The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-29
The Mistakes of the Kaiser
By RENE VIVIANI
Premier of France When the War Broke Out
Copyright, 1922. by The Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.

and violent comments, and without
anything on the other side to coun-
terbalance their statements. Belief
in our alleged weakness was thus
strengthened-and this on the 14th of
July, 1914!
On the 2Sth of June, 1914, it will be
recalled, the Sarajevo murder oc-
CURED.
On that day, having been informed /
of the crime while at the race course +
where the Grand Prix was being run,
felt no doubt that a terrible drama |
was being staged. And the disgrace /
of the world was that of the blood of
millions of innocent men was to flow
for four years, civilization was to suf-
fer a dreadful eclipse, that the destiny
of nations was to be held back, that
humanity, so proud of itself but the
day before. was to sink lower than in
remote ancient times and dishonor sci
ence by it's barbarity-all as a conse-
quence of that murder!
What happened is we'll known; the
Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his
wife, having been the objects of a
| first attempt which did not harm them
while they were upon Austro-Hungar-
ian territory, under the protection of
the Austro-Hungarian police, partici-
patns in ceremony for which an
Austrian general bore the responsible |
| ity, were asked, by the local authori-
| ties, to continue along the route ar
ranged for them. They did-and were
killed. The assassins were not Serbs.
| 1t was an atrocious crime. Every
| body was Mortified. In the French
| senate in the chamber. / protested
I'D trNI
/ the victims The emperor of Austria
caused written expressions of gratitude
| to be sent to me.
We waited.
What might happen? What was go
Ii ing to happen? Certainly Austria
Hungary could not pass over this crime
in silence. She might search for, and
/ if, in the course of the Investigations
preceding punishment, she should I'M
earth evidence of political responsible
/ ity on the part of the Serbian govern
ment, she was at liberty to publish
it to the world. Austria did what she
could. But despite police maneuver
ings, all that she had obtained up to
July IS was testimony from one of
her agents showing the complete inno-
cence of the Serbian government
1t seemed as if the incident had been
duly closed In the course of other
chapters, when the responsibility of
the old emperor of Austria and of
Count Berchtold will be taken up, as
well as that of Emperor William, Chan
cellor Bethmann-Hollweg and of the
German Foreign Minister Won Jagow,
the deadly intrigues Matched in those
days will be brought out. Let it be
noted now that the crime against this
archduke-who was detested because
of his desire to destroy the dual mon
archy, because of his marriage, be-
cause of his lack of ability, which was
even more incurable than the disease
undermining him, because of his init
macy with the German emperor, whose
close friend he was while he was wait
ing TO become his instrument - was
taken advantage of with an alacrity of
which the ensuing events constituted
proof
On July Is. NJ. Poincare and left
Frence for Russia. Our journey was
criticized adversely in various ways
and from various points of view. 1t
was said that what had happened at
Sarajevo should have made us post
pone It. But we could not postpone a
journey which had been prepared five
} not only to Russia, but also to Sweden
, Denmark and Norway-without giving
rise to the worst interpretations. Such
a postponement would have amounted
} to heightening by our own act the
state of tension, which was up to then
scarcely visible, and to placing upon
: the Sarajevo murder the impress of a
political crime.
AS for the allegation. repeated by
; Emperor William in his Memories, that
. this journey was undertaken for the
purpose of adopting joint measures for
war with Russia, there is scarcely any
, need to answer such nonsense The
, trip had been arranged by my prede-
! cessor in the French premiership, NJ.
: Doumergue, as far back as his access
: sion to power in the early part of 1914.
In June / found the trip worked out to
/ it's smallest details. 1t was not merely
: to be a visit to our ally. Russia, but
: also as l have just remarked, to the
courts of Sweden, Denmark and Nor
t way.
Moreover, at what was the alleged
Z plot to be aimed? At what definite
target. since the ultimatum was dated
: July %? And what was the need of
: making plans with an ally, at the price
of a journey taking us away from home
5 for so long a time. two-thirds of which
had been destined in advance to other
r countries?
] Our journey, in fact, was preceded
: by that of the German emperor, who,
: on July 10. 1914, embarked upon a