Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-11-15
heads Of committees OF all the other
political parties were Mt times re-
ceiyed in conference.

| While the reichstag was little more
chan a children's debating society. the
growth and increasing power of the
| socialistic party, which was constantly
clamoring for the reform vote, could
not be ignored. and no doubt had a
great deal to do with the nilitarists'
| anxiety not to postpone the war too
! long.
After mobilization was ordered,
however, the kaiser decided to recede
from his position somewhat, and from
the balcony of the palace in Berlin, IN
front Of which an enormous crowd
! had gathered, he declared significant
ly: II recognize no parties. We are
now all Germans"
If anyone imagines, however, that
his kowtowing to the socialists in this
instance was evidence of permanent
change of heart, he little appreciates
how deeply rooted is the kaiser's alb.
horrence Of socialism and democracy.
Indeed, one Of the principal things the
kaiser hoped to accomplish by prose-
cutting the war to triumphant con-
clusion was the blow it would deal to
socialistic progress. He felt that
victory would make his army the idol
Of the people and that their monarch
would shine in the reflected glory Of
their martial achievements. A sue
cessful war. he believed. would set so
cialism back a hundred years.
Certain it is the war, brought no
>honr,o q, %ho l,oisor,o y,oroona1 hahita
Even to curry favor with the socialis-
tic element he never unbent to the
slightest degree in his outward dis
play Of kingly attributes. In all his
career the German people had never
seen their kaiser other than In his
royal uniform, and ut all military pa
rades or reviews he always rode q
white horse, that he might be most
conspicuous. and bore the royal mace
which his ancestors had carried centu-
ries before him. With the death
struggle between medieval monarchy
and democracy raging about him the
kaiser was determined to yield not q
title of his prerogatives. His auto:
mobile still made it's coming known by
its distinctive "tsde-tada-ta-ta"~ and
the royal palaces were maintained in
all their accustomed pomp. ,.-
But while the kaiser's armies were
triumphant in the field, the principle
which he was combating was every
where gaining ground. On March Is,
1917, the car abdicated and Russia,
whose autocratic' form Of government
had long been the envy Of the German
aristocracy, became q republic!
1.-THE downfall of the Russian en-
pire was brought about by England
because she feared that the car was
about to make separate peace" the
kaiser commented to me. GAS mat
ter of fact, however. neither the car
nor his government ever approached
us on that subject, and when England
overthrow the Russian monarchy she
defeated her very purpose. With the
car on the throne Russia would prob
ably have gone on fighting u.s. ~
Although the kaiser bore no particu-
lar love for the car, whom he was
fighting, he had no desire to convert
the empire into a democracy, and his
bitterness toward England for what
he thought was her part in the estab-
very pronounced.
When, a few months later, the abdi-
cation of the car was followed by the |
abdication of King Constantine Of
Greece, the kaiser sustained another
blow which hurt him more than the
defeat of one of his armies would |
have done.
"They are trying to force their rot
ten form of democratic government on
Greece" he declared f1ercely. The
way they have treated my poor sister,
the queen Of Greece, is a shame and q
disgrace. They talk about our inva-
sion Of Belgium, but their actions in
Greece are Infinitely worse. I have
studied the English people for twenty
five years, and they always try to
cover their acts with religion and the
talk of benefits to civilization and hui
mainly, but, hypocrites that they are,
they continue to grab all they can get
their hands on just the same!"
The fact that Greece had a treaty
with Serbia which required her to take
up arms If Serbia were attacked and
that she had failed to meet her Oblf-
cations in that respect was naturally
of no significance to the kaiser, to
whom treaties were but scraps Of pa
per.
The keynote of the kaiser's military
program lay in the fact that he real
lied that it was necessary for him to
win in order to hold his throne. feel
quite sure that if the allies were will
ling to concede to Germany all the ter
ritory she has conquered-Belgium,
Serbia, Poland, Roumania, Russia and
part Of France, and restore all her col
onies, upon condition that the kaiser
step down from the throne, he would
reject the proposition without a mo-
hesitation.
"Your country would IKE to make
republic out of Germany" he COM