The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11,. 1918. COLLAPSE OF KAISERISM.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17427, 11 November 1918, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11,. 1918. COLLAPSE OF KAISERISM.

Whatever momentous hnppenings the immediate future may have in stoiv, the accomplished fact of the momeut is th<* downfall of Kaiserism. Thnt proud War I^ord, William 11., -he third Emperor of the German Empire, is a broken man, his "*ana {sone, his power stripped from hinij and his va:n ambitions crumbled into dmst. 1 heannouncement of his abdication, which we publish this morning, is definite anct official. In popular parlance, William the Bloodstained is "down an«i out," wind there is not one decon*; human being in the wide world vvlu> will not rejoice in his humiliation. Only a few months ago lie and liis dissolute son, the Crown1 Prince, were I still clanking their swords, prating o! victory, and assuring a. doubting Germany and her still more doubtir;^ Alliifj that all was well. As recenjly as April last thn Kaiser b.on.stfully proclaimed that "the world war cannot terminate in any other manner thai by tiip complete victory of Germany j over all her enemies." Again, jj« ! Mn.y, he said: "Tlie last few monrli* i have brought us successes whioh jusfifv j our title to a strong peace, which shail open new roads to victorious Germ.in commerce." That most puisssxur, prince. Fiedrieh Wilhelm Victor Aujr-i nsfc Ernst, of abominable fame j Dei-severed in his bombastic clowning | eren after him f;it)ier luul begun to } pu>)lic-ly admit bis recognition of ».Vi»> \ gravity of the situation. Just a i'f»w I wec'ks 'ago, in i-haracteristic itmguagj, Ijo endeavoured to delude :>h (•ouniryruen with tf;<- mirage of v'<j- ,

tOiy I'iK'L's f)itt;l(.-Jc.<. !e b."i-:i«"l. <•!"- spite f.li t . war map (once no loved l.i the enemy) and the daily t^l of j-vsmi-ers and dead rau&t gome day '>c brought

to naught "by our elastic system of dofence." The Germans were running away to fight another day. ' It mightbe true that they were not killin-4 many Englishmen or Frenchmen, ov Americans, but "we have no wish to destroy any of our enemies." The retirement was thus obviously the •»- suit of poire humanity. To this headded that Germany never deshvd wiar! And so on, and ou He forgot, apparently, the Liehnowsky revelations. He forgot thaifc in 11)14 the German Government* was persuaded that Irelan, dand a paciticist Cabinet would prevent Gread Britain's? interference when France was attacked. He forgot the continue'! horrors, that mad© his talk of German humanity as ridiculous as vt was vuuseous. But maybe it was tnetvly a foolish, if a puissant. Prince, shouting to keep his failing courage up. Novv he has nothing left to shout for. Hi-5 career a s a prospective Emperor i< cut short by his enforced renunciation of his claim to the throne. Togethe". he and his infamous father, twin villains in the world's greatest tragedy, step from the stage, hissed into rl>sourity by an indignant world. L e t Us hope, for the world's sake, that out of the new system, whatever form it may take, a new and better order of things will prevail, and -float, escaping the chaotic confusion of insensate Bolshevikism, a chastened Germany will emerge to play a nobler part in tne comity of nations.