The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-11-14
The Kaiser as | Knew Him
for Fourteen Years
~0
By ARTHUR N. DAVIS. D. D. s..
CHAPTER X.
The kalsers Appraisal Of Public Men.

The kalsers Appraisal Of Public Men,
No one ever speaks to the kaiser I'M
til addressed. AS that mOnarch's opin-
ions on most subjects are firmly fixed
and he will stand no opposition, any
idea he may entertain Is
very apt to remain with him. His ad-
visers were apt to leave him In errol
rather than arouse his Ire by attempt
ing to set him right. But for the fact
that he was very fond of asking Innu-
merable questions, his store Of infor-
nation might have been extremely
scanty.
In the course Of my conversations
with him he frequently expressed his
views of men who were In the public
eye. Upon what basis they were
founded he did not always enl!ghten
me, but ever when I knew them to be
/ realized 1t was useless to
try to change them and did not often
take issue with him. When l did his
eyes would flash fire, but l had ex-
pected that and I continued just the
ame
The kaiser always seemed to take
a particular interest In American at
fairs, and while he professed to de-
spise our form Of government he
watched very carefully the careers Of
our public men. II Is not unlikely that
he imagined, as I have pointed out
elsewhere In these pages, that he could
influence our elections by swinging
the German-American vote In favor of
the candidate he preferred, and he
made a study of our public men In
order that he might know which Of
them would be more desirable In office
from the German viewpoint.
When Mr.. Wilson was nominated for
the presidency. the kaiser was quite
positive that he wouldn't be elected.
Perhaps the fact that Mr.. Roosevelt,
for whom at that time the kaiser had
the greatest admiration. was one OF
MI. Wilson's rivals. blinded him to the
strength which elected Wilson, but the
fact that the latter had had little ex-
perience In international politics un-
fitted him, In the kaiser's estimation.
for the important Office for which he
was running.
I saw the kaiser shortly after Mr..
Wilson's election.
II am very much surprised at the
result Of your election: he declared.
II didn't think your people would be
so foolish as to elect a college profess
o as president. What does a profess
sor know about international politics
and diplomatic afrairsf"
l haven't the slightest doubt that
the kaiser pictured our president as
q counterpart Of the typical German
professor plodding, impractical, I'M
ambitious bookworm with no hope or
desire Of ever earning more than $1,000
a year and no yearning for public &C
claim, a recluse. absent-minded and
s~elf-centered. who spent the midnight
oil porting over musty volumes and
paid little or no attention to what was
going on around him! Such q man,
the kaiser undoubtedly believed. the
United States had elected as its chief
executive and his surprise was more
or less natural In those circumstances.
When Wilson sent 5000 men to Vera
Cruz the kaiser felt that he had ex-
ceeded his rights.
"What right has Wilson to mix In
the internal affairs of Mexico" he
asked. "Why doesn't he allow them to
AOhk ~ nxrk arnAnn khorn0o1,oo II In
their affair, not hist" Germany had
many financial interests In Mexico and
looked with disfavor upon any move
we made In that direction.
When, however. the war In Europe
started the kaiser made every effort
to have America mix In international
affairs provided we fought on her side.
When / saw him just after the war
started he said we ought to seize the
opportunity to me Canada and
Mexico.
"Can't your president see the won
derful opportunity now for combin.
Ing with us and crushing England7"
he asked. with our feet on one side
and Americas or the other we could
destroy England's sea power. This II
Americas great opportunity to domi-
nate the western hemisphere. and your
president must see his chance to take
Canada and Mexicor"
A the war progressed ana reports
reached the kaiser Of our increased
shipments Of munitions to the allies,
the kaiser's impotence with Wilson be-
came o difficult TO repress, and
there was hardly an interview I had
with him In which he did not give
vent to his feelings In that connec-
tion.
MY officers are becoming so in
censed at Americas attitude" he told
me, 1T will be impossible for me to
restrain them much longer"
And when. on another occasion. he
accused Mr.. Wilson Of discriminating
against Germany. he made the Ne
mark: ~Wilson's In the hands of the
wan street groupi"
HIT, perhaps. the most bitter de-
nunclation i ever heard him make Of
lv1luon vroa ah0rflv After NE entered