The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, November 22, 1918, Image 9

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    THE SEMt-WFFttlV TRIRUNF, NORTH PI ATTF. NFRRASKA.
SOUGHT WORLD
DOMINION; WINS
WORLD HATRED
Kaiser and His Power Completely
Crushed by Hosts of
Civilization.
PLUNGED WORLD INTO WAR
Once Mightiest of Monarchs Leads
His People From Peace and Pros
perity Into Ruin Insane
Dream Ends With His
Abdication.
William Ilohcnzollern, German em
peror nud king of Prussia, has abdi
cated. He was:
William , II, German emperor and
king of Prussia, sole arbiter over the
fate of 70,000,000 men, women and
children; commander In chief of the
German army and navy, nnd supremo
war lord; overlord of four kingdoms,
six grand duchies, live duchies, seven
principalities, three "free towns" and
one "relchsland," Alsace-Lorraine, vir
tual owner of 208,780 square miles
with a total frontier length of 4,070
miles; owner of dependencies lu vari
ous parts of the globe aggregating
1,027,820 square miles and 12.000,000
natives.
Now, nnd ever after, ho Is :
llerr Wllhelm Ilohcnzollern by the
grace of his people.
A dream of world dominion obsess
ing the mind of Emperor William
plunged the world Into war. Upon
him and the tremendous military en
gine of destruction of which he was
the embodiment, the exponent and the
lender, rests the responsibility of de
liberately planning and bringing about
the greatest conillct tho world lias
ever seen.
Sought World Dominion.
He signed the order for tho German
mobilization. lie stood, sponsor for
tho terrorism nnd brigandage which,
under the guise of warfare, ravished
Belgium, laid waste the cities of
Prance, depopulated and outraged Sor
bin and sent tho Lusltanla with her
freight of women and children to a
grave a the Atlantic.
Against these his cry "I did not will
the war" availed as nothing. Before
the bar of humanity William was ad
Judged guilty of the greatest crime
since the crucifixion. In him human
ity saw thb last of the nutocrats, the
flnnl Caesar.
Assertions that ho wns nt heart
peaceful, so persistently circulated for
years as to give them tho stamp of
German propoganda, became branded
as false. lie who had long proclaimed
himself the prince of peace stood re
vealed as humanity's scourge.
Claims Almighty as His Ally.
Many doubt whether William was
entirely sane. lie said repeatedly that
he possessed a divine mandate to rule,
that the Almighty was his "uneondt
tlonal and avowed ally." It Is not en
tirely clear whether such outgivings
were tho product of a disordered brain
or were duo to unbounded egotism and
an effort to impress his subjects with
the idea of reverent and unquestioning
submission.
Ills speches to his armies In which
be asserted he and they were "Instru
ments of divine Judgment upon Ger
many's enemies" were regarded by
many outside, of Germany as pieces of
rhetoric, Intended only to deceive his
owfTpeople.
Few statesmen realized that the em
peror In his "shining armor," maneu
vering his armies and fleets, building
up the German military system, ce
menting the central empires nnd Tur
key, nnd fostering tho preaching of the
supremacy of autocracy, was erecting
a machine that one day would make
war upon nil civilization.
Yet the world was warned by some
far-sighted men thnt the emperor
would one day bring catastrophe upon
the nations. These men saw In him
then nnd see him now as a mad Inven
tor, given In his youth the most dan
gerous of all toys his army and navy.
They were his playthings. Ho de
veloped them throughout the years to
tho point where ho had to put them
to a test. Like n crazed Inventor, ho
feared the end of his reign would find
his Inventions, untried, so grasped the
first opportunity to wage a world war.
Seizes Pretense to Open War.
Menntlme tho German war party
grew, with William at its head, nnd
tho scheme of world dominion awaited
the hour to begin Its attainment. It
enmo with the assassination of the
Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdlnnnd
nnd his wife at Sarajevo.
Recalled from a yachting trip, Wil
liam presided at a conference at Pots
dnm of representatives of the German
and Austrian armies, navies nnd com
mercial Interests. There, according to
the best Information obtainable, the
decision was reached to ninko the as
sassination of tho archduke u pretense
for tho world war for which Germany
had long prepared.
