DOOM OF THE KAISER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 174, 22 July 1916, Page 13

DOOM OF THE KAISER.

WHERE WILL HE 60 AFTER THE WAR? (By F. CDNLIFFEOWEN, in "New York Herald.") In spite of the old adage as to the policy of catching the bear before attempting to dispose of his pelt, all sorts of conjectures are heard on both sides of the Atlantic as to what will •become of the Kaiser after the war. The question appears to have become an ailabsorbing topic of discussion in London and in Paris, and the consensus of pubpic opinion in both capitals seems to be that, having very prudently invested the greater part of 'his great wealth in the United States, he will ultimately seek xefuge in America. For, of course, it is taken Tor granted that he will be defeated, and that the victory of the Powers of the Entente ■will be followed by the lo« of his throne. Jio doubt whatever is entertained by Great Britain and her Allies as to ttie, ultimate issue of the titanic conflict ■which has been in progress for nearly tyro years. Their resources are practically inexhaustible, and are such as to enable them to continue the struggle for another ten or even twenty years if necessary, whereas those of Germany, Austria and Turkey are well nigh exhausted, cut off as these countries are from all their sea-borne trade and confronted by the most powerful coalition ever formed since that organised a little more than a hundred years ago to crush flic military terrorism of the first Napoleon. Premier Asquith and the other members of his Cabinet in London, President Poincare and Prime Minister Briand in Paris, Premier Salandra and Foreign Secretary Sonnino at Rome, Count Okuma, the octogenarian Premier of Japan, and the Czar's Foreign Minister, Sassanoff. at PetrogTad, have aQ in tan loudly proclaimed that they would entertain no overtures for peace, and that their respective nations were solemnly pledged to one another never to sheathe their swords until the military domination of the Kaiser was wholly and finally destroyed and "the eights of the email nations of Europe established on an unassailable foundation. 1 '

Tsaa means that the Powers of the Entente would be content with nothing Jess than the disruption of the German Empire into a number of entirely independent States, sneh as existed before the creation of the North German Confederation by Bismarck, in 18GG, after the battle of Sado-wa. Prussia would be deprived of the Duchies of ScMeewig and Holstein, which would be restored to Denmark, from whom they were torn in. 1664, while her Polish province, and also a considerable elke of East Prussia and of Silesia would have to be surrendered to Rusm, all the region to the northwest of Aix-la-Chapelle going to Belgium. Even if tie Prussian people -were to tetain their dynaety after ultimata defeat, which is to the last degree improbable, it is difficult to believe taat Empew William would be willing to lemin on the throne under such altered conditions. Moreover, he appreciates by sow tie fact that not only most foreign nations, ;hut even tho Germans them•dres, hold him primarDy responsible Jortte present wax and for all the terrife tuffermg, for the appalling loss ot "«, and for the overwhelming and wide•pread ruin which it has entailed. He "art be aware that his people fcave lost faith in him,, that all the glamour and pnatige-Triih which -he had formerly managed to envelop himself have dii»Ppeared, and that he stands in their Tit." a faUure and M the author of «1 taar present troubles and of those roll woree which they know are yet to come. Iα the circumstances his position "Berlin, even if permitted by his subjects to remain, would be intolerable to a man of his character. ST. HELENA OUT OF QUESTION. Whe re would th(j Kaiser £3 throne, either by voluntary abdica*on or against hie will, as the result of •revolution of the Prussian nation •gainst the house of Hohenzollern? Of course, no importance need be attached w Ue irresponsible letters contained ILu\ glish PreS3 m ° m * that he Mould be confined to the Island of St. Helena and detained there for the re«r of his days. The restoration of which had been permitted to feU into ruin) and whi(jh was inau(7u _ rated last year, waa certainly never toidertaken with a view to h is residence Wain its walls, whatever may be «Ueged to the contrary. For the Eng"M are to-day heartily ashamed of the weataent to which they subjected the «nt Napoleon in .banishing him to this remote, damp and fog-shrouded island of ™> Southern Atlantic. Their regret had wen eloquently expressed by Lord Rose"•fy m h >s monograph on the captivity « the founder of the House of BonagPk. entitled "Napoleon: the Last an d popular sentiment in Great witam would never permit in these Present times such ungenerous treatment of a defeated foe. [The writer examines in detail every European conn-W.-and reaches the conclusion that in 0 / them could the find an actable asylum. He then proceeds as HAPPINESS IN AMERICA. Thus far only one dethroned ruler has •Mglit an asylum in America, namely, JoKph Bonaparte, who, after having S,H of Naples, had reigned at as monarch of Spain. Some of ™c most peaceful and happy years ol "« We were spent at Bordentown N.J., wneje, f ree from all trouble and anxiety, *> found at length the leisure to give fee rein to his literary and scientific p«s. There is also abundant evidence 10 show that if any of the several efforts St 'ttT 6 o]eon from his captivity in _ Helena had been successful he too. *ould have sought refuge in the United TnT Indc ' etl . his brother, Kin" Joseph actually made elaborate prepara"°n» for his reception at Bordentown. onf»°f town even to_da y would be toe J ,,1 " a spot for so active a man as amperor William. But there is no doubt »« cf all the countries in the world ""e is none which would possess a ?[e«er amount of attraction for hin: * s an asylum than the United StatesJi,*""'? in which he has always beet Ptanomenally interested, and that he hai mays desired to see at close range. Ir n,ui a recent issue of the Londoi financial News" it is stated that "i: Raiser cannot boss Europe he mean: ... . c tne fin est house on Fifth Aye - n, m New York." <*$* remains ac to how th< or rather, I should say, th. •ttTn ~E ? Pe ror' w be received ii K e Wed States. It is probable th* interest in everythinj i, e reciprocated. an<

that he would command a far greater degree of attention on the part of the people than any other foreigner who has ever vjsited the United States For a man who has made history as he has been doing for the last quarter of a century, must always be an object of deep interest, especially to those who until now have only been able to look «pon| nun from afar.

William would find in America millions of his countrymen and a still linger number of United States citizens of German descent who might end by being i drawn toward him, despite the ruin and misery that he has brought upon the land of their origin. That he would in the course of time acquire a great deal of influence over them is quite on the cards. For, as I have mentioned above, he is a man of much magnetism and fascination, who finds it comparatively easy by personal intercourse to diarm prejudice and even hostility, and to transform foes into admirers. The leading statesmen of Petrojrrad were always filled with apprehension whenever any interview was about to take place between their sovereign and the Kaiser, dreading the latter's powers of persuasion on the Czar, and used to do all in their power to prevent their coming together just on thie account. If the one-time Kaiser could exercise a similar influence on Germans in America and upon Americans of Germaji descent here he might even in the end be in a position to sway more directly the hyphenated vote than he has succeeded in doing until now from Berlin, and thus become a very important factor in the domestic policies of the United States.

c Or he might devote his attention, and i- above all his indefatigable energies, to a industry and finance, and acquire new c fame as one of the great captains ti thereof in the United States. That he i- will ever resign himself to the life of r ease and relaxation of King Joseph i, Bonaparte at Bord«ntown, N.J., is out r of the question. Wherever ho is, as long 1 as he retains his present physical and !, mental health, he will always be an mrr tensely active force, Tadiating activity - all around him, even more so than his i one-time friend Theodore Roosevelt, i