THE ARCH CRIMINAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11762, 28 July 1916, Page 4

THE ARCH CRIMINAL.

In spite of the ol'd adage as to tho policy of catching the bear before attempting to dispose of his pelt, all sorts of conjectures aro heard on both sides of the Atlantic as to what will become of the Kaiser after the wax. The question appears to have become an all-absorbing topic of discussion in London and in Paris, and the consensus of public opinion in both capitals seemsi to be that, having very prudently invested tho greater part of his great wealth in the United States, he will ulimately seek refuge in America. For, of course, it is taken for granted that he will be -defeated, and taat the victory of the Powers of the Entente will be followed by the loss of his throne. No doubt whatever is entertained by Great Britain and her Allies as to tl)e ultimate isaie of the titanic conflict which has been in progress for nearly two 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 coalitinn ever formed since that organised a little more than a hundred years ago to crush the military terrorism of tho first Napoleon. Premier Asquith and the other members of his Cabinet in London, President Poincare and Prime Minister Briand in Paris, Signor Salandra and Signor Sonnino at Rome, Count Okuma, the octogenarian Premier of Japan, and the Czar's Foreign Minister, Sannanoff, at Petrograd, have all in turn loudly proclaimed that they would entertain no overtures for peace, and that their respective nations were solemnly, pledged to one another never to shonthe their swords until the military domination of the Kaiser was wholly and finally destroyed and "the right? of the small nations of Europe established on an unassailable foundation."

Tim means that the Powers of the Entente would be content with nothing less than the disrupt'oii of the German Empire into a number of entirely independent States, such a l * existed before the creation of the North German Confederation by Bismarck, in 1860, after the battle of Sad own. Prussia "would be deprived of the Duchies of Schleswig an J Holstein, which would be restored to Denmark, from whom thev were torn in 1364, while her Pel'sh province, and also a considerable slice of East Prassi i and of Silesia, would have'to be surrendered' to Russia, all the renrion to the north-west ofAix-Ia-Chapelle doing to Belgium. Even if the Prussian people were to retain their dvnnsty after ultimate d'efeat, whch is to the last decree imrirobable, it is difficult to believe that Emperor William would be willing to remain on the throne under such altered conditions Moreover, he appreciates now the fact that not only most foreign nations, but even the Germans themselves, hold him primarily responsible for tho nresent war. and for all tho terrific suffering, for the nnpr.l--ling loss of life, and for the overwhelming and widespread ruin which it has entailed. He mu't be aware that hi\ people have lost faith in him, that all the glnnnur and m'estiore with which he had formerly managed to envelop himself have disappeared, and that lie stands in the : r eyes as a failure and sis the author of all their present troubles, and of still worse which they know are vet to come. In the circumstances his position at Berlin, even if permitted by his subjects to remain, would be intolerable to a man of his character. ST HELENA OUT OF QUESTION. Wh ere would the Kaiser go if he lost his throne, e r ther by voluntary abdication or against his will, ms the result of a revolution of the Prussian nation against the House of HohenzollernP Of course, no importance, need be attached to the irrospons'ble letters contained in the English Press urging that he should be confined to the Island of St Helena and detained" there for the remainder of Irs days. The restoration of Longwood, which had been po-mitted to fall into ruin, and which was inaugurated last year, was never undertaken with a view to his residence within its walls, whatever may be alleged to the contrary. Fcr the Eng lisli are to-day heartily ashamed of the treatment to which fchev subjected the First Napoleon in banishing him to this remote, d'amp and fo2-shrr>nrled island of the Southern Atlantic. Their regret has been eloquently expressed by Lord Ro c ebery in his monograph on the captivity of tho founder of _ the Hoiro of Bonaparte, entitled "Napoleon: the Last Phase," and popular sentiment in Great Br> tain would never permit in these present times such ungenerous treatment of a defeated foe. (The writer exanrnes in detail every European country, and reaches the conclusion that in neither of them could the Kaiser find an acceptable asylum. Ho then proceeds as follows.) HAPPINESS IN AMERICA. I

Thus far only one dethroned ruler has sought an asylum in America, namely. Joseph Bonaparte, who, after having boon King of Naples, had reignod at Madrid as monarch of Spain. Some of the most peaceful aud happy years of his life were spent at Bordentown, N.J., where, free from all trouble and mix ctv, he found at length the leisure to give free rein to his literary a.id fccient.lie tastes. There is also abundant evidence to show that if any of the several efforts to rescue Napoleon from his captivity in Sfc Hclcvm luv.l been successful, he, too, would ■save sought refuge in the United States. Indeed, his brother, King Joseph, actually made elaborate preparations for his reception at Borcientown. Burden toAvn even to-day would be too quiet a spot lor so active a man as J&mperor William. But there is no

—| BCOI 0? THE KAISER. WHERE WILL EE CO AFTEI Til WAR ?

(By F. CUNLIFFE-OWEN, in " New Ycrk Herald.")

doubt that of all the countries in the world there is none which would possess a greater amount of attraction for him as an asylum, than the United States—a country in which he has always been phenomenally interested, and that he has always desired to see tf-t close issue of the London "Financial News" it is stated that " if the Kais-er cannot boss Europe lie means to have the finest house on Fifth Avenue, in New xoriv. The question remains as to how the £" IS ® r » T? r ' I should say, the ~ m TT I would be received in the United States. It is probable that hib piofound interest in everything American would be reciprocated, -and tliat he would command a far greater degree of attention on tfie part of the people than any o.her foreigner who has ever visited the United States. For a man who h.i a 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 1 j iave enly been able to loot upon mm from afar.

William would find in America mil:ons of his countrymen and a still larger number of United States circus cl _ German descent who might end by being drawn toward him, despite the luin 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 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 disarm prejudice and evei hostility, and to> transform foes into admirers. The leading statesmen of Petrogrnd wera always filled with ap pi eheasion whenever any interview wa - about to take placo between their sovereign and the Kaiser, dreading the Tatter's powers of persuasion on the Czar, and used to do all in their power to prevent their coming together just on this account. If the one-time Kaiser cquld exercise a similar influence on Germans in America and upon Americans of German descent here he might oven in the end be in a position to away more directly the.hyphenated vote than he has succeeded in doing until now from Berlin, and thus become a very important factor in Ihe domestic policies of the United -Slates Or he might devote his attention, and above all his indefatigable energies, to industry and finance, and acquire new fame as one of the exeat captains thsreof in the United States. That he will ever resisrn himself to the life of ease and relaxation of King Joseph Bonaparte at. Bordentnwn. N.J., is out of the question. Wherever he is, a3 long as he retains his present physical and mental health, he will always be an intensely active force, radiating activity all around him. even more so than his one-time friend Theodore Roosevelt.