in Wiesbaden, to which the Russian Ambassador, Count Osten-Sacken,
had been invited. The Emperor proposed the following toast. On the
same day the peace conference at The Hague had been opened and the
Russian delegate De Staal had been elected its president. At the
end of August, 1898, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs had
issued the following communication to all the representatives of
the powers in St. Petersburg. "The maintenance of universal peace
and a possible reduction of the armaments which burden all nations
in the present state of civilization is an ideal for all the world
toward which all governments must be directed." The Czar believed
that a conference might achieve this object, and he suggested that
they might regulate the reduction of armaments all around and
eliminate many of the horrors of war through the establishment of
certain humane principles. The programme was presented by Russia on
January 11, 1899, and the conference was called on her invitation
for May 18 of that year.
Every year I offer my toast to the health of his Majesty, the Emperor
of Russia, with deep feeling. To-day I add to it my heartiest good
wishes for the success of the conference which owes its inception to
his Majesty's initiative.
My honored Baron, my wish includes the hope that the two tried and
experienced statesmen, his Excellency Baron de Staal and Count Münster,
may succeed in their efforts and that they may conduct the conference
on the old, established tradition which unites my house to that of
his Majesty and the German people to the Russian; and by doing so, in
accordance with the exactly similar orders which the Emperor and I have
issued, that the conference may result to the entire satisfaction of
his Majesty.
His Majesty, the Emperor Nicholas! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
THE HOUSING OF LABORERS
EARLY JUNE, 1899
Kadinen is one of the Emperor's many farming estates and is
situated in the neighborhood of Elbing, in East Prussia. It was
here that he expressed the following sentiment:
Many things must be changed at Kadinen; especially the housing of the
laborers must be changed. Here in the east this seems still to be a
particular evil. The fine cattle stable in Kadinen is a veritable
palace compared to the homes of the laborers. We must see to it that
the pigsties are not better than the laborers' houses.
FRENCH HEROISM AT ST. PRIVAT
THE BATTLE-FIELD OF ST. PRIVAT, AUGUST 18, 1899
The following noble address of the Emperor's was delivered at the
dedication of the monument to the soldiers of the 1st Regiment of
the Guard, who fell in the battle of St. Privat (August 18, 1870).
In it he speaks of the splendid heroism of the French troops who
were fighting for their Emperor. It should be remembered that the
monument was erected in the provinces which had been conquered
from France by Germany. At this time the Emperor had adopted a
conciliatory attitude toward the inhabitants of these provinces.
(See speech of March 14, 1891.) If, therefore, it may seem
ungracious, it is nevertheless merely just to call attention to
the fact that when he later (March 28, 1901) presented a painting
of the battle of St. Privat to the Alexander Regiment of the Guard
in Berlin he did not mention French heroism and speaks a different
language.
Serious and solemn memories surround this day and make our hearts beat
high. My 1st Infantry Regiment of the Guard is represented here by
my company of the Body-Guard, by its glorious flags, and by many old
comrades who once fought and bled in this place. They are to-day to
unveil this monument to their fallen comrades. This ceremony will take
place in the presence of my youngest regiment,[24] and the troops of the
Fourteenth Army Corps, which represent the entire German army.
[24] Infantry Regiment No. 145, garrisoned at Metz.
It has been almost the only regiment which up to the present has not
been represented by a monument in this place, where so much blood was
shed, and yet it had full claim to be thus commemorated. Through its
history it is closely associated with my house, and it is called upon
to train its Princes and Kings, and may therefore be properly regarded
as a family and a house regiment. Nevertheless, my imperial grandfather
did not hesitate a moment to hazard these troops, which were so dear
to him, for the good of the Fatherland.
History teaches us how the regiment fought and bled and respected its
oath to the flag and how its conduct, its sufferings, and its losses
won the praise and the tears of the great Emperor.
With me as its oldest comrade the regiment now erects this shaft to the
memory of the heroes that rest beneath the green sod. The form of the
monument differs from that which is usually found on battle-fields.
The archangel in armor, peacefully at rest, is leaning upon his sword,
which is decorated with the proud motto of the regiment, "_Semper
talis_."[25] I therefore wish that a general significance should be
attached to this figure. It stands upon this bloody field as the
guardian of all the brave soldiers, both the French and our own, who
fell here. For bravely and heroically the French soldiers sank to their
honored graves, fighting for their Emperor and their Fatherland. And
if our flags touch each other as they are lowered before the bronze
monument and sadly rustle over the graves of our dear comrades, may
they also wave over the graves of our opponents and whisper to them
that in reverent sorrow we remember the brave dead!
[25] By an unfortunate error Penzler prints the motto as "_Semper
talio_"--"Retaliation forever." The reading has been changed, as
the motto of the regiment is in reality "_Semper talis_"--"Ever
the same."
Let us look up to the Lord of Hosts and thank Him for the guidance
graciously given to our great Emperor. Let us picture to ourselves
to-day that the souls of all those who once opposed each other in
fierce conflict upon this field are now gathered about the throne of
the Supreme Judge and that, united in the everlasting peace of God,
they now look down upon us.
