KAISER'S FORMER FRIEND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 303, 20 December 1913, Page 17

KAISER'S FORMER FRIEND.

COMPROMISING CORRESPONDENCE. TRINCE EULENBURG IN DISGRACE. Emperor William, when he gives his confidence end intimate friendship to anyone, writes very freely to him. Until he was first made aware hy his son, the Crown Prince, of the stories current affecting the morality of Prince Philip Eulenburg, he was wont to write most uure servedly to him, iv a confidential way. about all sorts of matters relating to the Court of Vienna, to which Eulenburg wus accredited as ambassador, and about policies and statesmen In Germany. Philip Eulenburg was a very brilliant and gifted man, and also iv many respects a sagacious political adviser. For he was particularly vigorous lv urging the Emperor to avoid any interference In the Morocco cmhrogllo, which brought Germany no advantage of uny kind, but impaired her relations with both France and Britain and gravely disturbed economic conditions fur a time in the German Empire. As soon as the Emperor was made aware of the vices of Eulenburg, of which he had been kept in careful ignorance, he at once broke off the friendship, and on becoming convinced of his guilt, deprived him of his Order of the Black Eagle; the only instance iv the 200 years' history of that order, of a knight thereof being expelled from its ranks. He also caused' tbe police to search and seize all the prince's papers, at his chateau of Liebenberg. Rut the very moment that the priuce realised that the Kaiser had learned of his guilt, he dispatched the whole of his correspondence ■ with the Emperor, which he had carefully preserved, to France for safe keeping. There it has since remained, nnd endeavours arc now being made quietly on behalf of the Imperial Government to ie cover it, iv view of the danger which exists of its being given up to publicity iv France or in England, on Eulenburg's death. Such publication might prove of an embarrassing character, in connection with the Emperor's relations with foreign courts aud governments. There is no danger of these papers being published as long as the Prince lives. For he must realise that anything of the kind would result in his immediate consignment to the penitentiary, ou charges of high treason. Moreover, his indictments for perjury, and for immorality, are still standing against him, his trial on these two counts having had to he interrupted on account of the condition of his health. Ever since, that is to say, for the last three years or more, he has been living, under police surveillance, in a state of complete ostracism, at his chateau of Liebenberg, and thus far no attempt has been made to resume the proceedings against him.