THE EX-KAISER'S BOOK.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3142, 6 November 1922, Page 7

THE EX-KAISER'S BOOK.

(My Mereuriufi.) "() that mine enemy would write a book." Well, the ex-Kaiser has written a. book, and as he has been the enomv of all mankind since he put on pants and left bibs and tuckers in the nursery at Potsdam, he has laid himself open to the criticism of an outraged world. The man who writes a book can hardly expect to sail along on the ocean of criticism without meeting with adverse weather, and if the ordinary and honorable man is buffeted in tliis wav. how can an individual who does not hesitate to pervert the truth to gain his purpose ho]>e to esca]»e having the harrows of justice and right drawn across his repulsiveness? Messrs Hutchinson and Co.. publishers, of Loudon, have secured the copyright of the ex-Kaiser's book, for which they pay the fallen potentate the sum of €40.000. and out of 8s 6d a copy they hope to recoup themselves for the outlay. It is a strange commentary on the character of this Josiah Siobberslinks that he should seek in Britain, a country that he has villified up hill and down dale, ;• haven of refuge for his Comparative History, for by that name ho has christened his book. The ex-Kaiser docs not use a venomous pen with whicli to criticise his enemies, for he does not use tho art of the critic at all. He_ takes the period between the years 1878 and 1914. and records what he caills all tho outstanding "facts" that he believes will' whitewash his own reputation and tarnish the reputations of those hj? made his enemies. He does! not term his enemies a pack of rascals, banded together to thwart his beneficent purposes. Ho leaves that to be inferred, and the inference would lie in that direction if he could induce anyone to believe what he has written. But history (even Comparative History) is against him. and having written his book he must submit himself to the scalpel of the literary surgeons, who arc only too pleased to' place such a machiavellian rascal on the operating table. Shortly put, the purpose of the ex-Kaiser is to endeavor to clear himself from the charge of having engineered the Great War; but all that he says for himself and all that he says that others 1 said in substantiation of his plea will not avail hint, for no one will believe him. and this unbelief is as strong amongst a great proportion of the German .people as it is amongst those who are not Germans. Ever since the ex-Kaiser was checkmated in bis designs on Morocco, in which Mritain and France, without appearing to ho acting as allies, prevented Germany gaining a foothold n Northern Africa, the Kaiser and hi--junUers left no stone unturned in their preparations for the European Armageddon. It is so many years since 'he Kaiser paicl his memorable visit to Morocco that the event has largely faded from the memories of most people. The purpose of the Kaiser was to tell the Moroccans that Codlin was their friend and not Short—that Germany would be a more generous benefactor to Morocco than either France or Mritain could be. He left the matter to be considered by the rulers of Morocco, who wanted neither France, Britain, nor Germany. However, Mritain and France settled the matter without Germany. My a treaty Britain agreed to allow France a free hand in Morocco on the condition that France would allow Britain a free hand in K. and. Franco agreeing, assumed n pro tectorate over the Moorish country, and withdrew from Egypt. It may be explained that at ibis time there existed a dual control in Egypt, arising out of the heavy financial interests Mritain and France had in the Suez Canal. The Kaiser, of course, was made aware of what had been done when it was too late to interpose, but, not to he- baulked of a share of the African spoil he sent the gunboat Panther to Agadir to claim that port and its hinterland, but here also he met with a rebuff, for lie not only fell up against Britain and France, but Spain f s well, and *he German fag had to be carried away by tho Panther. Northern Africa, is' thus in the hands of France. Italy and Spain, with Germany nowhere. Germany, however, was strong enough to compel France to dismiss M. Delcasse. the Minister responsible for the coup, under a threat of breaking oil' friendly relations. There was at the time no alliance existing between Mritain and France. Each ploughed a lonely furrow, and France had experienced the might of Germany in the war of 1870 and 1871. That war cost her Alsace and Lorraiine, besides £200,000,000 in hard cash, which was claimed as an indemnity. Then Germany had prepared for such a contingency as a war with France, but when the Agadir episode cropped up she was not ready, for such an eventuality as a war that might have involved Frame and Russia against her, with the possibility of Mritain coming in as a combatant. From tho date- of the Kaiser's repulse in the Moroccan aflair he determined to make preparations for the German hegemony of Europe, if .not of the world. My divine right he ruled Germany, and. as more than one writer remarked, he had assumed all the privileges of Providence's vice-regency on earth, and arrogated to himself the position of senior partner. He had dismissed Bismarck, and had therefore no other of sufficient power and circumstance to interfere with his mandate-. He had thus a free hand to shape every circumstance to the accomplishment ol his purpose, and thai purpose was to bring under the rod of his discipline. France and Russia, and after that such countries as Britain. Italy, Spain, and the lesser fvv that make up the agglomeration of the body politic in Europe. A great army and a great navy were essential to his purpose, and accordingly every German in Germany who had two legs to stand upon was trained in the arts of war. and every German who was out of Germany was disciplined into the obligation to return to the Fatherland when the war trumpet sounded, ft is wonderful how a country like Germany maintained her factories and industries in full operation during the years when the Kaiser was drilling the whole nation into warmachines, but he kept on till he hat

