The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-12-12

anu hEICU, Oh duOluOE OCGdSlOEs LC
accused Mr.. Wilson of discriminating
against Germany, he made the re-
mark: Wilson's in the hands Of the
Wall street group!"
But, perhaps. the most bitter de-
nunciation 1 ever heard him make of
Wilson was shortly after we entered
| the war. / had been summoned to
| the great army headquarters to see
| him, and when he entered the room
he appeared to be in a towering rage.
Indeed, his condition was so apparent
that the kaiserin, who was also pres
ent, sought to excuse him with the
explanation that he had been very
much upset and had been sleeping
very poorly. and she asked me to treat
him gently and tried to soOthe him
at the same time. but he told her TO
leave the room and resented her show
ing me that she petted him.
We said little while 1 was at work,
but when 1 was through and was pre-
pari"g to leave, the kaiser stepped
toward me and said:
Davis, Wilson is a real scoundrei J"
My face flushed, 1 suppose, at this
Insult to our president, and my re-
sentiment was so apparent that the
kaiser Immediately. patted me on my
| right shoulder and apOlOgized.
4 beg your pardon, Davis" he de-
clared, in a Quieter voice. ST know
| you're an American and l beg your
pardon for hurting your feelings, but
if you only knew. you would realize
what a scoundrel your president is.
IUhnT1 70
son should have his cut firstI"
/ Whenever the sun shone for the
kaiser he grew so optimistic that he
| failed to pay the slightest attention to
the clouds gathering on the horizon.
Liter the Italian collapse, for instance,
he was so enthusiastic about his mill
! tary success in that arena that he
| failed to realize that America was
slowly but surely forging the thunder
| bolt that was to strike him down.
"Now how foolish it was for your
president to bring your country into
| this war!' he said. Americans will
now see. when it is too late, what fools
! they made of themselves when they
elected a professor for president. Now
America must pay the biIlsI' In this
| anu OlUCIS VI l1lG SdIlS
| The kaiser's expectation of being able
! to exact an enormous indemnity as
pert of his peace terms was clearly in
'icated, and he felt that America, hav-
| ing profited the most and suffered the
least of any of the belligerent powers,
would be i4 the best position 10 ill his
depleted Golfers.
The last time l saw the kaiser when
he mentioned the president was in the
| fall of 1917, shortly after Wilson had
replied to the pOpe's peace proposal.
''Wilson is an idealist, and an ideal
list can accomplish nothingI" was his
comment He went into the war that
! he might have a seat at the peace table
! but he will never get it. I shall pre-
vent it %
| OF Wilson's peace notes, which were
issued before America went into the
war, the kaiser remarked: 81 think
am right, the others think they're right.
America has all the money. If Wilson
really wants peace, let him pay the
bills and take care of the indemnities
and the war will be over! 1t is very
simple"
There was no man of modern times
whom the kaiser seemed to admire so
much, before the war, as ex-PresideLe
Roosevelt. The kaiser was convinced
that Roosevelt had prevented war with
japan by sending the American fleet
around the world and showing that it
las fit. This brilliant stroke of states
manship, as the kaiser termed it, was
a topic that he referred to on several
occasions. 1t was a fOrceful demonstra-
ton that was very much after his own
heart.
what admire about Mr.. Roosevelt
most he said, lis the fact that he has
the greatest moral courage of any man
1 ever knewP' The fact that Mr..
Roosevelt had given Germany's feet
twenty-four hours notice to steam
| from Venezuelan waters didn't serve
to lessen the kaiser's admiration for
him.
heard him shower praise on
Roosevelt many times and 1 haven't
the slightest doubt that he was quite
sincere.
After the war started, when RoOSe-
Welt showed very plainly that no mat
ter what nice things the kaiser might
have thought and said of him, he GER
! lnG lSClluS-
the kaiser was very much disappointed.
I'm terribly disappointed in Mr.
Roosevelt" he declared. after the
way my wife and entertained him
when he was here as our guest, for
him to take the stand he has is very
ungentlemanly. 1 gave a great review
for him-the greatest honor 1 could be
stow upon him and a thing which had
never been done for q private citizen.
He was not president then, you know.
1 used TO admire him very much. but
now / think the man has gone crazy
and lost his mind. / never thought he
would turn against US like that" He
did not seem TO realize that patriotic
American owed allegiance to his OWL
country.
!. In 1916 asked him whether he had
| heard that Mr.. Ford was on his way
over from America in a chartered shiI
: with delegation
"Who, Peace-FOrd % he inquired.
: / told the kaiser what had read OF
the Ford expedition.
) How can your country allow a maj
/ ike that to do this thing-a man who