THE KAISER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 91, 26 July 1910, Page 3

THE KAISER.

DENOUNCED FOR HIS PEACE EFFORTS IN ENGLAND. Berlin, May 26. The Kaiser's conversation on the peace of Europe with M. Piehon, the French Foreign Minister, during his visit to England has raised a storm of criticism throughout Germany. His Majesty is really in trouble again, for after an interval of eighteen months of perfect peace since the great crisis ot 1908 he is the target of editorial thunderbolts hurled not only from great provincial centres, but also from his own capital. It will be difficult for British onlookers —at least those not familiar with the trend of German public opinion —to understand why this should be, but the cause of this sharp criticism Jirecleil against the Emperor is no more than his peaceful, conciliatory c :;l eminently sensible utterances in London, particularly his remarks to M. Pie!:on. This criticism does no. emanate from Pan-Germans alone, but also from many leading organs, representing Conservative and National Libera! opinion, and especially from newspapers principally read by' State officials, oiVcers and landowners; in brief, by the ruling classes of Germany. It is necessary to emphasise this, because it will certainly be stated that the criticism of the Kaiser's peace talk is confined to the extreme Pan-Ger-mans.

But a careful analysis of the press comments shows that the leading newspapers in such great commercial and industrial centres as Hamburg, Breslau, Leipzig, Essen, Hanover and Magdeburg have sounded hostile or warning notes on this subject. In Berlin, it is true, the democratic newspapers, Tageblatt and Morgenpost, ha ve taken the opposite view, but more or 'ess drastic criticism of the Imperial utt< unices in London are published by such important organs of weightv public opinion as the Deutsche Ta "eszeitung and the Taegliche Rundsbote and the Detu-ch» Zeitung which, though circulating in .comparatively limited circles, cannot be ignored.

IXFAIJLABILITY GOXE. The Hamburger iXaohrichten devotes several long articles of remarkably bitter criticism to (lie Emperor's utterances, describing them it, injurious, incompatible witli the traditions of Bismarckian policy, and ill-judged. The leading Conservative newspaper, the Breslau Nchlesische Zeitung, says the words attributed to the Emperor are inconsistent with the attitude which ilis Majesty lias mantained since November, l!) 08; and the Deutsche Zeitung says the Emperor's conversation with M. Pichon is regrettable from the point of view of (lerman interests. ' Similar comments are made in the Leipzig 'Xeueste Naehriehten, the Leipzig Ta»eblatl, and the iihenish Westphalian Uazette, and all supply convincing proof that the era of Imperial infallibilitv lias gone for ever. _ It'is clear that the K.u«er favors a mure conciliatory and peaceful foreign policv than lite other inn-!, important factors in Herman polities, ami that lie meets with resolute opposition when lie implies his theories of international relations to practical European politics.