrian
throne, was murdered. the Kaiser
not only recognized his morganatic
wife, who was only a countess, but
went out of his way to show her
Difference. He placed her at his
right at all state functions which
she attended. To bring Austria and
Germany closer together, he was
willing to waive one of his deep
rooted prejudices.
The significance of the Kaiser's
many visits to Italy. his presentation
of statue to Stockholm, his yacht
ing excursions in Scandinavian wa
ters, his fiirtations with Turkey from
his castle on the Island of Corfu, and
similar acts of ingratiation, becomes
quite apparent in the face of more
recent developments, but his efforts
to curry favor with America during
all the years of peace which pre-
ceded the war were so much more
elaborate that they deserve more
than passing mention.
No more subtle piece of propa-
ganda was ever conceived than the
Kaiser's plan of exchanging profess
sors between the UnTed States and
Germany through the establishment
of the Roosevelt and Harvard chairs
at the University of Berlin and cor
responding chairs at Harvard and
other American universities. Osten-
sibly the purpose of the project was
to foster goodwill between the two
nations. Actually. 1t was intended to