In the diplomatic exchanges between
Germany nnd Austria on one side nnd
Great Britain, France and Russia on
the other William posed as one wishing
for peace but driven to war.
He signed the order for tho mobiliza
tion of the German army, nnd from
thnt moment war was Inevitable.
Publication of the "WIlly-NIcky"
correspondence In 1017 placed tho Ger
man emperor In tho light of nn unscru
pulous plotter. The telegrams disclosed
that Emperor William had Induced
Emperor Nicholas of Russia to sign a
secret agreement to which he wns to
force the adherence of France In tho
perfection of an offensive nnd defens
ive nlltanco against England. Tho
treaty wns discovered and repudiated
by n Russian minister.
Falling In bis attempt, the German
emperor set upon himself the task of
drawing England to his side against
France and Russia.
How well he thought ho had suc
ceeded In this may be gathered from
a letter ho wrote to President Wilson
In 1014 In which he said King Georgo
had promised Prince Henry of Prussia,
on July 21), 1011, that England would
remain neutral In a war Involving the
central powers with Franco nnd Bus
sla. Llchnowsky Shows Up Intrigue.
Perhaps tho most direct nnd authori
tative of the accusations against tho
Germnn emperor and the pan-GOrmans
are contained in tho published secret
memorandum of Pvlnce Charles Max
Llchnowsky, who wns German um
bassador at Loudon nt the outbreak of
hostilities.
The prince uncqulvocnlly placed tho
blame for tho war on Germany, nnd
for his frankness was Imprisoned In n
Slleslan chateau, permanently expelled
from the Prusslnn house of lords,
which action wns sunctloncd by tho
emperor, nnd finally was exiled to
Switzerland.
Emperor William's domination over
German statesmen, dlplomnts and tho
high command of the German army
was emphasized by Dr. Wllhelm
Muehlon, n former director of tho
Ivrupp works, the great German muni
tions factory, in his book on "The
Devastation of Europe." ' In this he
not only laid blnme upon Germany for
bad faith and criticized the German
nrmy for Its brutality but asserted that
In tho German foreign office "only he
who did the emperor's bidding wns al
lowed to remain." "They could not
do better," he declared, "because of
the character, tho power, tho vnsellla
tlon of and continued Interference by
the kaiser."
It was Doctor Muehlon who asserted
the authenticity of the statement that
Emperor William stated nt a meeting
of German army ofllcers thnt ho had
plenty of prisoners nnd thnt ho hoped
the officers would see that no more
prisoners were taken.
Mnxlmlllan Harden, a German lib
eral leader, declared tho German ruler
brought on tho war because of his do
slro "for something like world rule."
"No' Nonsense From Us."
Tho emperor, despite his previous
expressions of good will for America,
gave vent to his anger against tho
United Stntes when It became evident
no official action would be taken to
stop the shipment of munitions and
supplies to the cntento allies by de
claring to tho American ambassador,
James W. Gerard, "I shall stand no
nonsense from America after tho
war."
William's designs to spread German
dominion In Asia found expression In
his famous visits to Constantinople
when ho wns proclaimed as protector
of the Moslems. In this the world saw
a cunning step toward achievement of
the German ambition of German do
minion from Berlin to Bagdad.
Frledrich Wllhelm Victor Albert was
born January 27, 1859, and becamo
Emperor William II on tho death of
his father, Frederick III, Juno in, 18S8.
lie enmo out of the University of Bonn
fully prepared to enter the school of
statecraft. Set to work In tho govern
ment burenus, he was early taught tho
routine of official business under the
tutelage of tho great Bismarck.
At the death of his -father, the Im
perial throne devolved upon William
II, who was then but twenty-nlno
years of age. Bismarck continued as
chancellor, but pot for long.
In 1890 the disagreement of the two
men reached a crisis, a rupture came
and Bismarck went. The relntlons be
tween the two men remained strained
for several yenrs, but before Bismarck
died peace was mado between them.
Stickler for Military Etiquette.
With the passing of Bismarck the
emperor's real reign begnn. As a mili
tary man ho was a stickler for effi
ciency, discipline and tho observance
of etiquette to the last detail. And with
the details of all these components of
army life and training he wns familiar
to the smallest point.
