The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-09-25

all the ardor of my youth and was
proud to have served under him and
to have the opportunity now to work
with him as my Chancellor.
The Prince, who was present during
the last hours of the old Emperor
and had listened with me to the later's
political testament to his grandson
l. e., his wish as to the special care
to be lavished upon relations with
Russia - brought about my summer
| trip to St Petersburg as my first
political act before the eyes of the
world, in order to emphasize our re-
| lationship to Russia in accordance
with the last wish of my dying grand |
father He also had travel arrange
ments" drawn up for me.
! An obstacle was placed in the way
of carrying out this plan by letter
from Queen Victoria of England, who,
upon hearing of the projected visit to
st. Petersburg, expressed to her ED
est grandson in good-humored but
authoritative tone, her disapproval of
the contemplated journey. She said
that a year of mourning must first
elapse, after which my first visit was
due to her since she was my grand
mother, and to England, it being the
native country Of my mother, before
other lands should be considered.
When l placed this letter before the
4 Prince, he gave way to violent fit
of anger. He spoke about family
dictation in England" of interference
from that quarter which must cease;
the tone of the letter showed he said,
how the Crown Prince and Emperor
Frederick had been ordered about and
influenced by his mother-in-law, wife,
etc. Thereupon the Prince wished to
draw up the text of a reply to the
Queen. I remarked that would pre-
pare the appropriate answer, steering
!, the proper middle course between the
grandson and the Emperor, and that
, I would show it to the Prince before
dispatching 1t.
The answer paid heed in its outward
form to the close relationship between
a grandson and his grandmother, who
had carried him in her arms when he
was a baby and, in view of her age
, alone, commanded great respect-but,
! in it's essentials, it laid stress upon the
position and duty of the German En-
|, peror, compelled to carry out uncon-
! ditionally a command of his dying
father affecting Germany's most vital
interests. 1t stated that the grand
, son was obliged to respect this COM
: mand of his grandfather in the inter-
ests of the country, the representa-
: ton of which interests had now de-
volved upon him by the will of God,
and that his royal grandmother
must leave to him the question of de-
Gliding in what manner this was to be
! done. l added that, otherwise, I was
uyh VUnlII6
! ways be grateful for any advice from
! his grandmother, who had derived SO
|. much experience from her long reign;
: but that I was, nevertheless, in mat.
= tiers affecting Germany, compelled to
retain my freedom of action; the visit
Z to st. Petersburg, said, was polite
l ally necessary, and the command of my
Imperial grandfather was consonanat
with the close family relations be-
tween me and the Russian Imperial
house; therefore it would be carried
out.
y The Prince approved the letter. The
Il answer, which arrived after a while
, was surprising. The Queen agreed
# that her grandson was in the right;
s he must act in accordance with the
|, interests of his country; she would be
It glad to see him, even if it were later
y on. at her own home. From that day
e onward my relations with the Queen
n who was feared even by her own child
e ren, were of the best imaginable
n from that day onward she never
Ir treated her grandson except as a SOY
=. ereign of equal rank with herself!
d On my first journeys I was accom-
4, panied by Count Herbert, as the repre-
J. sentative of the Foreign Office. HI
E. drew up the speeches and conducted
If the political conferences, in so far a!
n they we're of an official nature, II
-e accordance with the instructions o
n his father.
IL Conflict on Turkish Policy
r, Upon my return from Constantinopl'
d in 1889 l described to the Prince a
IL his request my impressions of Greece
lie where my sister was married to tn
m heir-apparent, Crown Prince Constan
II tine, and also my Constantinople i'm
Is pressions. In doing this, is struck M
r. that Prince Bismarck spoke quite dis
" painfully of Turkey, of the men in higl
I'd position there and of conditions Il