LESE MAJESTE A DEAD LETTER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10062, 2 February 1909, Page 4

LESE MAJESTE A DEAD LETTER.

(By a Diplomat, in the London Daily Express.) A week's sojourn in Berlin has convinced me that the Kaiser bubble has burst,. William 11., who, for twenty years has appeared to the world as a great and a.heroic figure, has been reduced in the-public eye to his real dimensions. Far frpm being, the strong, resolute ruler of indomitable will, he is revealed to his own country and to' the world as an impulsive busybody of excitable ' temperament and eccentric habits of speech. The discovery of the .truth about the Kaiser has ..been the most important feature of the.political crisis through which Germany has just passed. For two ' decades'the German Emperor has'awed his own subjects into passive submission to his autocratic rule, and has figured iii the eyes of other nations- as the -most wonderful monarch of modern -times;. All these illusions about the Kaiser have been swept away;by the succession ! of amazing revela-' tipns. about the Emperor's own character and about the- conditions-prevalent at the Court of Berlin. i -'

The' effect.of -the-discovery of the-truth about the Kaiser on the German nation has been remarkable ' in. the highest degree. Germany has gone through a silent revolution during the ' last six weeks. Sixty millions of.' German . subjects,. : who have hitherto bowed down, and worshipped their imperial idol ! with, an unquestionable belief in his semi-divinity, have suddenly realised that their sovereign is nothing more than a. weak imd erring mm-. tal. The result of this awakening . has been one.great national outburst of lese majeste. ' Hitherto all residents in Germany have, hesitated even to breathe the name of the august-occupant of the throne for fear that the most harmless remarks about his personal character might be misunder-stood-and-.misconstrued-as criticisms' or at'tacfes. If, now • and then, one venturesome German generated enough courage.to utter a disrespectful or ■ critical remark about the • Kaiser he. invariably- looked around'him with nervous apprehension to make sure that none could overhear.his treason, and' then whispered his opinion on the Emperor's; doings'or sayings with bated breath. .- Men have - been arrested in the street, and'indicted on a charge of lese majeste for failing to doff their'hats when the •Kaiser's •motof-car-'-dashed-past- at a reckless; speed. ■.... • In consequence of-this protection of the ; Sovereign - by a : system of'legal terrorism the' Kaiser -,was generally •; mentioned.- as a Higher''being.' In'the Reichstag-the President of'the- Chamber promptly suppressed any-critical: reference to his Majesty, and deprived-any" Deputy who uttered a disrespectful word;-about the-oc-cupant of theHhroneoftherright of speech; In 'all- the provincial 'Diets of the -individual "States', of the ■ German Empire the same rigid restrictions -were enforced on- the members.- The''.newspapers never criticised 'the - 'Kaiser, but always showeredfulsome flattery on' him. . .

All this has been changed during the last six weeks. Having discovered that William n. is a rash and indiscreet man who has endangered the vital interests of his country by his reckless political eccentricities, the "German people have broken away from the tradition of centuries, and are now indulging in astonishing criticisms of their imperial ruler. In the Federal Council of the Umpire, where the opinions of the lesser German Sovereigns are voiced by their chosen delegates, the Kaiser's personal policy lias been subjected to scathing attacks. The King of Saxony and the King of Wurtemherg have both declared that he must not be allowed to control German foreign policy without any check on his dangerous eccentricities. In the Reichstag, the Emperor's reputation as a statesman and diplomat has been torn to shreds, and thousands of German newspa]>ers have told their readers the plain, unvarnished truth about their monarch. .

The astonishing freedom with which Germans of all classes and ages abuse and criticise the Kaiser in public places without fear and without restraint is a most surprising development in German national life. On all sides one hears the same bitter attacks, the same merciless criticism of the Kaiser's words and actions.

People recall the fact (hat William 11. was surrounded for nearly twenty years by a group of perversely immoral courtiers who exploited him for their own purposes and erected a barrier between the Crown and the nation. They recall the many amazing inconsistencies of his policy—His silly outbursts of temper and his open menaces to other countries. One story of his irresponsible attitude towards the weightiest affairs of State is in circulation. When llerr von I'osadowsky, a great statesman and social reformer, was Imperial Secretary of State for the" Interior, his sagacious reports on the domestic affairs of the Empire always bored the Emperor, who systematically attempted to evade the necessity of receiving this Minister in private audience.

When, however, it was no longer possible to avoid seeing llerr von l'osadowsky, the Kaiser introduced his pet dachshund dogs into the audience chamber. While the Secretary of State was reading a weighty report on some important matter closely affecting the welfare of the nation, the bored Kaiser drove his little dogs wildly about the room in such a way that they rushed between the legs of the embarrassed Minister. When at last the embarrassment and confusion became so great that- he could no longer continue his report, the Kaiser laughed with uncontrollable merriment and terminated the audience, glad to bo relieved of a burdensome duty. Many similar stories of the Kaiser's weaknesses and indiscretions are being repeated with great glee by his suddenly enlightened subjects. What is still more remarkable is the immunity which Iho critics now seem to enjoy. Daring this crisis there have been no prosecutions for lese majeste. The inflamed state of public opinion would have made it diuigerous to take any measures of repression. The silent revolution has been so effective that the established law of the land can no longer protect the Kaiser from the criticism of his subjects.