Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-18
Former Kaiser No !.
Longer Menace to
Peace of World

from Europe were alive with dots
and dashes telling of the kaiser
overthrowing the German govern
ment." and the monarchistic revolu-
ton. IN the dinins room OF the
Blackstone hotel DIR. T. II. Fokker.
Netherlands COUNSEL general. was
eating dish of breakfast food.
The ser overwhelming the Ger
man government" smiled DR..
kokker. Him! ! had lunch with the
kaiser at Amerongen few months
ago. a slightly soiled old man with
staring eyes and almost incoherant
mutterings. II there has been re-
volution Count Hohenzollern is still
cnopping trees"
Dr.. Fokker resumed his dish OF
breakfast food.
Did the kaiser talk while you
were with him?' he was asked.
Yes" said DR.. Fokker.
What did he say?'
Nothing. / watched him. as you
may imagine. had been invited to
lunch by his hosts son. I'VE sat
down in silence and the kaiser began
to talk about what he had been do
ing--walking around the garden
and about what he had seen, a curl
Gus looking tree and some country
people on the road. He spoke vague-
ly and with difficulty. He ate lightly
and seemed averse to. food. He had
no beard and his famous mus
tache was as before but not
SO famous. 1t drooped over his
mouth and seemed bit un-
combed. His hair was white. He
couldn't catch. The word Germany
was never uttered during the meal.
The words Europe or war or armies
or entente were likewise not spoken.
1t was hard to remember that this
was Kaiser Wilhelm and that he had
been AN emperor and a war lord.
Did you ask him any questions
about his attitude toward the peace
treaty. the German defeat and the
future of Germany?" DR.. Fokker
was asked. He smiled.
1T was almost impossible to think
of this old broken man in relation to
the events that have happened and
are happening in Europe. The kaiser
his health and said he was
eral times to the weather. But most
Of all saw, that he was finished. that
his mind had given way and that he
was incapable of thinking. In his eyes i
heavy and circled. and from his white
hair his story could best be read. He
had eopSsthfu his Golgotha and come
out a ble, uninteresting little hui
"He Is no longer a menace or
complication 1t seemed to me as We
ate Mostly in silence that not only
but memory had died in the
soul Of this old man.T had expected
to find him sort of prisoner in the
past. But even that was not t.so. Per-
haps you know Of some almost senile |
old man, some dull, uninterestipgja and |
vaguely pathetic creature. If you do,
you know the German war lord to-
day .
"As for the kaiser's extradition.
that think. is settled now. He will |
in the Netherlands. The Eng-
lish are more than pleased to leave
him there. The French. of course. are
not. Next to my own land admire
France the most. Yet 1t is obvious |
that the French hate for the Germans
today is merely the French effort to
galvanize a nation that riss dead =
France.
"The hate for the kaiser and all |
things German is Frances single |
hope ofkseeming alive. 1t must con- |
tinually whip itself into a conscious
ness that It is a victorious nation or
It's morale will collapse and its deeen-
Grafton become apparent to its own
eyes. France clings desperately to
The Illusion Of the word victory and
/ part Of this desperation is to con-
tinue to hate the German. No matter
what sort of revolution has happened
n Prussia, I feel that the kaiser will
'emain in Amerongen as he was when
had lunch with -him-a dull old man
ambition or memory"