Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-10-24

USeu I'D uOUllEe Hill very IuuCus Uut
now think the man has gone crazy
and lost his mind. ] never thought he
would turn against us like thnt!" He
did not seem to realize that patriotic
American owed allegiance to his own
country.
N 1910 asked him whether he had
heard that Mr.. Ford was on his way
over from America in chartered shir
with delegation.
"Who. Peace-Ford7" he inquired.
/ told the kaiser what had read OF
the Ford expedition.
"HOw can your country allow man
like that to do this thing-a man who
has played no part In the politics Of his
own country and is entirely ignorant
of international affairs man who, /
understand, was formerly in the BIZ
cycle business and knows very little
outside of business matters7
II haven't the slightest doubt Mr..
Ford Is a great business man." the
kaiser went on. land am sure he
means all right, but whit mistake
1t Is to allow man so ignorant Of
world affairs to do ridiculous thing
like this!"
l told the kaiser that 1t had been
suggested In some Of the American
papers that II Ford really wanted to
end the war. all he had to do was to
pay Germany $100.OOO.O0O and buy
Belgium back.
Zone hundred million dollars!" the
kaiser repeated, and then after q mo-
ment's reflection, as though he had
been turning over some figures in his
mind. mo. Davis, 1t will cost much
more than that to get Belgium back!"
1t occurred to me that IL the kaiser
really meant what he said on that oc-
casion, all his talk about peace with
out annexation" was obviously myth
and that the only hope Of Belgium's
redemption lay in the military defeat
Of Prussia. Subsequent developments
amply confirmed that view.
In the winter of 1916. we were talk.
ing Of the sentiment in America and
the conversation turned to Won Berns-
tori.
"Von Bernstorff has been doing very
good work in your country" the kaiser
commented.
swell, your majesty" I replied, ut is
said in America that If he had not been
such clever diplomat he would long
ago have been compelled to leave"
"From all I hear" the kaiser said.
che hasn't had very easy time Of 1t.
The American press as whole has
been conspicuously anti-German, al
though understand that one of your
newspaper publishers has been friend
ly TO us. Mr.. Hearst, for Instance. has
helped our cause very much in your
country. He has been telling the truth
about affairs, which is more than most
Of the other papers have been doing!"
Just before the king Of Greece abdl-
Gated. the kaiser referred to the atti-
tude Of the American press again.
'The way the American newspapers
and the press Of the allied countries
generally are presenting the Grecian
situation to the world is absolutely
false and a disgracei' he declared. bit
terly. "They are entirely misrepre-
senting the facts. Mr.. Hearst Is the
only one, az far as can fnd. who has
revealed the real conditions and told
the truth about them. Ny, wonder
what the people have to say now that
Mr.. Hearst has finally exposed the
whole thing!' It was only q short
time afterwards that the king abdicat-
ed and revealed Enthusiastically which
papers had correctly interpreted the
trend Of Grecian politics.
The kaiser spoke to me many times
about the writings Of William Bayard
Hale.
Have you been following Hale's N.
ticlesr' he inquired. what he u
writing about the war ID excellent and
Is really the best material published.
He voices my sentiments exactly, and
1t would be we'll for every American 70
follow this writer's work"
had to confess that there was one
American at least who was not only
not following Hale's writings. but had
never heard 1 the writer, and the
kaiser seemed 10 b somewhat dis
pleased.
He referred to hale several times
subsequently and IN the meanwhile I
had ascertained that the man In Ques.
ton was the representative in Berlin
oe the Hearst newspapers apd I sub
sequently learned that he had pub
lished book called american Rights
and British Pretensions at Sea-" which
explained at once to me why the kaiser
was so enthusiastic about him.
In the course OF one of our many
conversations on the subject Of Amer
lean munitions, the kaiser paid his re-
spects to Mr.. Schwab.
what can one expect from Schwnb,
who is using the Bethlehem steel plant
to work against us7" he asked. ''He is
Of Austrian Jew extraction ana would
work against anyone for the sake Of
the money that's In iti'
"Fm Following affairs In America
very closely" he told me on another
occasion. before we entered the war.
''Not all at your senator's arS against
us. Senator Stone. for instance. 10
taking a vnssv Stron0 nouRral stand 7