The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-18
'KAISER'S QUEST
 RESEMBLES THAT OF SPANISH KING.
Ambitions of German Elm peror Like Those of
 Philip LII

Democracy and civilization are tao ing a crisis such as faced Protestan- tism and progress in the 18th Gen. tury.
 Phillip II, sitting upon the Spanish throne, plunged Europe into suc- cession of wars that, with short inter missions, lasted for 30 years. Now, after lapse of more than three cen uries, William II, sitting upon the throne of Germany, aspiring to univer- sal dominion and fancying himself annointed of God for the suppression of democracy and the extermination of Democrats. has precipitated a con- f1ict, deluging Europe in blood, in- volving nearly all Christendom and imperiling the existance of civiliza- | ton.
 It is not a mere coincidence, but proof of her steadfastness in defense of human rights that England in both instances should have presented an inf1exible barrier to the pretensions of | tyranny.
 ! In the time of Phillip she came to the assistance of the Netherlands and frustrated his efforts to subdue those rebellious colonies. In the time of William II she came to the rescue of Belgium, a part of Phillips Neither lands, and thus became an invaluable ally of her old enemy, France, in an hour of peril.
 l Many persons iD this country, har l boring prejudices born of revolution ary differences are inclined to cavil at England, but such should never forget that England was the birth place of human liberty and has al- ways stood heroically by it's defense. 1 The Spanish Netherlands, which included both Belgium and Holland of the present day, revolted against the intolerant rule of Phillip and that monarch sent his nephew. the greatest soldier of the day in Europe, Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, to subdue them
 ! William of Orange, progenitor of another of the same name, who about a century later became King of Eng land, known from his reticent astute- ness as William the Silent" on the whole successfully stayed the advance of Parma, through the latter having the advantage of superior force, i overran the greater part of the pres i ent-day Kingdom of Belgium. l But Philip relied not solely on the military skill of his captains, nor the aid of Divine Providence. Intrigue and assassination were potent weap- 1 Ons in his hands. His spies filled every capital in Europe, while his hired assassins infested the Neither i lands and England. A plot fostered in London by Men doZa for the murder of Elizabeth, discovered in time to be frustrated, resulted in the execution of the se- lected instrument, Barry, and the ex- pulsion of Mendoza, who disgraced the position as Ambassador.
 But Philips designs against evil liam the Silent were more success ful. He was murdered at Delft July 10, 1884, by the bullet of a fanatic, whom subsequent disclosures have the King of Spain-
 '"The industrious letter writer of the EscoriaI," as Motley called the
 arch plotter, Interrupted his daily saying of prayers long enough on hearing the news to remark: Had it only been done two years earlier much trouble might have been spar ed me; but 'tis better late than never"
 Philip was not one of those admira- ble historical characters whose ex- ample is worthy of emulation, least of all murderous plottings, yet Kaiser William has seemed to find the latter particularly to his liking. He has filed every country on earth with his spies, even as we have discovered to i our cost.
 His spies have not confined them | selves to prying into military and diplomatic secrets; they have also actively promoted destruction of our industries and melted sedition and i murder.
 In von Bernstorf, his Ambassador to this long too friendly country. he had a worthy counterpart of Philips Mendoza. We may not have evidence i that Bernstorf actually plotted the murder of our Chief Magistrate but we have abundant evidence that he fonented incendiarism, sedition, the murder of artisans and, through for 1 eign complications, the dismember- ment of our Union.
 1 If Bernstorff, acting for the Kaiser, was not the prime mover in the ex- posed intrigues of Zimmerman with regard to Mexico and Japan, there