The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-11-14

He had pointed out that America at
that time had only 10000 men In
France and he believed that the u
boats would effectively prevent any
great addition to our forces abroad, if,
indeed, they ever left our shores.
AS matter Of fact, however" he
added, 'yOur cOuntrymen would be
very willing, no doubt, to fight for their
country to protect it from invasion,
but don't believe you'll ever get many
Of them to leave home TO fight abroad.
America will really be a very small
factor in the war, Davisi7
your majesty is Understanding
the power of America - replied.
He turned to me Indignantly, and in
his most imperiOu5 manner exclaimed:
I'VE underestimate no onei We
know exactly what we are doingI"
How seriously he was mistaken In
this respect has since been sufficiently
proved
No matter how gloomy the outlook
for Germany, the kaiser seldom show
ed concern. 1t Is true that whenever
things were going wrong, as when the
Russians in the early part of the war
were sweeping everything before them
in their advance on the Carpathians,
he and the rest of the royal family
kept as far in the background as pos
sible, whereas when the German cause
was triumphant, as in the case of the
offensive against Italy, ne could not
make himself too conspicuous at the
front.
But even when Germany's adversely
was greatest, the kaiser always put on
4 brave front. At such times 1 have
seen him stop in the street, after Ieav-
ing my office, and before the hundreds
of people waiting outside to greet him,
ostentatiOusly put a cigarette in his
mouth and light it, that everyone might
notice how steady his hand was and
how little he was worried by the turn
things were taking.
At the same time, on one or two Oc-
casiOns after the war started, noticed
that he acted differently when in the
dental chair than had been his custom
when everything was serene.
The kaiser once boosted to me that
not building was erected in Germany,
not a bridge built. not a street opened.
not park laid out, but what the prof
ect was first submitted TO him. He
kept posted on everything that was
going on, not only In Germany, but in
the world at large, and, as far as he
was able, he endeavOred to have his
finger in every development of world
wide Importance. 1 cannot imagine
that he was less interested in what his
were doing in connection
with the war than he was in their
achievements in time OF peace.
If he did not actually order the sink
ing of the LuSitania, therefore I am
convinced that he was thoroughly
aware of the plan to blow it up and
sanctioned it. That he could have
averted it if he had been prompted to
to do so is clearly indicated by another
incident which left a very deep i'm
preston upon me-
I was Informed by one of the Ger
man aviatOrs that plans had been
made to drop gas bombs on London
which contained a deadly gas which |
would penetrate the cellars of houses
in which civilians were in the habit |
of hiding during air raids.
Shortly before this hideous idea was |
to be put into effect the papers an
nOunced that bombs of this character |
had been dropped by the allies on
but that, fortunately, |
they had fallen in a clump of woods |
in the center Of the town and had fail |
ed to explode, which had given the
Germans an opportunity to take them
apart and ascertain their nature.