his people perfect to the last gaiterbutton. The ex-Kaiser's book may not nave leached the Dominion, but the writer lias a reference to it in one of London's largest dailies. That reference does not. however, deal with the Moroccan episode, but it is sale to say that the semi-lunatic who assumed a partnership with the Deity, would; never overlook the indignity that bold him when he was sidestepped out of Morocco, and from that date lie rather clothed himself with the attributes of hi." Satanic majesty than with those of the righteousness of a Greater Power, and all his mind was thereafter bent on the creation of an engine that. would achieve his desire—the crushing .it" his enemies into the dust. In -his book he makes reference to the necessity for Germany being prepared for war, as her enemies were compassing her about, and in 1914 he has an entry that France intended to borrow a large sum of money with which to" construct strategic railways. The inference is that Germany was to be attacked by France. In 1914 the war began, and Franco never got the chance to borrow money for any description of railways. The suggest io falsi is that France alone was making preparations for war, whereas Germany had already constructed eight strategic railways leading direct to France, several of them with dead ends. Ford Roberts had the prescience to divine the intention-; of the German Emperor, and made the statement to his countrymen that war with Germany was inevitable. There was some opposition in Germany to the Kaiser's proposal to build a greatnavy, but without a great navy the Kaiser could not carry out his intentions. Fie overwhelmed all opposition', and set about its construction; but the astuteness of the Kaiser missed ono salient point. He forgot that Germany was not the only power that could possess a great navy, and the faster he built the faster Britain built. It was a money-wasting game, but the British people insisted that Britain must build two ships for every one that Germany built. That checkmated the designs of " Big Willie," the nick-name by which the Kaiser was known to distinguish him 'from his graceless son, who was known a« Little Willie. The German fleet undoubtedly grew larger, but it failed to keep pace with that of Britain, and when war broke out it was. as a matter of comparison, smaller than when the Kaiser laid the first keel. British diplomatists had frequently hinted to the Kaiser that Britain had no' intention of going to war with Germany, and that an understanding regarding shipbuilding might he advisable. To this the Kaiser turned a deaf ear. although be must have realised that he was no further forrard. He, however 1 , realised where he was when ho launched his thunderbolt at the end of July, 1914. lor then he understood l that his big iieet was impotent to do what he intended it to do. The British fleet was nearly twice as strong as that of Germany, and his plans went all awry. An alliance; existed between France and Russia, formed for the purpose of counteracting the machinations of the Triple Alliance —Germany, Austria, and Italy. However, when the war broke out Italy hung back, and placing no confidence in Germany, later joined the allies, and stood on safer ground. The building of the Kiol Canal was not a commercial undertaking, as the Kaiser said it was. but a design to get quickly at Russia without having to expose the German lleet to that of Britain (if Britain joined in the combat) in the North Sea. The Kaiser bad therefore made all his plans lor war. He hud a huge army, a big fleet and the Kiel Canal, and had the war been confined to France and Russia he would have beaten them both. for he had the assistance of Austria. which also had a great army, created under the impulse of German dominance. The Kaiser began the war when it suited him, and if he wrote Comparative Histories till his face assumed the complexion of the deepest ultra-marine he would never induce the world to believe that he could tell the truth it lie tried, and one thing thai may he said of him is that he- very seldom tried. All the incidents in the Kaiser's reign which Jed up to the Great War point to the conclusion that out of the rebuff administered to him over Morocco grew the desire to compel his enemies to pay tribute to Germany, and Europe knew it. The only information that Furope was not in possession ..f was when the blow would fall, hut tho Kaiser was ready, and when the Sarajevo a>>assinations took place he compelled Austria to send an ultimatum to Serbia, which followed it up with an invasion of troops. The determination of the Kaiser to begin the war was s (1 overwhelming that he would listen to no pleas for peace from either Russia, Britain, or even Austria. He knew that Russia would be drawn into the strife because of her co-religionists in Serbia, but that only served his purpose the better. And then followed the ultimatums and the war.