The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1915. WILHELM’S DREAM,

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 56, 4 November 1915, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1915. WILHELM’S DREAM,

Writing from Berlin last month a special correspondent of the Christchurch Evening News tells an amazing story of Kaiser WilhaJm’s mad ambition and how he desires, in his blindness and folly, to set up a new Great Power in Europe. According to this authority it is to oe a genuine great Power, occupying all of East-Central Europe, and separating for ever Germany and Austria from Russia’s threatening might. This plan, it is said, is being batch-j ed by the Kaiser, Imperial Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, and War Minister Falkenhayn on the basis of the Austro-German victories in Poland and Lithuania, and a new campaign in Serbia. England’s former Premier, the Marquis of Salisbury, first had the notion that a seventh great Power in Europe would violate heaven’s decree. He told the students of Oxford that Europe’s division into a Dual Alliance of France and Russia,' and Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria, and Italy, was providentially ordained. “What,” asked a student, would happen if in addition to these five great Powers and England the sixth, a new seventh great Power came into existence?” “Providence,” retorted Salisbury, “did not make q seventh great Power, and does not intend to.” After discussing the matter at considerable length, the writer referred to says the Kaiser’s one great annexation plan is to he in the north-east. He wants to take Russia’s Baltic provinces, including Lilian and Riga,»attd the country south as far .as Dvinsk. including Dorpat, with its once German university. Also Germany would like- to stretch herself along the Baltic a s far as Reval. All this country hits German links; the landowners and bourgeois are the, posterity of the Teutonic knights, and the peasants and workmen are Letts or Ests, who hate Germans hut an* Lutherans by religion and might he assimilated. Reval, in German hands, would die a perpetual threat to Petrograd. It would give Admiral Tirpitz command over the Gulf of Finland. General von Ealkeiiliayn, Germany’s best political strategist, stands strongly for this plan. The possession of the Baltic provinces would retain to ( Germany the outflanking position to- i wards Russia which slip used during ] the war to such advantage. Up to j now East Prussia outflanked Russia . in Poland, and made dangerous any j Russian attempt to advance west ( Tf Russia, is pushed out of Poland. | and Germany in the north does not 1

transfer her frontier. Germany after peace would not longer outflank Rus sir,. If Germany lakes the greater [jai l ol Uie Baltic provinces, she would continue to outflank Russia; and in a future war she would present to a Russian army marching west the same peril as she has presented in the present war. If, it is pointed out. this annexation is combined with Kaiser Wilhelm’s buffer - State notion. Germany’s security against a retaliation war would be doubly great. As regards the buffer state itself oi which Mad Wilhelm dreams, it is believed that the plan he and his merry men have resolved upon is that the new seventh great Power should be nationally a composite State similar to Austria-Hungary. It would not be so torn by race contrasts, for nearly all the inhabitants would belong to one or another Slav branch. It would contain no Great Russians. In Europe, the Great Russians number about 70,000,000 out of 180.000.000. In the west of the Empire, the rawmaterial for the buffer State, there are no Great Russians except officials and a few colonists. In the north of the buffer State territory are Lithuanians ; in the centre and west Poles; to the cast of the Poles. White Russians, and in the south-east. Ukrainians. whom the Great Russians call Little Russians. The Roles and Lithuanians are Catholics; the White Russians and the Little Russians are Greek Orthodox. Once all this land was Polish. To-day, outside Poland proper, the landowners and many of the townspeople are Poles. In Vilna, Lithuania's capital, and in Kieff,< Little Russia’s capital, the Polish language is heard. Kieff has least of all the Polish character; it was once the capital of ;i Russian principality ; and where not Russian it is to-day Little Russian and .Jewish. But there are Catholic Poles scattered all over Kieff province, and Kieff is not a truly Great Russian town. With the really German mind all details have been arranged (except the trifling one of conquering the country required) and it only remains-—Wilhelm probably imagines—for him to make the announcement. offer the Deity a share in the honour of setting up the new business, and the thing will be done.