Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-10-11
EX-German Crown
Prince Wants to Go
Back to Fatherland

Back to Fatherland
Baltimore. Md. Oct. 1O.-Regret
that he cannot go back to Germany
TO aid in re-uniting his country, is
the principal emotion of the crown
prince in exile at Wieringen. Hol-
land. according to an authorized in
tervlew with him to be printed to-
morrow by the Baltimore Sun. The
cabied interview which is copyright
ed by that paper, was given to Henry
l.. Mencken. the critic and essayist.
who has been in Central Europe for
several years
Mr.. Mencken comments on the
dreariness of the island which is
entirely cut off from the mainland
for weeks during the winter. His
narrative proceeds:
But this deadly isolation has
failed to make any noticeable i'm
preston on the spirit or frame of
the prince. There are touches of
| gray in his sandy hair. but he still is
erect as drill sergeant. and as quick
in speech and movements. Very
tall. slim and 1.-THE. and now smooth
shaver, he looks much like a big
boy.
But certainly there is nothing i'm
mature about his ideas. Among all
the Germans / have talked to dur
ing the past six weeks. ranging from
high officials to newspaper editors.
and from university professors to
business men, | can recall none
whose views Of past and present
events contain less of illusion. He
discusses the war effectively and
with great shrewdness and accepts
his present position uncomplainingly
1t is uncomfortable. but so is every
other German position,
Germany he said faces stu
pendous tasks and almost intolerable
burdens and it is naturally hard for
any German to hay" to stand by
without taking a he :. I sincerely
wish I could be mo q actively en-
ployed. but certainly have no desire
to complicate the present situation
by raising fractional questions. 1t
would be absurd. of course. to say
dynastic considerations do not in
terest me. but they assuredlN take
second place in my thoughts. In
such days as these, l am first of ALL
German citizen and soldier. AS
such my duty is precisely that of
every other good German-to sub
ordinate personal fortunes and even
personal opinions to the common
good What we need today above
all. is national unity. A thoroughly
united Germany would be unbreak-
able
II asked the prince if he would
vote. supposing himself at home.
Certainly he answered. my
wife always votes. Why shouldn't
IL
THE prince takes a philosophical
view of the extravaGant tales about
him circulated in America during the
war. For example, the stories Of
wholesale burglaries in France. He
collects such fables with humorous
interest and was apparently delight
ed with several l contributed from
the archives of the Creel Press
Bureau.
such nonsensicai hbcls,' he said,
do not annoy me half as much as
their authors probably think. Abuse
of that sort goes with the trade
was born to. If Germany had won
sweeping victory. I'd have got as
crown prince far more than my fair
share Of the glory and applause. In
defeat l receive, perhaps. rather
more than a fair share of the blame
and eNoCration, both at home and
abroad. but such are fortunes of war
for commanding officers. | doubt
that any sane American seriously be-
iieves today ! was guilty of the fan
taStic crimes laid to me during the
war. That madness must necessarily
pass. Meanwhile it gives me no con-
Germ
Like most other Germans, the
prince believe the European situa-
ton will never be genuinely remed-
led until the United States takes a
hand in it. 1T rather surprises me,
he said. that the United States as
nation, shows little concern about
the immediate future here. Things
&c steadily from bad to worse-I
don't mean in Germany alone, but
everywhere on the continent. | hear
that trade is almost as badly paralyz-
cd in the two Americas and 70. the
same reason, Europe simply cannot
buy the surplus of the natural pro-
ducts of the western hemisphere
Thus, one half OF the civilized world
sees its crops rotting in field and
warehouse. and the other half faces
starvation. The underlying cause of
all this disorganization and distress
is the Versailles treaty. 1t was made
in anger and in total disregard Of the
most elementary economic laws and
common sense. Today the fact that
it is utterly unavoidable is obvious to
every one. 1t is doing almost as
much damage in France, in fact, as
to Germany, and scarcely less to the