The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-03-04
MEMBERS OF
Tcontinued From Page one.1

sessing votes, az they do, your stay in
the United States, though brief. is
likely to prove of inestimable value in
promoting friendlier policy OF this
Republic towards Germany"
do you really think I have sue
ceeded in this?" exclaimed the Prince
with signs of marked pleasure and
satisfaction on his kindly and frank
sailor face. 81 am very glad, more
than glad, to hear you say so. That in
deed has been the object of my visit"
do not think that l am betraying
any confidence in repeating this re-
mark of the Prince, who showed by his
manner. and by the trend OF his public
speeches and private conversations
throughout his stay here, the purpose
which he had in view, and whose trans
parent honest, so eloquently expressed
by his eyes and bearing, dispelled any
doubt as to his sincerity.
Fruits Of Prince Henry's Visit.
The short-sighted and the superficial
observers assumed that the Princes
visit, undertaken at the worst season
OF the year, was merely for the purpose
OF propitating the United States by
means of an unusual royal compliment.
and in that way obliterating from the
minds Of the American people the un-
kindly memories of Germany's attitude
during the war with Spain, with par
ticular reference to Manila Bay. And
when it was observed that while every
one who had met the Prince had en-
perienced a pronounced personal dis
Ike for him. there were no immediate
signs of any Improvement in the atti-
tude of the Washington Government
toward Germany, nor yet in the tone
of the American press, irrespective Of
political party, it was raShly assumed
that his visit had been failure, and
the Kaiser's maneuver in sending him
with olive branches across the Atlantic
was generally described as having
missed fire.
Yet this was an altogether mistaken
impression. Prince Henry's visit to
the United States was a great political
success, of which the results are now
for the first time becoming publicly
apparent.
At one time-it seems to me that it
was some three or four years ago--the
Kaisers exceptionally clever policy
with regard to the United States was
seriously compromised by piece of
extraordinary tactlessness on the part
of the German Naval League. This is
an organization with headquarters at
Berlin avowedly formed for the pur-
pose Of collecting subscriptions, and
for influencing the popular votes,
throughout the German Empire toward
the construction of a navy large
enough to wrest the supremacy of the
seas from Great Britain. All the liter
ature of the organization. nay, even the
very collecting boxes, were expressive
OF this idea, and of more or less latent
antagonism to England.
An over Jealous Appeal.
In foolish moment, the leaders of
the League despatched many hundreds
of thousands of appeals for subscript-
tons, not only to German subjects re-
siding in the United States, but also to
American citizens Of German birth or
ancestry. Some of the these circulars
fell into the hands of the press over
here, and several influential news
papers took the matter up and de-
nounced the circulars as impudent in
the extreme, in inviting American cit
liens OF German origin to furnish funds
TO a movement that had for its object
the maritime supremacy Of Germany:
that Is to say, Germans superiority at
sea to the United States.
There is one paper in particular,
namely, the New York Times, which in
its editorial columns took upon itself,
in commenting upon the circular, to
remind these American citizens of Ger
man birth. that their first duty is to
the land of their adoption, to which
they have sworn loyalty. solemnly ad-
juring their former political obliga-
tons; also that their contributions to
the construction of a German navy SUI
perior to that flying the Stars and
Stripes. would be nothing short of an
act of rank treason to the United
States.
The Kaiser was so Infatuated by this |
faux pas of the German Navy League,
that he did not rest until he had Sc
cured the removal of the officials re-
sponsible for the mistake, and the |
election in their stead of leaders sub
ject to his immediate control and d.
rection. If my memory serves me, |
this country was in the throes of a |
presidential campaign, so that this Incl |
dent did not attract the widespread |
attention that 1t deserved At any
rate, 1t did not materially impede the |