The Washington herald., 1921-01-03
Won Bethmann Hollweg
Was Chancellor Dur
ing Conflict.
END COMES AT HOME
IN HOHEN-FINOW
Vile, Writer Who Knows
Berlin, Gives Sketch
Of Dead Leader.

LONDON Jan. a Central
News dispatch from Berlin a.
nOuRces the death of DR.. Theo-
bald Won BctkmHnn HoHweE,
who was the German imperial
chancellor during the war.
death occurred at his home at
HobenhBsw, near BerIIE.
Frederic william VILE wGIhinFtou Her-
Lld-PubHe Ledger stAf writer gives below
his impressions Of BethmEnn HoIlveF. vIIs
vas chief correspondent for the London Daily
Mail in Berlin and was the hrst Amsrioan
newIPaPermEn to be taken into custody By
the Germans on a ehSrrs Of being a British
SPY. Hs Wa beaten BY a mob and later
released on demand Of United stItss An
bISsGdor Gerard.
widely Travelled and read: a chrouiolsr
Of some Of the world greatest events, VILE
ia qualified through his intimIoist With
German lsIderI, to describe the traits and
GmbitOnS Of Won BethmInn Honveg
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Author of Men Around the KAISER
TheoboId Won Bethmann HoHweEE,
fifth Imperial Chancellor Of Ger
many and William lis political
Chieftain at the outbreak Of the
world war. eshcntially was a man
Of peace. II was not his phiIisoph-
ical and academic temperament that
"willed' Germany's mad throw for
world-domination. During the FIVE
years OF his regime in the VIII
( helmstrasse that preceded The
Day Bethmann HollweE consist
emily used his influence for peace.
But he was as clay in the hands OF
the Tirpitzes and Falkenhayns. who
were plotting and preparing for war.
Indeed. il is probable that the Prus-
sian militarists tolerated Won Beth
mann Hollweg becausC his benign
international manner and palpable
sincerity served their purposes.
Behind the Pacific troteststious OF
the Sage Of Hohsn-Finow." Prus-
sia-Germany steadily built up the
armaments RfelG. afoat and aIOrt
with which she hoped to achieve
what Gen. Won Rernhardi called
'wOrld-pOwer or downfall"
Defended Invasion.
Won Bethmann HoIIweg-thers
was no hyphen in his name. and he
was commonly known in Germany
merely as Bethmann pronounced
BatemarnD nD-undoUbtedly will live
in history chiefly as the author Of
his blazing indisCrctions OF August
4. 1919 1 heard him utter one OF
] them-his defense OF the invasion
/ Of Belgium before the ReichstaE on
the ground that Necessity knows
no law" Before that fatefuI day
was over. Bethmsnn coined thst
other iEnominoUs Prussian epigram
when, justifying the violation Of the
/ Belgian treaty Of neutrality to Sir
! W. L. GosChen. the British Am
. bassador at Berlin, the German
] Chancellor dismissed It as "a scrap
/ Of paper"
During the war, in Great Britain.
| I often discussed with Goscheu his
/ farewell interview with Won Beth
mann -HOllweE. The ambassador
said he would always carry with
/ him the conviction that the chan
CellOr was genuinely Erieved that
the war Germany had long project
I ed tOppled Won Bethmann- -HollweE's
/ peace policy into a house OF cards.
He was in tears as h.. bsde GosChen
gOod-by in the ramshaclle old for
/ eiEn Office where Bismarck's plots
were spun. He seemed TO have a
I premonition that Great Britain's
entry into the war. TO defend the
honor OF her signature to "a mere
scrap OF paper" meant the inevita-
bic, though perhaps delayed. shat
tering OF Germany's hopes.
To Theodore Roosevelt. in Nay,
1910, Won Bethmann- -HollweE, then
in office a little over a year. pro-
tested eloQuently and earnestly that
Germany's weltpolitik was friedens-
pOlitik CpesCe policy. I recall their
strenuous conversation, viewed
from one end OF DR.. David Jayne
Hills drawing-room in Berlin, when
Col. Roosevelt was in Germany at
the Kaiser's invitation. TEDDY" ."
judging by animated gestures which
seemed to radiate antagonism- did
not happen to be wholly impressed
with the Chancellor's argument.
Roosevelt left Germany fairly well
convinced that William rs inten-
tiOns were more pacific in expression
than in reality.
Real BureaucrHt.
Won Bethmann- -HoIlweg. when he
superseded the cOUrtly and UrbRne
Prince Won Buelow in 1903. was said
cellorship for two primary reasons.
He had been a fraternity brother
Of William II at Bonn University.
and was a typical Prussian bureau
crat likely to stand without hitch
ing when orders came from PrUs-
sis-Germany's real rulers, the junk
ers and the militarists
He was reactionary. through and
I through, despite his bland exterior,
lachrymose manner and smable
public sentiments. He would never
listen TO proposals for demonstrs-
ton Of the German and PrussisH
] system OF government, preferring TO
! hsrken to the voice Of his masters.
Won Bethm8nn-Hollweg, when the
war came, accepted and defended Il
! whole-heartedly. Probably his fee
BILE influence was from time 20 time
eXerted against "friEhtfulness" such
as U-boat piracy, but, with the mo-
4 bilization Of the German War-ms-
chine, Won Bethmsnn- -Hollweg's
hand was as good as palsied. II
/ ever he dared TO raise his voice IN
protest IL was as one crying In the
1 militariEed wilderness.
II ] daresay he died a broken spirit.
He had q chance TO Identify him-
self with the so-called liberal move
] - L.Fk.A Hahan0al-