Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-10
Editorial Digest
1.-THE Man Who Went Along"

While the value OF tho estimates OF
the kaissr,s prime minister. Won Beth.
be determined by future historians. It
IL interesting to note the varying
opinions OF the modern American
chroniclers ~ to his part in the world
war: The Milwaukee Journal Nnds::
pendent) questions that his name win
be mentioned a hundred years hence.
but II ut is at all remembered" II
will be because OF two things he said
which doubtless forever after he
wished unsaid. One Of these waa his
many was doing Belgium n wrong.
but the wrong was made necessary
by Germany's plans" The Detroit Free
Press independently likewise doubts
the distinction. at present naturally
granted. "of being one OF the most
important influences In the train Of
blood"
Conflicting vcrdicts are uttered by
the Christian Science Monitor t,oa-
ton. independently and the Hunalo
Commercial Independently. To the
, former he appeared M the least suit
able" OF all the men around the kaiser
vulsion": to the latter. Undoubtedly
the ablest civil representative OF kali
serfsm In government" and. had his
advice been followed ut liz doubtful
II there had been a war"
But 1t Is precisely this fact "that his
his weakness in the eyes Of such COM
mentators as the indianapolis News
independently and the Philadelphia
record independent democrnt) Both
newspapers declare him Intelligent"
! put the latter decries his lack Of
OF courage" The New York Globe
independently believes that II he
mad obeyed his conscience ne might
nave saved his country" and the Phil
adelphta Public Ledger independently
tive career represented a conflict with
thls conscience that. presumably
Knew the right" and "a courtier's sub
servience that made him the ever
pHant tool Of Hohenzollern ambitions
and s,nd for q world domination on the
snort: the man who went along"
Hethmann-Hollweg's task. the Nor
FOLK Vtrginian Pilot independent
democracy believes. was Impossible
since he was by virtue of his situation
IN the old regime. merely "a puppet,"
and. though the Pilot grants him a
conscience" too. it characterizes this
adjunct as "a strictly Prussian model"
ana therefore easily suppressed. The
newark News Undepe ndent) calls the
!ate chancellor "a weak voice. apollo
and Of the military rulers Of Germany
who set him aside"
The word "pacifist," of late hardly a
nattering term, is applied to Beth
m man .a,,l by some writer's in an
Lincoln (Neb.) State Journal Unde-
pende mt republican,, for instance. de-
scrloes him as man Of peace" de-
claring that it was Berchtold. then
. austrian premiar, and not Hollweg.
who willed the war; but adds at
made It inevitable BY his blunderine."
The New York Times independent
democrat) also feels that there is no
reason to doubt the assertion Of Beth
mann. Hollweg. in his account Of the
p PER mat ne was anxious for peace,
point" but he was. though highly
trained as a diplomat. "uninspired
and rather Ineffective"
Tne New York Evening Post (Inde-
! psnoeh Mt: agrees that the chancellor
wiiled the war. but adds:
The world will always hold Beth
mann Hollweg rigidly accountable
Tor the fact that he for a time ap-
proved Of German policies and
=, OF warfare: and that after
His memory will live, the Roches-
ter Democratic Chronicle (republican)
believes. because he "unwittingly sup
pned the allies with their most eff.
fective slogan" and the Cincinnati En-
quirer (democratic) declares that his
unfortunate phrases have earned for
him the Immortality Of infamy and
tney supply the explanation Of a war
for the frivolity in
which it originated and the fendish-
ness In which it was conducted" Com
menting upon his utterances, "scrap
Of paper" and military necessity the
minneapolis Tribune (repubiican)
brutal German philosophy" linked with
MI wilson's pronouncements of an
opposite doctrine have Joined the Ger
man premier and the American Presi-
dent as IAN oddly assorted couple,
wno' through the vicissitudes Of war,
did much to develop a world con,
science"