American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-11-08

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 Inc that she petted him.
We said little while I was at work,
but when 1 was through and was pre-
parirg to leave, the kaiser stepped
toward me and said:
Davis, Wilson is a real scoundrel !"
My face flushed, l 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.
Il beg your pardon, Davis" he de-
clared, in a quieter voice. Il know
you're an American and 1 beg your
pardon for hurting your feelings, but
if you only knew, you would realize
what a scoundrel your president is.
When ii comes to t~hroat-cutting, VIII
son should have his cut first"
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.
After 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 1t 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 billsl" In this
remark and others of the same import
the kaiser's expectation of being able
to exact an indemnity as
pert of his peace terms was clearly in
dicated, and he felt that America, hav-
ing proited the most and suffered the
least of any of the b~elligerent powers,
would be in the best position to fill 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 nothingr' was his
, comment. HE went into the war that
he might have a seat at the peace table
but he will never get 1t. l shall pre-
vent It'll"
Of Wilson's peace notes, which were
issued before America went into tn
war, the kaiser remarked Il think
! am right, the others think they're right
, America has all the money. If Wilson
: really wants peace. let him pay tn
: bills and take care of the indemnitie
and the war will be overl 1t is yer,
simple"
There was no man Of modern time
q whom the kaiser seemed to admire s.
much, before the war. as ex-PresideL
Roosevelt. The kaiser was convince
that Roosevelt had prevented war wit
Japan by sending the American flee
, around the world and showing that
! v as ut. This brilliant stroke of states
manship, as the kaiser termed 1t, wa
a topic that he referred to on sewers
occasions. 1t was a forceful demonstrs
ton that was very much after his ow
~ heart.
- what 1 admire about Mr.. Roosevelt
n most" he said, 'is the fact that he hs
the greatest moral courage Of any ma
1 ever knew I" The fact that M
N Roosevelt had given Germany's fe'
:. twenty-four hours notice TO steal
a from Venezuelan waters didn't serV
!. to lessen the kaiser's admiration Il
"A him.
40 1 heard him shower praise q
Roosevelt many times and 1 haven
the slightest doubt that he was Qui'
Of sincere.
After the war started, when Roos
70 Welt showed very plainly that no ms
ter what nice things the kaiser mig
have thought and said of him, he &C
tainly didn't reciprocate the feelin
4. the kaiser was very much disappointe
I'm terribly disappointed in N
70 Roosevelt" he declared. After q
"a way my wife and / entertained III
when he was here as our guest, (
nd him to take the stand he has is We
va ungentlemanly. 1 gave a great revit
for him--the greatest honor l could |
ne stow upon him and a thing which h
,rt never been done for a private citiz'
,aI He was not president then. you kno
40 1 used to admire him very much. b
ar now 1 think the nan has gone era
no and lost his mind. l never thought
would turn against us like that!"
did not seem to realize that n patrio
IN American owed allegiance to his oV
in country.
n" IN 1916 l asked him whether he h
dc heard that Mr.. Ford was on his W
lid over from America in a chartered st
Il with a delegation.