The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-09-30

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this juncture was also consistently
based on the maintenance of world
peace
In the entire Kiao-Chau question,
Prince Hohenlohe, despite his age,
evinced a capacity for sticking stead
lily to his purpose and degree OF
resolution which much be reckoned as
greatly to his credit.
Unfortunately, in the matter OF the
Kruger dispatch his prudence and his
vision, so clear on other occasions,
abandoned him; only by so assuming
is his obstinate insistence on the send
ing of this dispatch to be understood.
/ The influence of such an energetic
and eloquent parsonage as Herr Won
| Marschall, former State Attorney, may
/ have been so powerful, the siren song
/ of Herr Won Holstein so convincing,
that the Prince yielded to them. In
any event he did his country an i'll
turn in this matter, and damaged me
seriously both in England and at home.
The Kruger Telegram.
Since the so-called Kruger dispatch
made a big stir and had serious poll
teal consequences, l shall tell the
story of it in detail.
The Jameson rail caused great and
increasing excitement in Germany.
The German nation was outraged at
this attempt to overpower little
nation, which was Dutch-and, hence,
Lower Saxon-German in origin-and
to which we were sympathetic because
of racial relationship. l was much
worried at this violent excitement,
which also seized upon the higher
classes of society, foreseeing possible
complications with England. l be-
lieved that there was no way to pre-
vent England from conquering the
Boer countries, should she so desire,
although / also was convinced that
such a conquest would be unjust. But
| was unable to overcome the reign
ing excitement, and was even harshly
judged by my intimates on account Of
the attitude I adopted.
One day when l had gone to my
uncle, the Imperial Chancellor, for a
conference, at which the Secretary of
State for the Navy, Admiral Holl-
mann, was present, Freiherr Marsch-
all, one of the Secretaries of State,
suddenly appeared in high excitement,
with a sheet of paper in his hand. He
declared that the excitement among
the people-in the Reichstag, even
had grown to such proportions that it
. was absolutely necessary to give it
outward expression, and that this
could best be done by a telegram to
Kruger, a rough draft of which he had
in his hand.
| objected to this, being supported
!. by Admiral Holman. At first the I'm
perial chancellor remained passive in
the debate. In view of the fact that
I knew how ignorant Freiherr Marsch.
all and the Foreign Office were Of
English national psychology, l sought
, to make clear to Freiherr Marschall
, the consequences which such a step
+ would have among the English; in
, this, likewise, Admiral Holman sec
onded me. But Marschall was not to
> be dissuaded.
Then, finally, the Imperial Chancel
! Tor took hand. He remarked that l.
, as a constitutional ruler, must not
! stand out against the national con
> seriousness and against my constitu
: tional advisers; otherwise, there was
: danger that the excited attitude of the
: German people, deeply outraged in its
sense of justice and also in its sym
pathy for the Dutch, might cause il
> to break down the barriers and turn
: against me personally. Already, he
? said, statements were flying about
: among the people; it was being said
= that the Emperor was, after all, hall
e an Englishman, with secret English
e sympathies; that he was entirely I'm
der the influence of his grandmother
Queen Victoria; that the dictation EN-
f anating from England must cease once
oil hot hn EH1ooY L,
v freed from English tutelage, etc.
E Says He Signed Against His Will
s In view of all this, he continued, i
t was his duty as Imperial Chancellor
r Notwithstanding he admitted the JUST
d fication of my objections, to insis
n that sign the telegram in the genera
f political interest, and, above all else
e in the interest of my relationship tt
q my people. He and also Herr Vol
/ Marschall, he went on, in their cap
acity of my constitutional advisers
h would assume full responsibility TO
l. the telegram and its consequences
v Sir Valentine Chirol, at that tim,
d correspondent of The Times, wrote il
t The Times of Sept. IL, that Herr vol
r Marschall, directly after the sendinj
e of the dispatch, had stated to him tina
} the dispatch did not give the persona
s. opinion of the Emperor but was
S governmental act, for which the Chan
> cellor and he himself assumed full re
n sponsibility.
r Admiral Holman, when the In
v perial Chancellor appealed to him TO
confederation of this point of view
e and asked by him to uphold it to me
d declined to do so with the remar
2. that the Anglo-Saxon world would ur
s. questionably attribute the telegram t
d the Kaiser, since nobody would believ
W that such a provocative thing coul
S. come from his Majestys elderly az
n visers, and all would consider it a
l. Emperor.
@ "impulsive'' act of the youthful
IS Emperor
If Then l again tried to dissuade tn
n gentlemen from their project Bu
Y. the Imperial Chancellor and Marscha
l. insisted that 1 sign, reiterating tina
E. they would be responsible for cons,
e quences. 1t seemed to me that
D, ought not to refuse after their pr,
re sentation of the case. l signed.
i'd Not long before his death Admire
to Holman recalled the occurrence t
re- me. in full detail, as it is describe
Of here.
Id After the Kruger dispatch was mad
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