In everything ho wns described as
thorough and, withal, one of the hard
est workers in tho empire.
Physically unimpressive he was
short and Inclined to stoutness W1I
Ilnm was fond of being photographed
while striking a military posture,
though taking good care to veil the
deformity of his left arm, a disfigure
ment with which ho was born and of
which he wnH extremely sensitive. He
blamed his English mother for living
a life of self-indulgence and cursed her
repeatedly as being responsible for his
deformity.
Ho married Augusta Victoria, oldest
daughter of Grand Duke Frederick of
Schleswlg Holsteln - Sonderburg - Au
gustenburg, on February 27, 1881.
They had six sons and one daughter,
of whom tho Crown Prince Frederick
Is the eldest. With the crown prince,
his father clashed fluently, and on
one occasion virtually exiled young
Frederick to Dnntzlg, but soon recalled
him.
German mothers who wrote to tho
emperor of tho deaths of their sous
killed In bnttlo elicited from him no
word of sympathy. Ho regarded their
deaths as "glorious." Yet his own six
sons, though holding high commnnds,
were so protected that tho Imperial,
family stood practically alone In nil
Germany In wurllng off tho clutches'
of death.
1 -Blngon, one of the cities on the left bank of the Rhine that pnsscsMnto control of tho allies by the terms o(
the armistice. 2 View of the harbor of Helgoland, the fort Hied Island which tho mutinous sailors of tho Ger
man fleet seized. 3 John D. Rockefeller, Jr., opening the I'nlted War Work campaign with tho aid of nn elephant.
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENT
Central Europe in a Turmoil ol
Revolution, With the Social
ists on Top.
RULERS ABANDON THRONES
Germany's Plea for Food( Will Be
Granted by Allies Mutiny of Fleet
May Hamper Armistice Pre
dictions as to the Peace
Conference.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD.
Falling thrones nnd fleeing kings and
princes; a maelstrom of social revolu
tion and military mutiny; Soviets of tho
workers and soldiers In control, and
former autocrats In hiding.
That lu brief Is tho condition In cen
tral Europe, following tho cessation of
hostilities. How It will nil end not
tho wisest statesmen can conjecture.
Quick work by level-headed leaders
may direct aright the great movement
and bring out of tho chaos orderly and
firmly grounded governments of and
for the people. At present It seems
thnt n favorite Jest has become n sober
fnct and that the big task npw Is to
make democracy safe for tho world,
In Germnny the Socialists uro estab
lishing themselves under the leadership
of their chnncellor, Frledrich Ebort, n
brainy nnd highly esteemed man. Tho
several factions of the .party appear
to be working In some harmony, and
tho bolshevik!, though yet In the de
cided minority, havo been given recog
nition which Is encouraging them to
demand more. In Berlin, where tho
German republic was proclaimed, there
has been Intermittent lighting between
the revolutionists and some ofllcers and
troops that remained loyal to the old
order, and In some other cities thero
were conflicts; but on tho whole tho
chnngo has been accomplished with re
markably little violence. Tho lenders
occupy the relchstng building In Berlin
nnd are striving to put the affairs of
life on n normal basis.
In the allied countries there was n
shrewd suspicion that the revolution
was being fostered and directed under
cover by the leaders of the old govern
ment In tho hope that through It they
might be spared some of the rigors of
the pence settlement. Such, too, wns
tho explanation of the establishment
of n republic In Bavaria, and In Sddcs-wlg-Holsteln,
which states now say
they will become parts of the new Ger
man republic.
The man In the street, and most of
tho newspapers, In America, England
and Franco, did not nt first look kindly
on Doctor Solf's nprieul to President
Wilson that the allies take steps to
save, tho people of Germany from star
vation. It savored of Impudence, com
ing from a representative of the peo
ple who starved Belgium, Serbia. Po
land and Roumnnin without u qualm of
consclenc". But the allied goxern
nients have looked at the matter In a
different light, and, probably wisely,
have determined to supply to the Ger
mans such food as can be spared, not
only for humanity's sake but on the
theory that order can bo more quickly
and easily restored amoiig u" well-fed
people. If the excesses of the starving
Russians were repeated lu Germany it
might bo difficult to carry out the
terms of the armistice. The feeding of
hungry Germany, becomes a common
sene business proposition. Herbert C.
