KAISER AND THE WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1918, Page 7

KAISER AND THE WAR

OTS DEFENCE OF GERMAN METHODS. *- : ' \ LUSTTANIA AND EATDSi The London Times gives the following evtracts from "The Kaiser as I Knew Him for Fourteen Years," by Mr. Arthur X. Davis, the Emperor William's American dentist. After a detailed description of the trouble he had in procuring permission to leave Germany Mr. Davis proceeds: Then, on October 24, just as things were looking their blackest, the great Germano-Austrian offensive against the Italians was started. The exultation of the Germans over the triumph of their armies knew no bounds. Wlhile it was at its height I had an interview with the Kaiser, which will ever remain one of the most vivid in my memory. It was about 3.30 one Sunday morning when I was aroused by a maid, who, in a awe-stricken tone of voice, announced that the Neue Palais, t'he Kaiser'* Palace at Potsdam, was on the telephone. I went to the telephone, and was informed that the Kaiser was | suffering from a bad tooth an'd would tend his motor-car for me within an hour or so. I got up at once and packed by instruments, and at 6.30 the car, a big grey Mercedes limousine, arrived. Besides the chaffeur there was an outrider carrying a bugle whose distinctive cotes only the Kaiser can use. It was a matter of only 18 miles to the Palace, but the weather was foggy, and it was nearly 8 o'clock when we arrived at the garden gates, where two armed* sentries were stationed. A whispered word from the chaffeur got us past the sentries without delay, and we drove up to the front entrance of the Palace. I was led through the famous Shell-Room to the Kaiser's Garderobe, or dressing-room. TheTe I found breakfast ready for me; It consisted of real coffee, real white bread, butter, marmalade, sugar. cream, and cold meats. It was the first food of the kind I had eateu for some "ttae, and practically no one in Germany Wrfside the Royal Family and the Junkers was any better off than I in that respect. I disposed of every morsel of the meal "eWept one slice of 'Thread, which led ScYultz, the Kaiser's head Dody-servant, who conversed with me while I breakfasted, to remark that I had better eat that, too. "Even here,'! he suggested, "we don't get any too, .much of that," and I followed his advice. Spurlos versenkt!

1 I had just completed my meal when I received word_ that my patient was ready to Teceife.me. As I entered the Kaiser's bed-room, he was standing ( in the centre of the room, fully attired in an Army grey uniform, but without, his bwoi&. .He.looked more haggard than I had ever seen him", except onees in 1915. L«Sk of sleep and physical pain; were two tijjtes with with he had had ; yery little Sknerieace, and they certainj ly shewed "Wjjr effects very plainly. i He did 4pt*«em to be in the best of I humor, but|«eefil|>me cordially enough and shook all my life, Davis," he said, "I have "never suffered so much pain.'* I expressed'my sorrow, and started to improvise a dental chair out of an upholstered arm-chair, on which I placI ed some pillow*, and, as the Kaiser sat down, he laughingly remarked:—"Look here, Davis, you've got to do something . for me. I can't fight the whole world, you know, and have a toothache!" L employed neither a general nor local ' .MUMrthetfc -At varioue times *toce . the Kaiser had been my patient I had i guegested that I could save him pain bv the uee of a local anaesthetic, but he had always refused it "The ladies like an anaesthetic, no doubt, Davis he had said, "but I can stand it without. Go ahead!" and I may say, at this point, that in all my experience I never observed hhn to flinch while w the chair He was the best patient in., that respect I had ever treated. It often occurred to me, after the war started, that in his own callousness to pain lay fte secret of his disregard for the pain and suffering he cawed in *&!*&■■..

THE ITALIAN DEFEAT.

My work on this occasion occupied, perhaps, 2U minutes. Wheu [ was through and the Kaiser's pain was relieved, his spirits seemed to revive appreciably, and he explained why it was he was so anxious to have his tooth trouble removed as quickly as possible. "I must go down to Italy, Davis" he said, "to see what my noble troops have accomplished. My gracious, what we we have done to them down there! Our offensive at Kiga was just a feint. We had advertised our intended offensive in Italy so thoroughly that the Italians thought we couldn't possibly intend to carry it through. For three months it was common talk in Germany, you remember, that the great offensive would start in October, and so the Italians believed it was all a bluff, and wh&n we advanced on Riga they were sure of it. They thought we were occupied there that we could pay no attention to them, and so we caught them napping'' The Kaiser's face fairly beamed as lie dwelt on the strategy of bis generals and the successful outcome of their Italian campaign.

