THE KAISER'S INTERVIEW.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 397, 5 January 1909, Page 7

THE KAISER'S INTERVIEW.

* -vi,i '^ ; S^ V ■ /Apart'.'altogether from the importance 'ofj its' contents,'■ the-MS: of; tlie'- ",Telegraph'ii"' ; interview with the German. Emperor.'.ha'cH some remarkable adventures. ■•''.Here is... the "Westminste'r's I .' "summary'.of. its. diverting moyenionts':— .:'■■ ■;. ■■•v , ', :.';'•'•,-■"- .-. , .- t > , .- Moralfor People who Don't Read; • .'/.■ '■■. "(I);The it appears, : ; received' from a private Englishman .a 'flimsy' manus-"I oript,:/embodying a series -of. conversations ■which' the Kaiser'had had. with various ,Eng-. lisli personages, with a' request for permission to publish it.;/, ■■' ■'■'<• / •-" - ; --M/.- v -( : - : -V '■.■;':• ! \'\ '"(2)i Stating tbatif.the'Foreign "Office saw no to its publication he Had'none;,: the Emporor handed the statement to Prince Bulow. ; v :■•-., v .•;.'; ■■■;;■■ : ;"'.:..,:.-^::j:/V '."(3) Wjthout'reading' it; :.the busy- Chaii- , . . qellor ■ handed:' it' over to' one'.: of, his olefks to 'attend: t0..-- .."■' : ' , ~,', -/ ; ' -■..„.;-■- : ;;'--. : :--v : "(4)' Without oxamiriing the 'illegible English' niariusdript, the clerk sent it to the-For-eign Offico. to-be reported upon.; ) '._■- -' V'■■■■..')<:'■; "(5) The head of tile Press Department was ■absent'. , - ; So a subordinate'officiaF sent the document.back -to NbnJerno'y, -/where' : 'the Chancellor hunting, witfr'tne remark that it 'contained .nothing which need riot be 'published.';; ■".'. :'.'v : ", ' ■ . ''["■'/■'.:,. : ■':'■'-:'■■,'■' '':. -'v.i----"(6) Again .'the.Chancellor was^-top busy to reaa.the article/ so it went back-.to; the Kaiser.' and• to i the : correspprident .of v.:the. 'Daily Telegraph. , - ■.;"■'.; ■; ;-. ':: >'. : :.;;..; "(7) Prince /Bulow, therefore, first learned what the,interview contained' froln-the. German, newspapers,-which.quoted it;in fullfrom, tho columns/of our contemporary. ''. ' ■■■••■■•':' i '-'Tuking upon himself the whole responsibility for this'-long series ' of; remnrkable blunders,';'the-Imperial/Chancellor-promptly tendered his' resignation in a long letter set-' .ting out' his reasons in' full. , .The ;Eiriperor,' l however; beeped Prince Bulow to fomain / in office,, and, this ihe.'Chaiioellor has -consented to/do. ■.''. ;■,-, ■ -~.•-: . ■■'.' -.':'■: : .--i' , '.'."'• '■ •..'■■ •'.-■ : :',i\-'' Prince Biiiow bhaUcnged.' •■;;.■-■; ; v -'Tho Berlin correspondent of the 'Gilßlas' professes., to/'hare better .information/than that 'Supplied by the German Foreign Office, for ho.says:— ■ - -' : .■■■.■'.-■ •'■.-'•■,.:■ .'■ ,; ■: y ■'■■ .'■■'■'■;• ■ ''.'.'The interview 'was published with : the consent of, Prince von Bulow,'who woe aware of tho contents of tho "Daily Telegraph" article long .before it appeared. . T.he '.' Emperor, alone tookihe initiative'in its publication. Prince von Bulow'is even said to ■have col-., laborated in , editing it. .The fact is thßtnei-. tiler, the. Emperor nor. tho .Chancellor' lieved 'that its; publication in : an English newspaper would arouse; the critioisms of, the whole German- press and oreate suoh intense excitement in Germany. The story put ■.;incirculation by thn "Norddeutsche Allgemeiho' Zoitung'!- was. invented: in. order 'to ward- op; the consequences 'which , -"the' affair.. may. have;, JVtook three ;riays to compose this story,' which, it is hoped, will put an end to the excilomentin . "Our ; ArfW Governing." ■ . The "Tagliobe Rundsohau," in an article hosded "Tbo Catastrophe," says:— :. . ':■.:". "It is difficult to; find words in the presence of this proof of our art of governingj. which cannot be matched oven in our days of decadence. The 'careful-examination , , of the manusoript of the interview by the Foreign Office oonsisted in tho official concerned ascertaining that the Emperor's assertions agreed with thn facts contained in the offioial documents, and, after .this examination, the article oniferges gaily inlo tho world, infuriates the French,"'Russians',' Dutch, and East Asiatics Against us, excites bitterness and' 'nervous irritation amongst our own people^- ' undermines 6lir neighbours' belief in our reliability, and evokes for us from the British people a cold and wounding refusal which we are now trying to swallow down." ' "The- German papers complain in general that his Majesty should perform political ac.tions of 'the highest importance : otherWise; than through official channels'and in •agree'-I-'meat withhis first Minister," says the "Telegraph's" Berlin correspondent. . :