Hoover already has sailed for Europe
to direct the distribution of food.
r
The Socialists In control, though
walling at the "terrible harshness" of
the armistice terms, declare they will
do all they can to obey them. On laud
this will not be so hard, but the naval
situation has been complicated by the
seizure of most of the German fleet and
of the fort Hied island of Helgoland by
revolting sailors. These men saw, In
the surrender and dismantling of tho
war vessels, the end of their livelihood,
so they took possession of the ships
nnd stilled from some of the ports,
T1- future plan of action. If they
'my. Is misty. When the allies
are given possession of the land bat
teries the warships can be driven to
sen, and there they can be dealt with
by the allied fleet.
ft-
The abdication of the kaiser, the em
peror of Austria and the rulers of mi
nor stntes In central Europe, while
doubtless of absorbing Interest to them
selves, cannot bo considered of grent
moment nhild all the tremendous
events that are taking place. These
monarchs were but .symbols of the or
der that Is passing, and even the kaiser
already had lost most of his power,
lie. as William Ilohcnzollern, Is now
Interned at tyte residence of his friend,
Count Bentlnck, In Holland. Abdica
tion was forced on him, but In fleeing
from his country he showed the yellow
streak. Compare his course with tho
really dlgnllled exit of that other seek
er after world domination, Napoleon.
The Dutch government pretended to
bo surprised and disconcerted by tho
arrival of William, but In reality It
knew ho was coming and arranged
for the event. There is u report that
the former kaiser will eventually take
up hl residence In his palace on tho
Island of Corfu., This presupposes
that the allies will not take possession
of his person nnd put him on trial for
his monstrous crimes against civiliza
tion. Tho Germans themselves might
decide to do this, for thero Is an In
sistent demand among them thnt such
war leaders as Admiral von TIrpltz,
Mnjor General Kelm, Admiral von,
Iloltzendorff nnd Dr. Wolfgang Knapp
bo arrested and tried. 1 Hlndenburg
a'nd others of the army commanders
havo sought to evado such fate by sub
mlttlhg to the rule of the soldiers'
councils.
The Termer empress of Germany Is
said to be 111 In Potsdam, and thero
are all kinds of rumors about the ex
crown prince. Probably low cure
whether or not ho has been killed.
Charles of Austria by abandoning
his throne dodges tho great task of
straightening out tho affairs of the
countries thaU comprised his, realm.
This will devolvo on the' pence' confer
ence, and doubtless will not bo settled
without many disputes over conflicting
claims and aspirations. As was fore
seen, the Gerufhn part of Austria has
elected to become a part of the new
German slate.
F-
There was great rejoicing along tho
entire front In Franco and Belgium
when the news spread of the signing
of the nrmlstlce. Allies and Germans
alike cheered the announcement and at
once emerged from their trenches and
threw aside tho caution to which long
years of warfare had accustomed
them. The retrograde movement of
the Huns was accelerated lu obedience
to tho terms of the nrmlstlce but for
several days the allied armies did not
follow them. Then began their own
advance' Into the regions the enemy had
been forced to evacuate.
On Thursday It was announced that
the Americans had crossed the frontier
toward .Met, and Stntssburg, and that
on 'Sunday .Marshal Foch, commander
lu chief of the allied armies, would
make formal entry Into those cities
of Lorraine and Alsace In the presence
of President Polncare and Premier
Clcmenccuti.
In Brussels and other cities the Ger
man soldiers got out of hand and were
reported to be burning and pillaging.
The allies' high command at once
warned the German hlch command
that unless this violation of the arm
istice terms were slopped the allies
would take drastic steps.