"For months Italy had been engaged in planting her big guns on the moun-tain-tops and gathering mountains of ammunition and supplies and food and hospital supplies in the velleys below, in preparation for -her twelfth Isonzo offensive. We let them go aliead and waited patiently for the right moment. They thought that their contemplated offensive must inevitably bring our weaker neighbor to her knees and force her to make a separate peace" By "our weaker neighbor" the Kaiser, of course, referred to Austria, and how accurate was bis information regarding Italy's expectations and bow easilv they might have been realised were subsequently revealed by the miblication of that famous letter from Kaiser Karl, to Prince Sixtns.

"And then." the Kaiser went on," when their sreat offensive was within .1 week of being launched, we broke through their lines on a slope MOO feet high, covered with suow, where they "ouldn't bring up their reserves or new gun? and we surrounded them! We took prsctieallv everything they possessed—gnnrl enoup-h to feed our "entire army without calling l imon our own supplies at all Never before bad our armies seen such an accumulation of ammunition. T must certainly go down to see it. "We cut off their northern retreat, and as they swung their Army to the south we captured 60.0(10 of them up to their knees in the rice fields. One of the great mistakes they made was In c-aTryine their civilian refugees vvith them—olosging their narrow roads and imneding the retreat of their soldiers. We bad taken possession of their most i productive regions, and their retreat [.wo*: through . territorv which yielded ■them nothing. Just think' of that re'treating Artnr thrown upon the already impoverished inhabitant?! of that' section. Why, they'll starve to death! „i r ':Myf WE'VE GOT THE ALLIES." ;' -[ '*Everywhere we went we found their big gun 3 abandoned. In one small village We came upon a gun decorated with flowers and surmounted with a portrait of Emperor Franz Josef, It had been put there by the Italian inhabitants of that village to show their happiness at being released .at last from the yoke of the intolerable Italian lawyer Government! How terribly the Italians must have treated them! Italy will I never get over this defeat. This was real help from God! Now we've got the ! Allies!" and he struck bis left hand ' with his right with great force to emI phasize his apparent conviction that the I turning point in the war had been reach- | ed with Italy's collapse. ! "A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT." I Early in my practice I had happened ! to mention to the Kaiser that I apprei ciated the friendliness he showed me in invariably waving his hand at me as be passed my window when walking along the Tiergarten. "It's a good advertisement for you, Davis." he said. "The people see me waving to you and they know you must be a good dentist or I wouldn't come to you.. It will help your business!" In every act he was conscious at the public,

