The Daily News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30. THE GERMAN SCANDAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 30 October 1907, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30. THE GERMAN SCANDAL.

Interest in an unusual degree ocems to be manifested by the whole of Europe in the German libel ease that lias been engaging the Berlin laucourts during the past few days. It is an extraordinary ease, not so much on account of the nature; of Die charge itself, hut 011 account of the amazing condition of tilings in regard to Court ami diplomatic doings which it reveals. The story leading up to the making of the charge of criminal libel against ilcrr Harden, the democratic journalist, by Cor.nt von ilnltke is realiy the history of Germany during the past decade or two. Prince Phillip Eulenburg appears to be the central figure of the piece. A character sketch of this personage, attributed to Prince Bismarck, the iron Chancellor, gives one an idea of the character and make-up of the mail. Said Bismarck: "As a politician he cannot be taken seriously. As a diplomatist lie cannot be used in important posts. ... He doesn't want to be anything, neither Secretary of Stale nor Chancellor. He thinks with Voltaire, 'The friendship of a groat man is a gift of the gods.' That is all he wants. He is an enthusiast, a spiritualist, and a fine talker in the style of. old Eadowitz. For a man of the Kaiser's dramatic temperament that kind of man is very dangerous. When he is in his presence Euicnburg takes up a kind of worshipping attitude, probably sincere, but that kind of adoration was never good for anybody. As soon as he sees_ the Kaiser he fastens his gaze on linn as if hypnotised, paer estaticus, 'Faust' in the last act: but here he is no father, but rather son." The Iron Chancellor further remarks ! ™at Eulenburg was "almost 'ploughed' m his examination for the diplomatic service," and the most important wt he ever entrusted to Prince Eulenbur" was that of Prussian Minister to Bavaria.

But it was after the fall of Bismarck ' •iMee Eulenburg reached his fall lJOwer and influence; then it was that the camarilla" spun its web with the Kaiser, and the unseen rule of the Kin>»maker who would not be King asserted According to the testimony of several Berlin correspondents, one of the first victims of this Court intrisri.u was 'icneral Counl Caprivi, Prince Bismarck's successor in the Chancellorship. Umm, Caprivi was a loyal soldier, one ol the noblest and most chivalrous of men But for this very reason he could not defend himself against the tenebrous intrigues ol the Court, llis worst enemies were the Eulenburg family, and it J ; S i l uril, »' 11 "Sit of the Kaiser l, L.tdenbuig Castle, the Eulenburg famile seat near Berlin, that his downfall wis finally brought about. But strange to • '3) J- ™ce l'.ulenburg feared the M Kaiser T' k ' Was afraid th;! 1 Kaiser would insist on his taking the office of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He feared tha't his friendly influence over the lyaiscr would .suffer by the daily official relations, that his reports on the political situation would ho less interesting than his intimate and friendly intercourse, in the coun» of which lie understood so well how ( o impa-rt the direction he desired to the Kaiser s nund.

We arc told that when Prince Holieulohe became Chancellor, he "had to nut up with" Prince Eulenburg in the Vienna Embassy. Soon the Eulenburg canianll,i_ and Baron Marschall von Bieberstein (Secretary for Foreign Affairs) came to grips. So powerful was the network of Court intrigue wound round him, that von Biebersteiu found die only way he could sweep it away was by what he described as a Fluent in der Oflent lichkeit, "flight into publioity. H(; had a few obscure press seniles the journalistic tools of ;iis secret eneinits—arrested and put on trial for libelling him, and proved that the man who inspired them, and to whom they went daily for their instructions was Ilerr Tausch; the head of a political section of the Berlin police. Prince Eulenburg had to admit in Court tint he had relations with Tausch. He declared, however, that his relations were "purely social," though how it came that the Ambassador to Vienna and a police commissary had "social relations" he did not explain. This "cause celebre" was a Pyrrhic-victory for Baron Marscliall von Bicberstein, and his position as Secretary of State became impossible, and he went to Constantinople as Ambassador, a post he still holds. The old Prince von Hohenlohe was beginning to feel the burden of years, and the question came up who should lie appointed to the Foreign Office. The candidate of Prince Eulenbur<' was Ilerr Bernard von Bulow. He and Prince Eulenburg were at that time intimate friends; they used the familiar "thou" m their daily intercourse. It was here that Count Kuno von Moltke first came oil the scene. He was then a colonel and Military Attache of the Vienna Embassy under Prince Eulenburg. He could exercise influence on the Kaiser through his cousin General Hellmuth von Moltke, who since the death of the old field-marshal had the car of liis Mageneral von Hulsen, chief 0 f the Military Cabinet, also brought his influence to bear.

JJut llerr von Bulow did not want the thorny post of Secretary of State for ioreign Allairs. I'rau von Jiulow travelled through to Vienna and be«-"ed Prince Eulenburg to allow her husband to remain Ambassador in Rome. She asked the Prince why he did not take the post himself, and got the answer, '1 would rather be King-maker than ilerr vou Jiulow liad to accept ! tlie U lluclmstrassc, and his AVanviek was raised from the rank of Count za Lulenburg to that of Prince, and made a lile member of the Prussian iiouse of Lords. There he spun out his nets still further. \\ hen he had been .Minister Jii .Munich he had been on very friendly terms with if. Lecointe, an Attache of tlie trench Legation. Thanks to Jlis inlluence m Paris, h e got .If. Leeomte appointed I- irst Secretary of the French Embassy m Berlin, aud thus created for him-selr means of knowing wLat was going on in the d'Orsay, and the i exact state of relations between France and Germany. In the Foreign Ollice he had two trusted lieutenants, Ilerr von I xiolstem and llerr von Kiderlcn-VVacch-ter, so that lie felt sure, of his influence tlieie. lie then got his former Jiiiitary Attache, Count Kuno von Jloltke aupomtcd Military Uovernor of Berlin a

'the remainder of the story, which has tint En lt ]° d ty the "■ Domini °n" is ifsffisjuasg «1 11 balancing force and successor to Bulow j nnce Lulenburg also quarrelled with his former ally Herr von Holstein an able diplomat,st, who in the lWn W " exf t0 Secretary for pol ey n .md rt ti; ,; faflUß " ° f th ° Mor °«*n toat a? li, • conse< i uent German rej^Bansifas of desertion seems to liave been the n liiiu I "7 ds lla(l . hetrayed 11 an alliance with TTprr Mux.",, la,. Harden, w )l0 ollieial one (h «J ,VPri,, ""»t behind the one, the -round table' at an irresponsible elinne „f . -"led the all'airs of SHIe '' n" "m '''l «"= Zmikurt article; the hn s^, iUe t,n " «'■ ■»v S ;K»k nmN oi tliu immoral prnr-fWe •< adnnttcd'y J . !, of polil.eal elians,. rather tl n , lose of i, t ,„. ; •' duel (not aeeepled) issued bv r«„„t Kuno von Moltke to llorr Ifarlle,,: « J action of (he frown Prince in iiliein.r ie /ukunft articles before Ihe Kaiser" tie Kaisers •toishment from (V„„r' ot Irinee Kiilcnburg and dismissal of omit Kuno von Moltke from the Mililary Governorship of Berlin; tho Kaispr's ilisiiii-sal of Count Posadowsky, whoso ■ unit seems to have been that the camarilla had singled him out as th,. oieccssor of Prince Bulow; and (iiiallv omit Kunn von MoK.ke's proseeutioii ol Herr Tfardrn for criminal libel.