Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-11
Ordered Him to Abdicate.

ION November s." Scheidemann told
me, Il sent an ultimatum to the
kaiser-'You must adbicate by noon
tomorrow
At 10 o'clock the following morning
he teiephoned to Max of Baden, who
told him that there was no definite
answer. The kaiser wanted to hold
on. but those surrounding him were
urging him to tesign. 1--WE think he
will go"
at is now too late" said Schefde-
mann. 1T is no longer a question of
the kaisers personality. Now the
whole monarchy must GO"
In my opinion that is a most inn
portant statement, as revealing the
sentiment of the socialist majority's
leaders. There had been no desire on
their part, in my belief, to upset the
autocratic government of Germany
They had only wanted to Dust the
kaiser, in order to get the best pos
s.ble terms for Germany. But the
kaiser hung on and the flood of dis
gust rose to high tide. This is sub
stantiated. I think, by a quotation
from the letter addressed to Max of
Baden by Scheidemann, and of which
he gave me copy.
There is not doubt" he wrote,
chat most Germans feel that if the
kaiser retains his throne the allies
viii insist on more severe terms of
peace Afterward the public would
say that rather than sacrifice himself
the kaiser sacrificed his country.
The whole political condition of
today goes to show that the kaiser
must go in the near future, if he does
not abdicate now. / think, if he does
German statesmen, that the question
is only one of time"
when the kaiser did not reply in
the affirmative to my demand that he
abdicate." continued Scheidemann. 81
retired from the government In the
meantime the revolution had begun
At noon we demanded from Prince
Max of Baden that the government be
turned over 10 the socialists, and this
was done. Max of Baden asked Ebert
to form a new cabinet. He wanted to
delaw for his party's mandate, but
assumed the responsibility of assur-
ing him that the party would assent
The new government was then form
ed"
The sequence of events. then, was:
l. Scheidemann's demand that the
kaiser retire and regency be created,
leaving the form of government un-
touched.
3 The kaiser found himself unable
TO make up his mind.
3. The public disgust with the mill
tary clique and it's desire to get good
terms of peace rose tofever heat
a.. OnCe Willie merely TO IOrO" the
kaiser overheard. the public now in
sisted on scrapping the whole mon
archical system.
g. The kaiser ran away, twenty four
hours too late to save a throne to the
Hohenzollerns.
g. Max of Baden asked Socialist
Leader Ebert to form a new cabinet.
| found Scheidemanusfo the room in
the chancellor's pal which was
formerly Bisrnarck's 6rking room.
He impressed me as an earnest and
sincere man. but by no means as dem
ocratic as had be, n believed prior to
1914 Scheidelnann had always fought
in the reichIfag for greater liberty for
the German people and had repeatedly
predicted that revolution would come
IL the form of government were not
changed.
Yet when the war broke out Scheide-
mann and his associates voted credits
to the German war machine and later
he visited Belgium to give a clean hill
of moral health to the invaders I
can find in his words and actions no
proof that he contemplated a change
from a monarchical to a democratic
form of government since the war he
gan, but on the other hand a clear
proof that he planned to retain the
monarchy by the appointment of a re-
gent Every one was disguised with
the kaiser. Nothing could have saved
him.