The Daily News. TUESDAY, AUGUST 3,1915. THE KAISER'S MANIFESTO.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, AUGUST 3,1915. THE KAISER'S MANIFESTO.

Those who read in this issue the remarkable manifesto issued by the Kaiser to the German people, on the anniversary of the declaration of war, will hi inclined to wonder whether the German Emperor or the rest of the world are suH'ering from mental disturbance.

Ii the Kaiser is sane, and his wordt mean what they stand for, then he ii one of the greatest, and most cruel!} ivionged martyrs that has ever appeared on the world's stage, and his enemies are the most bloodthirsty tyrants 'that history has chronicled. Somehow, factt arc against him, and we can only cliarit jibiv as-,ume that he has so often triei; to impress others with the righteousness o." his cause, so often posed in the lime light as the innocent victim of the Coaii lion Towers, that he has actually conn to believe that his version of the origir o'" the war is the only correct one, am that he was forced into the conflict Why? Because, "alter preparations foi a whole decade, the Coalition Powers for whom Germany was becoming toi great, believed the moment had come ti humiliate the German Euipiie. whici i:ad stood loyally beside an Ally in just cause, or to crush it by overwhelm

ing and encircling forces." It reads idling!}', but lacks the one element necessary to make it effective—truth. The Kaiser deliberately resorts to the old trick of the attorney, who, when ever he had a hopelessly weak case, abused the other side. He conveniently ignores tl:e weil-known fa.t that Germany, insleaxl of making preparations for world conquest for " a whole decade," lias done so for a whole forty years; neither does he dilate upon the fact that his loyal Ally (Austria) was made his cats.paw in bringing about the war. He is silent

ua the luaLter ol' secret instructions; to captains of German auxiliary cruisers issued some years 'before tlie war, and as to all tlie preparations enabling "him to take the field at a moment's notice, and to abuse and trample under foot the guarantee of Belgiiuu"s neutrality in order to make a dash for Paris as tlie first step in his programme that was to place him on a pedestal frain whence he could dictate to tlie world. We know the Kaiser for wihat he is. The mask is eft', and the velvet cover of his mailed fist has lieen thrown aside. Tt is his business, however, to throw the dust of falsehood in the eyes of his people, and by the aid of blasphemous language, together with tlie unctuous phrases of a hyprocritical CbadbSimi, he may succeed, But he cannot deceive the Allies. "No lust of conquest drove ua into the war," says this wolf in shee;p% clothing. If not that, what was it that caused the war? It would take far too Hinoil space to detail the proved evidence of this swash-buckling Kaiser's carefully prepared pains for his personal glorification. He talks of the German people '• preserving tlie purification which they have acquired duriafl Miu war," and we can only infer that lie means they have been purified by the shedding of innocent Wood under circumstances of the grossest brutality, It is significant that in his mention of peace stipulations he places the guarantee of military freedom in the forefront. His pacific are well illustrated in his letter to the Queen of Greece, in which lie said: "In a short while I

v. ill announce new'victories won by my soldier' who have shown themselves inviiioibh in battle against nearly the

whole world." The Kaiser has been aptly named " Tlie Mad Dog of Europe." There is a method in his madness, but it needs the only cure that is clTeotive in the case of canine rabies. "The dra-

hia," he says, "ia now coming to a [lose." We are rejoiced to hear it, but the close of tho drama, to be effective, inu?t bring about the downfall of the villain of the piece.

HOLLAND'S POSITION. , The significant statement attributed to Mf. Aaquit'h that the advanci of the Allies might grow with the an csion to our cause of .States which took 110 part in tile war in its earlier stages will he interpreted according to the predilection of certain neutrals anil the mental bias of different people. But whatever speculations may arise, the fact remains that the British Government in its latest loan proposals lias been grunted wider powers in respect to countries to which advances might possibly he made. When people speak of neutrals intervening in the struggle on the side of the Allies the nations generally referred to are Rouniania and Greece, but a writer in a mint issue of the New York Times gives reason, to confirm his opinion that Holland is massing troops for a grand attack on Germany. For many months Holland has been elaborating her defences, and concentrating troops at vantage points along the frontier. Holland is ti vast beehive. • All the forts, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Delft and Moorn show an activity never before known. All Western Holland is one gigantic storehouse filled with everything necessary for the support of the Dutch people, with

ii surplus sufficient to meet tlic needs of an unny during a nine months' campaign. During , the last eight months ; Hrtiiand litis imported many times the amount of raw and manufactured materials she usually imports in :t similar length ai time. Tiic supposition Unit this surplus material finds its way along tin Rhine into Germany is not correct, for although a certain amount of copper, , cotton and wheat may have passed through Holland into Germany, the bulk of the importations have been stored in Holland. ..Moreover, Holland lifts been buying ammunition from Norway, Sweden'and America, and even frym Britain herself. Not only lias Holland prepared as far as supplies are concerned, but she has mobilised 400.000 troops on the frontier, and constructed earthworks and trench fortifications along the west bank of the Mouse for a distance, of fifty miles, and 011 the east bank of the Meu.se for a distance of twenty-five miles. These preparations have seemingly been 111 fide to protect Holland from invasion liv Germany, but behind all there has been a quiet and definite declaration for an aggressive movement against tier--11111 nv should tlip. opportunity occur. Germany. too, realises that Holland is conserving within her own limits much of the produce which Germany expected to liave passed on to her, and as far back as December the German Admiralty gave instructions to German-American friends in America to ship supplies to firemen lather than to Amsterdam and .Rotte;ilnm. For the same reason orders nave f.eeu given to German submarines to sink neutral supply ships coming to Holland either from Norway and Sweden oi from America. And what could Holland do if she went to war with Germany? A Dutch army would probably move along the railway line toward Bremen and Hamburg and hold up any Herman forces there, while another army would move from behind the trenches at Maastricht and descend upon Liege, thus preventing Germany from sending Ihv troops from Belgium to interfere with the a.tion of a Dutch central army, which would advance along the railway line into Germany and also by way of the Rhine, in the direction of the great Krupp works at Kssen. The Krupp works are strongly fortified, but it would not he necessary to take tlieni If tile lines of communication between Essen and the wo;,tern German army were severed it would be quite siilli-:-icut. The antral army would strike at a spot where Germany's defences were no! strong. There i,s not a single German fort along the entire Dutch Irontvr, and all the laud forces of this portion of Germany have been taken to He'.giuni to aid in the struggle there. If the Genitalis attempted to withdraw any portion of tl'.oir unny fighting in Belgium. the Allies Mould have the op porliinit.v they have long been waiting for. and if the German armies were not withdrawn to prevent the Dutch inva-sn-n. the Dutch army in two days could en!, the four railway lines running from Esr.cn. Cologne and Coition/, to Belgium ar.ii Luxembourg. Meanwhile, 'according to this versatile American, 700.0')0 British soldiers would be quickly transported to Holland to aid in the new eflmpaign. ' There would be nothing to stop them. Three-fourths of the German western army would be cut off from supplies and starving, and would have tj fight for it« life both with the Eng. I Hsh, the Belgians and the French on the west, and with the Dutch on the ■ ncrth and east." It would indeed be a

dramatic conclusion to the great world struggle if Holland should I)ecouie the determining factor in shattering for ever the claims of Germany to world power, but to picture such an eventuality rebuilds a big stretch of imagination. But the unexpected has happened before, and will happen again, llolalnd is at present a friendly neutral. The invasion of Belgium proved to the Dutvli that the promises of Germany were valuele:i, and with Antwerp permanently in German hands the independence of Holland would be seriously menaced.