Ba
it Is generally agreed now that the
world ponce conference will meet some
where lu Europe, probably lu Ver
sailles. Whether or not President Wil
son will attend Is not settled. It has
been suggested that he be present at
the opening and then return home to
attend to the vastly Important domes
tic problems that must be solved. Pos
sibly America's representatives at the
peace board will Include Secretary Lan
sing, Colonel House, Ellhu Root nud
Justice Louis Brandels. The proceed
ings of the conference are sure to ho
protracted, nnd well Informed corre
spondents are amusing themselves and
their readers by speculating on tin
conclusions that It will reach. Briefly,
Uiey predict that Germany will bo com
pelled to restore Alsace-Lorraine to
France; that Luxemburg will be united
to Belgium; that Poland will receive
large additions. Including part of Prus
ffifoaafc: ,?Sfes! 'DlU run
"
sia with an outlet to tho sea, and parts
of Austria ; that Serbia will get Bosnia
and Herzegovina; that Italy will, re
ceive the Trontlno, Trieste and most ot
Dalmatla; that a plebiscite may ho
taken to determine tho desires of tho
Croats and Slovenes; thnt Ukralnla
may get part of Gallcla; that England
Is to hnve Mesopotamia and Franco
will take Syria, and that Palestine
will become nn Independent state.
Among the many difficult things to bo
settled are the conflicting claims of
Italy, .Serbia and Greece; the status
of the Arabs and of Armenia; tho dis
position of Constantinople nnd tho
coast of Asia Minor, nnd the redu;tlon
of Bulgaria to tho weakest of tho
Balkan states.
It Is expected that the peace confer
ence will open In the hitter part of
December, after the English parlia
mentary elections, nnd already tho
representatives of all tho small na
tionalities", with grievances nre gather
ing In Paris. Many of the questlonsjt
Is understood, will bo settled lu ad
vance by the entente powers nnd tho
United States.
Turkey Is uwaltlng In dread the rep
aration demands of tho allies. Al
ready the allied fleet has passed
through tho Dardanelles ami dropped
anchor off! Constantinople. The men
now In control In Turkey have accused
Talaat Pasha, former grand vizier;
Enver Pasha, former minister of war,
and DJemel Pasha, former minister of
marine, of embezzlement and other
crimes, and thoso worthies havo fled
from the capital.
Jta
Huforo tho Ink wijs dry on tho urml
stlcfj agreement America began turn
ing to tho problem of getting back to a
peace footing. Its solution will requlro
the' best work of our wisest jnlnds.
The demobilization of the Immense
army will bo gradual, and the men will
bo returned to civil llfo lu the order
of tholr Importance In peaceful pur
suits and with proper regard to tho
ability of Industries to absorb them.
The National Association of Manufac
turers gives assurance that every man
will And uwaltlng him tho place ho
left when he went Into tho service, nnd
there Is little doubt that tlajro will bo
work for all. Innumerable projects
that were suspended owing to tho de
mands of tho war will be resumed nt
once, and the demand for labor on
these public nnd private enterprises
will bo enormous.
Tho department of war put a sud
den stop to tho sending of drafted men
to the army camps and notllled men
between tho ages of tlilrtyttwo and
forty-six to return their questionnaires
unfilled. Tho uic'ii below t'cnty-ono
now lu tho cajjips may bo retained
thero for a time, for tho training and
possibly to replace sonic? of those who
already have seen service In Europe.
As for tho army on tho otlier side, It
Is likely to bo there for u good many
months yet, for thero will bo a big Job
of policing to bo done. Tho navy and
marines still are taking recruits. Their
part lu enforcing the armistice and
peace terms will bo a considerable one,
If present ,plans are carried out.
Ma-
Miiny of the regulations to which
we have grown accustomed In the past
year ami a half are helug abandoned.
The food administration has suspend
ed the rule requiting the use of wheat
substitutes lu baking and Iiiih Increased
the sugar ration In some states, but
at the same time emphasizes tho ne
cessity for continued conservation of
all staple foodstuffs. Deferred build
ing projects amounting to many mil
lions of dollars were released by Chair
man Baruch of the war Industries
board, and many Industrial restric
tions were removed.
Ha
The government's contracts for war
materials are not to be cancelled
abruptly, so the contractors will havo
time for readjustment.
.The people of America are being
kept awake to the fact that with the
iKnr approach of peace their financial
responsibility due to tho war has not
ceased. At tho present time they tiro
called on to raise a huge War Work
fund to bo expended by the seven or
ganizations whose work Is by no means
ended. Then, early next year, there
probably will be a fifth Liberty loan,
for the nation's expenditures duo di
rectly to tho war must be enormous
for u long tlmo to come. Most of what
was raised lu tho past was spent lav
fore It was received.
mm
GERMAN APPEALS RUSE TO
AROUSE AMERICA, IS DELIEF.
