Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-11-15
CHAPTER VI.
pemoeraeys Worst Enem,

Democracys Worst Enemy. a..
The great military machine which
the kaiser had built up during the first
28 years of his reign ''for the purpose
J: ct maintaining peace was constantly
itching for war. There was q feeling
among the militarists that while it
was all right for the kaiser to assume
the role Of the "Prince Of Peace" dur
ing the period of preparation, 1t was
i possible to everyday the part. He so
/ frequently referred to- the fact that
His sole purpose in maintaining q large
army and navy was to maintain peace
I that the war lords Of Germany began
/ to fear that perhaps he might mean it
~ The murder of the sArchduke Franz
S Ferdinand, the successor to the Aus
I trian throne, and his wife by Ser
bian on June %, 1914, gave Germany
$he excuse for which she had been
1 waiting so long to start European
eondagration and found Austria as
anxious for war as her ally.
But even had Emperor Franz Joseph
shown reluctance to plunge his nation
into war and had Austria refused to
ehastise Serbia for the murder of the
Archduke doubt very much whether
the kaiser would have allowed that
event to have gone unavenged.
It touched him in one of his most
vulnerable spots. The sanctity of roy
atty Is one of his most cherished ideas.
He felt sponsor for the monarchies
of the world. as we feel sponsor for
the democracies. a thrust at throne
was stab at the kaiser's heart, and
with or without the cooperation Of
Austria firmly believe he would have
gone to any lengths to have avenged
the crime of Sarajevo. 81 F..
It is true that the kaiser sent
message to the car of Russia in
which he pointed cut that Austria
ought to be allowed to chastise Serbia
without Interference from the other
European powers, remarking, 1--WE
princes must hold together" but there
can be no doubt that that was very
far from the outcome dearest to his
heart If, indeed, the punishment of
Serbia had been accomplished with
cut war the kaiser would have been a
most disappointed man, and IL Russia
had failed to mobilize her troops,
which gave Germany pretext for
crossing the Russian border, haven't
the slightest doubt that Germany
anyway, knowing that France would
follow. der Tag" (the day. had
come for which Germany had been
planning and plotting, and nothing on
earth could now interfere with the ex-
ecution of the program.
How firmly the kaiser was welded
TO the dynastic idea and how deeply
he abhorred the spirit of democracy
was revealed throughout the whole
course of his life, and in his converse
tons with me he frequently gave ex-
preston to views which disclosed how
thoroughly he believed in the "divine
right of kings"
? I saw him shortly after Wilson's
election in 1912.
with a professor at its head?" he
asked, sneeringly. "Davis, your coun-
try will never be truly great until it |
becomes q monarchy"
On another occasion he sneered at |
conditions in England.
, "Look at England today" he re-
marked. "She is ruled by Lloyd |
George, a socialist! Why, England Is
virtually a republic, as bad as France!
What's become of the king of Eng |
land? One never hears of him any |
more! Why doesn't he assert him
self" The tone Of disgust with which |
he gave vent to these sentiments was |
more significant, perhaps, than the
words used might imply.
"Your president is trying to over
throw me and my family from the
throne Of Germany by his notes." he
commented bitterly, when saw him
shortly after the publication of the
presidents reply to the pope, but he
little understands how loyal are my
people and now futile his efforts will
prove. They held meetings recently
all over the empire, in every city and
village, and showed their allegiance
to me in no uncertain way, and your
president received the answer from
my people that he deservedi" won
dered whether the kaiser was unaware
Of the fact that all these meetings
Had been inspired by the government
and their useful agent, the press, or
whether he was once again making
use Of his histrionic ability.
Although Germany is regarded as
the cradle of socialism, to the kaiser
It was a cancer which was slowly eat
ing away the foundations Of his en-
pire and he viewed it's progress with
the direst misgivings.
Before the war he steadfastly re-
fused to receive Il deputatiOn of So
cialists and never once gave an audi
ence to the leaders Of Fthe socialist
marty in the reichstae. although the