The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-10-06
Chancellor Must Share Blame
For Blunders of World War,
Is Former Kaiser's Contention

Brest-Litovsk, etc., and completely en-
gagged my attention.
The Lusitania case, too, cast its
shadow over events, and Italy severed
her alliance with us. So 1t Is not to be
wondered at II the franchise memorial
was pushed into the background.
The next Winter and the Summer Of
1916, likewise, with their fighting on
all fronts, the terrible Of the Somme,
and the brilliant Rumanian Autumn
and Winter campaign, took me to all
sorts of places on the western and
eastern fronts, even as far as Nisch-
where the first memorable meeting
with the Bulgarian Czar took place
and to Orsova, so that I had no op-
portunity to take up the matter Of
franchise reform with the care that
its Importance demanded.
In the Spring of 1917 asked the
Chancellor to draw up an announce
ment of the reform to be made to the
nation at Easter, since I assumed that
the Ministers had long since discus
sed it. The Chancellor drew up the
text of the proclamation at Hamburg,
in agreement with the Chief of the
Cabinet and myself; he proposed that
the method of voting be left open for
the time being, since he was not yet
quite sure about this. The Easter
proclamation appeared; it was based
like previous treatments of the matter,
on the idea that the reform was not
to be introduced until after the con-
clusion of peace, because most of the
voters were away facing the enemy.
| Party and press did what they could
/ to postpone the accomplishment of my
purpose by recriminations and strife,
by bringing up the question of the
4 Prussian Reichstag franchise, and by
/ the demand for the introduction of
! the franchise bill while the war was
still in progress. Thus the question
embarked upon its well-knnwn and not
very pleasant course, which dragged
itself out on account of the intermin-
able negotiations in the Landtag. 1t
was not until after the retirement of
Herr Won Bethmann that l learned
| through Loebell that the memorial
Of 1915 had never been submitted to
the Ministers but had lain untouched
for a year and a half in a desk draw.
er; that the Chancellor, influenced by
the desires expressed in the country
had dropped the various systems pro
posed and concentrated upon the gen
eral (Reichstag) franchise, of the
eventual introduction of which he
was, doubtless, inwardly convinced.
In any event, the original basic idea
was thoroughly bungled by Beth
mann's dilatoriness and the strife
among the parties. What I wanted
was to present gift of honor, of my
own free will, on it's triumphal return
home, to my victorious army, to my
Nation in Arms" my brave Prussians
with whom l had stood before the
enemy.
chancellor's Diplomatic Power
One of the results of Bethmann'E
marked inclination toward control was
that the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs was, under him, mere helper
so much so that the Foreign Office
was almost affiliated with the Office
|, of the Chancellor, a state of affair!
that made itself felt most especially
in the use made of the press depart
!, ment. Bethmann likewise asserted
, his independence decidedly in his re
, lations with me. Basing himself upoI
, the fact that, onstitutionally, thu
Chancellor alone is responsible fo
foreign policy, he ruled as he pleased
The Foreign Office was allowed to tel
, me only what the Chancellor wished
so that it happened sometimes tha
) II was not informed concerning i'm
i portant occurrences.
t The fact that this was possible is t,
: be laid at the door of the Constitution
of the empire. And this is the righ