UNNECESSARY, OFFICIALS SAY
Washington Informs Dr. Solf to Ad
dress All Allied Nations and Not
thi U. S. Must Pay for Food.
Washington, D. C, Nov. 10. In the
almost hysterical nppenls of tho Ger
man provisional government for sup
plies of food nnd for pormlsslon to
address Itself directly through a com
mission to tho American public, ofll
cinls hero sco a purposo to excite the?
sympathies of a large, element of tho
American population. With such
sympathies aroused, tho German gov
ernment, It Is said, undoubtedly hopes
to influence the approaching peace
conference toward lonlency.
Secretary Lansing hns announced
thnt Germany has been Informed that
her requests would bo referred to tho
allied governments nnd the supreme
wi'ri council nud pointed out thnt such
communications should bo sent to all .
the associated governments Instead
of only tho president; or government
of tho United States nnd should conn
through established diplomatic chan
nels Instead of by wireless.
Such appeals ns those which have
been sent by wireless by Dr. Solf,
German foreign secretary, to Secre
tary Lansing, were said to be quito
unnecessary and not likely to have
tiny beneficial results.
President Wilson ntrwuly has prom
ised to do everything possible to pre
vent suffering ntnong tho civil popu
lation of tho conquered states. The
entente powers have endorsed this nt
tltude, not so much from consider
ations of mercy or sympathy with the
foe, as from n gcnulno conviction thnt
n starving and desperate people would
make dangerous neighbors; render nny
satisfactory peace Impossible und by
nppenls to tho Internationalist spirit
endanger tho security of the cntento
countries themselves. t
It Is known officially that thero Is
sufficient food In Germnny lo moot
lunnedlnto needs. Tho supremo war
council Is planning to supply food lu
tho JTuturo nnd before tho present
stocks nre exhausted. For the ben
efit of tho general public It may bo
authoritatively stated that all food
sent from America to Germany or
Austria must bo pnld for by the gov
ernments of those countries.
Day for All to Give Thanks.
Washington, D. C, Nov. 10. Presi
dent Wilson, In a proclamation, desig
nated Thursday, November 28, as
Thanksgiving day and said this year
the American people havo speclnl nnd
moving cause to bo grateful and re
joice. Complete victory, ho said, has
brought not only peace, but the, con
lldcnt promise of a new day ns well,
In which ".Tustico shnll replace forco
and Jealous Intrigue among tho na
tions." To Relax Blockade.
Now York, Nov, 10. Tho problem
of feeding Germany Is not one of go
ing to their roller, but of relaxing tho
blockade, "so that thoy may secure
for themselves tho haro necessities
that will give stable government," said
Herbert C; Hoover, food administra
tor, before sailing for Europe to dls
cussfood measures for the relief of
starving populations.
Labor to Fight for Right.
Laredo, Texas, Nov. 10. Samuel
Oompers, president of tho American
Federation of Labor, In tho closing,
hours of tho Pan-American Inbor con
ference here served formal warning
that no genernl reduction of wages or
Increase of working hours after tho
war would be accepted without a bit
ter light by organized labor.
German Ships to Come for Food.
London, Nov. 10. The British gov
ernment Is arranging or tho de
pnrturo to tho United States of a num
ber of German vessels for the purposo
of bringing (o Germnny foodstuffs
which the allies will, permit Germany
to receive.
Take Over Express Companies.
Washington, Nov.t 10. President
Wilson has signed a proclamation tak
ing over the American railway ex
press companies. Tho management
will bo under Director General Mc
Adoo, Demand Huns Be Punished.
London, Nov. lb. Sir Frederick Ed
ward Smith, ntlorney general of Brit
alii, has announced that Britain will
Insist on the trial and punishment of
William Hohenzollern and tho super
criminals of Germany. It Is believed
an International tribunal will be In
st I tuted presently. Before this court
the accused will be brought. From
the very beginning of German atroci
ties and suhmiuino piracy, Britain,
Belgium and France have kept u list
of the German leaders responsible,