Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-20
WILLIAM i A P|CMY
COM PARED TO NAP OLEON
Failed as Ruler, Legislator, Soldier;
a Man Of Commonplace
Mentalities.

The story that William II intended To
give himself up to the British when he
abandoned his army was short lived.
Holland, whose rcigning sovereign was n
woman, offered tempting asylum. In
tcrnmcnt was better than arraignrncnt
before criminal court IN England,
where n coroner had found the Kaiser
responsible for murder on the high seas,
| n pronouncement that had ugly posslbil-
tiles II was nj least syrnptomatic oi the
temper of the British people. He could
not have brought himself to follow the
example of Napoleon, who from bis re-
treat IN Rochefort, and before going .
board the Bclcrophon, addressed the f0l-
lowing letter to the Prince Regent
Exposed to The factions which DIS
tract my country aud to the enmltv
of the greatest powers oi Europe, !
have closed my political career, and
come, like Ehcmlstaeles 10 throw my
self upon the hosultnlitY of the British
people | put myself under the protection
of their law. which | claim from votif
Rovn tiighncss rs the most powerful,
the most constant and the most generous
oi my enemies
Has the kaiser thought ot exile in The
United States II WIS IN the mind o
Napoleon after his downfall He planned
n voyage to America, and sought per
mi from the British government 10
tho Bcllerophon. cruising between the
islands of OIerun and Re came Savarv
and I.as Casas with n letter from Ma
poeon asking whether the permit had
arrived and, IL not. whether his depart
urc would be prevented The reply was
that Captain Maitland bad orders to IN
tercept the fugitive Then II was that
the cX-cmporor dictated the letter tn the
Prince Regent and nude preparation. to
board the Bellcrnphan Accordng to re-
port. William II has considered Corfu
as n place of dirniiicl and Agreeable res
idcncc and Il Is rather curious that
Corfu, MS well rs II Helena was dIs
cuescd rs penItcntial lite-innr retreat
for Napoleon Nothing h,t M island
would do llba. So near France. hafi
proved too much like Il ptson-hallsc
without doors 81 Helena commended It
self rs place uf exile becaus3 i vas
remote ~ stormy seas aud all the land
ings were protected hv batteries II may
be recalled that before CAPTAIN Maitland
set sail for - Helena with hs renowned
captive a futile attempt was made a.
serve a sulprna from The Court Il
Ming Bench IN trrirnprd NJ sut far
libel ~ which The cN-efnprrGr was
, wanted ms - witness Nnpolcan
friends had hlRh olnnlon II tic con
vcnient processes oi English law II
William were to hc brought before tbe
accusing corpner the defendant would
have NJ trouble ~ retaining ~ adrolf
king counsel.
Rail as lac might at hs Imprisonment
on 81 Helena Napoleon. Who bud hcfn
declared IN OUTLAW hv The 'angress oi
Vienna. must have learpcd tlat upon lls
surrcadcr England had dcciled t. itfat
him a@ = prisoner of the allied spWers
and that his detention vas approved II
convention Signed on Aug ? IT Part~.
tho associated powers engaging 10 NJ
point commissioners IT, witness tie
custody Il the llustrlonH enemy oi So
cictvs On July II before Napoleon saw
the shores 81 England fade from his
SIght sir Henry RunburY. secretary -
the admiralty. and Lord kciti III com
luaud al Plymouth, cxnInltcd 10 hin 4
document the purport of which was that
10 insure the peace Of Europe, winch he
had violated from his retreat III Elha
he was to pass his remaining days IN II
Helena Peace with him would pe only
truce Alexander Of Russia had told
Caulaincourt Pleading before the first
abdication. for the basis of the old from
tiers, with Napoleon promising good 9
fiHNlDr tsAlie 10 Tibi lifttl KHtH llSlSitI
upon. but even cxli had proved \ truce.
The cases of Napoleon and the former
German emperor are parallel III some
respects, in others not Il William Il
has not been n great soldier. he has been
the cause Of far more blooeshed and
misery, which he could have prevented
by refusing 10 exercise his Var powers.
Both Napoleon and William planned to
set up a vast empire, 10 dominate the
world Napoleon made var manY tunes
to realize his ambition William thought
to accomplish his object IN one desoiating
conflict He failed ignomlnlonslv ard
meanly, after falsely protesting himself
a friend of peace for twenty-five years
| Military glory mahcs no halo around the
| head Of William. He VAS uot Il hero
! to hIS own army, for he summed the
| perls Of the battlefield He has not been
! distinguished as n legislator nor as an ed
| uCator lie has had no conception OF
| human liberty Ills mental qualities
are commonplace. PoSterity will regard
! HIM aS more responsible than any other
] human being for the sacrifice of millions
Of lives in the great war, rs ruler who
might have been benehcent and wise, but
attempted TO destroy the liberties ot
mankind and to raise on their runs an
odious despotism To forgive him and 10
| forget his terrible transgresslons would
| be to condonc them.
1t can never he said Of Williams ca
reer what Professor j. Holland Rose
has said of Napoleon 5: THE man who
| hridIcd the revolution and remolded the
life of France, who laid broad and deep
the foundations Of a new life in Italy
Switzerland, and Germany, who rolled
the west in on the east IN the greatest
! movement known since he Cnrsades.
and finally drew the yearnine thoughts
of myriads to that solitary rock in the
South Atlantic. must ever stand III the
very forefront, Of the nnmortals Of htl-
man history William can hc immortal
only in his bad cminence New York
Times
Na1tr.I Jar,a0a claims .tVfiuSf prt3s.i.t