The first bill I rendered him, as I i have mentioned, he doubled. On a num- i her of subsequent occasions he paid me 1 more than my bill called for. These over-payments never amounted to very ■ much, but they impressed me because ' they were so out of keeping with the 1 stinginess the Kaiser displayed in other 1 directions. " From time to time the Kaiser sent or 1 brought me autographed pictures of him- 1 self or others. i A postcard picture of the Kaiser, .' signed by his own hand, was in his own ( estimation one of the most priceless l gifts he could bestow. I remember his donating one of them to an American charity bazaar in "Berlin to be auctioned off. Rn thought that the fact that the I wd came from his Imperial Majesty '■ save it a value which could not be 1 measured in dollars and cents. A piece of jewelry or a sum of money might ' have been duplicated, or even excelled i by a gift of similar character from any ' American millionaire—for whose wealth : the Kaiser frequently expressed the ut- i most contempt—but what could surpass the value of an autograph of the Ka!- < scr!" j MR. GARNEGIE'S GIFT. ■ The Kaiser prides himself on his ac- ' ■'liiaintaiice with history, and has little respect for the political opinions of others whose knowledge of history- is less complete. Shortly after Carnegie had donated live million marks (£200,000) to Germany to further world peace I happened to be talking to the Kaiser of American millionaires and the steel master was mentioned. "Of eourse,Carnegie is a nice old man and means well," remarked the Kaiser, condescendingly, "hut ho is totally ignorant of world history. He's just advanced us five million marks for world peace. We accepted it, naturally, hut of course we intend to continue our nolicv nf -maintaining our army and navy in full strength." RECOGNITION OF WEALTH. The Kaiser frequently accused ti. Americans ui uo.iar-worshipperij and the English ot uciug ruled by Aianiinon, but Uiat he himself was not totally unmindful of the value and power of money was clearly revealed by the manner in which he catered to people cl wealth in recent years. The richest man in Berlin and one of the richest in Germany was a Hebrew coal magnate named Friedlauder. The Kaiser euobled him and made his von Friedlander-Fuid. Another wealthy Hebrew to whom the Kaiser catered was aehwabaeh, head of the Bleichroeder Bank, one of the strongest private banks in Germany, and he, too, was en-nobled, becoming von Schwabach. A number of other wealthy Hebrews in Germany were also honored by the Kaiser in another way. Although he was averse to visiting the homes of private individuals who lacked social standing, he departed from his rule in their favor, and visited their mansions ostensibly to view their art collections, but actually to tickle their vanity. Shortly after Leishman became Ambassador to Germany the Kaiser called on me. "Your new Ambassador's daughter is the best looking young lady who has attended our Court for many a day," he declared. "Half a dozen of my young Staff officers are very anxious to marry her. Can you tell me, Divis, whether these Leishinans have money?" THE ALBANIAN THRONE. The Kaiser's sense of humor frequent . iy exhibited itself. He ■ told me of a inference between representatives of ah the Powers regarding the selection of a King for Albania after the Balkan war. Some o£ those .present thought the ii. cumbent ought to be a Catholic, others insisted that a Greek Catholic \y3£ essential, still others maintained that, a Mahofflcdun would l.v inust logical. It seemed quite impossible to come to any .agreement as to just what religion the King of Albania should profess, and .the Kaiser had ended the discussion, lie said,..wi},h the suggestion—"Well, gentlemen, if a Protestant won't do, and a Roman Catholic won't do, and a Budd.hist is out of. the .question, why not select a Jew and., call, him .Jacob the (First? He'll have his thruat.cut, anyway, in , three months!",,.. The, Pott'crs did not select a Jew, .P.rince. of Wied,,.the Kaiser's nominee,.w^s ,'pul'pn the throne, and within, a mqlvth, or.Jtwo afterwards had to,flee,for his liie..| |V , 1 "Fix my teeth well,,,Da vis," .2i^,;aie- : dared on another occasion,.,"so. iqajt. f can -bite.. There are lots, o£ ,pe,onle'.l ' would like to bite!" ~ ;, x \> 1 In referring to Roosevelt'? patriotic ' offer to lead an Army in -France,, the 1 Kaiser declared that he admired him for ' hi« "mirage and zeal. "T hear," he said, 1 that he is now on his. way to Italy. It ' is too bad we did not postpone our offen--1 sive there. Perhaos we might have cap- ' tured him. Wouldn't Teddy look funny ! in a gas-mask?" The courtesy and affability which the Kai=ev almost invariably displayed in his relations with me did not prevent him on one occasion from showing his in--1 rtignation when I touched him upon • what was evidently a very sore point—--1) the nart that America was going to play e | in the war. although he always clainjed J in be unperturbed about the American 'ihint'on. b He had rmmtcd "nut that America at r that time I'fd only 3" 100 men in France. I find he believed that the U-boats would r efTectivelv proven* iiy Treat addition S to our forces if. indeed, the ever left our shores. "As a matter of

fact, however?' he added, "your countrymen would be very willing, no doubt, to' light for their country to protect it from invasion, but I don't believe you'll get many of them to leave 'home to fighjfc abroad. America will really be a very small factor in the war, IDavi»" "Your Majesty is underestimating the power of America/' I replied. He turned •o me indignantly, and in his most im- | perioua maimer exclaimed: "We underesI timate no one. We 'know exactly what we are doing!" THE-LUSITANIA, •"""- When I went back to Berlin in the autumn of 1915, after a visit to the United States, the Kaiser was very anxious to ascertain from me just how America felt towards the war. I told him that before the sinking of the Lusit»nia American opinion had been divided. There had been many who were strongly pro-Ally, there had been others who were openly pro-German,, and there bad been others who maintained an absolutely neutral attitude. After the Lusitania tragedy, however, there had been a distinct change in public feeling, I told him, practically the whole country having become decidedly anti-German. "Perhaps if the U-boat commander had known so many women and children were on board," was the Kaiser's only comment, "he might not have sent forth the torpedo which sent the vessel to the bottom; but what he was thinking of most, of course, was the 5,000 tons of ammunition oh board which was destined to slaughter my people!" Of course, the Kaiser knew that if the U-boat commander's orders were to sink the Lusitania, disobedience upon his part would have left but one course open folium: suicide. If, on the other hand, the Kaiser meant to intimate that the Üboat commander sank the Lusitania on his own initiative or without special instructions from his superiors, " the fact still remains that the Kaiser could undoubtedly have prevented the tragedy and did not. THE ZEPPELIN RAIDS. But if there can be any doubt as to the Kaiser's direct responsibility for the sinking of the Lusitania, certain it is that he fully exulted in the murder of women and children by Zeppelin raids on London, Manchester, Liverpool and other non-military cities and towns. "England expects to starve my women and children to death," he declared to me early in the war—long before we in Germany had begun to feel the slightest effect of the diminishing food supply—"but our Zeppelins will give their women and children a"taste of war, too. Confound them! They sit on their island and try to starve us; we will give them a taste of what war is!"