V
THE GREATER NAVY
Many of the speeches which follow will be found to bear upon the
question of increasing the navy, and from this time forth, for various
reasons, that idea will be uppermost in the Emperor's mind. His
statement that he had, from the first, strongly urged an increase in
the navy must be accepted with certain reserves. Such increases as were
suggested were slight as compared to the programmes now to be urged,
and his speeches of that time give little evidence of any particular
insistence or disappointment at his failure in this regard. He really
begins to preach the need of the greater navy insistently in the last
years of the century, and his present statement, "Bitterly do we need
a powerful German fleet," is his sharpest pronouncement up to this
time. It takes on an added significance if we remember that it was made
nine days after the Boer ultimatum which began the Boer War had been
despatched. In this connection it is well to read the telegram sent to
President Krüger, printed with the _Daily Telegraph_ interview (October
28, 1908).
William II had in 1889 divided the admiralty and appointed a naval
officer to act as head of the organization and development of the
fleet. It was only in the late nineties, however, after the appointment
of Admiral Tirpitz, that this work began to go forward with leaps and
bounds. That German sentiment was quick to follow the lead of the
Emperor is shown by the immense enthusiasm which has made the German
Navy League (organized in 1898) so great a success. In 1907 it already
counted a million paying members, and its journal, _Die Flotte_, had a
circulation of over 370,000 copies, which is about as large as that of
nearly all other important German monthlies combined.[26] Shortly after
the disaster of Spion Kop Admiral Tirpitz spoke thus: "We do not know
what adversary we may have to face. We must therefore arm ourselves
with a view to meeting the most dangerous naval conflict possible."
The preamble to the German navy bill of 1900 reads: "Germany must have
a fleet of such strength that a war against the mightiest power would
involve risks threatening the supremacy of that power." Emperor William
protests, and there is no reason for doubting his sincerity, that this
policy of increasing the navy was not primarily directed at England. It
was necessary to protect Germany's commerce and increase her prestige.
On this point his famous interview given to the _Daily Telegraph_ is
interesting. Undoubtedly, however, this rapid increase in the navy,
which began with the navy bill of 1900 and which happened to coincide
with the events of the Boer War, did much to heighten the ill feeling
which had already begun to spring up between England and Germany. The
idea of increasing the navy met with more general support among the
people than any other policy of the Emperor's, though it called for
very decided increases in taxation. How keen was the Emperor's personal
interest in the matter we may judge from the fact that in 1897 he sent
to all the members of the Reichstag and innumerable other officials a
memorandum comparing the naval strength of Germany, France, Russia,
America, and Japan. The appropriation bill of that year calling for
240,000,000 marks was voted with a slight reduction. The sense that the
struggle for naval supremacy with England was impending made necessary
immensely larger appropriations in the bill of 1900.
[26] These are the figures given by J. Ellis Barker in "Modern Germany."
"BITTERLY WE NEED A POWERFUL GERMAN FLEET"
HAMBURG, OCTOBER 18, 1899
The _Kaiser Karl der Grosse_ was launched in Hamburg on the 18th
of October, 1899. It will be noticed that the Emperor is always
careful to observe the anniversaries that commemorate the military
prowess, the birthdays, and the achievements of the members of his
house. The present date is again an anniversary of the battle of
Leipzig, 1813. In the evening the Emperor spoke as follows at the
banquet in the Rathaus:
It is with particular pleasure that I find myself among you again on
this historic anniversary. It always gives me new strength and vigor
when I feel around me the dashing spray and bubbling life of one of
the cities of the Hanseatic League. It was a solemn act that we have
just witnessed when we gave over to its element a new portion of the
floating defense of the Fatherland. Every one who was present must have
been impressed with the thought that the proud ship would soon be able
to take up its calling. We feel its lack, and bitterly do we need a
powerful German fleet.
Its name reminds us of the first glorious days of the old empire and
of its mighty protector. The first beginnings of Hamburg date from
that time, even though it was merely the point of departure for the
missions in the service of the powerful Emperor. Now our Fatherland
has been newly united through Emperor William the Great and is in a
position to take up its glorious outward development. And right here
in this great emporium of trade we feel the sense of power and energy
which the German people are capable of putting into their enterprises
through the fact that they are bound together and united. But here,
too, we can most readily understand how necessary it is that we should
have powerful support and that we can no longer continue without
increasing our fighting strength upon the seas.
But this feeling penetrates all too slowly into the German Fatherland,
which unfortunately wastes its strength in fruitless party strife.
I have had to watch with deep concern how slow is the progress of
interest in, and political comprehension of, the great world problems
among the German people.
If we look about us we can see how in the last few years the face of
all the world has been changed. Old world empires are disappearing
and new ones are arising. Nations have appeared among the peoples and
are taking their place in the competition--nations which previously
the layman had scarcely noticed. Events which change the whole field
of international relationships and the whole field of our national
economy, and which formerly were accomplished only in the course of
centuries, now take place in a few months. Through this fact the tasks
of the German Empire and the German people have grown greatly in extent
and demand from me and my government extraordinary and serious efforts.
They can be crowned with success only if the Germans stand behind us
firmly united and give up their party divisions. But our people must
make up their minds to make sacrifices. Above all things, it must give
up the attempt to find the highest by dividing itself more and more
sharply into parties. It must cease to put the party above the good of
the nation. It must put a check upon its old hereditary failing to make
everything the occasion of unrestrained criticism, and it must realize
the boundaries which its own vital interests draw for it. For it is
precisely these old political sins which are now being visited upon
our interests on the sea and upon our fleet. I insistently requested
and warned that it must be strengthened in the first eight years of
my reign, and if these requests had not been continually refused, and
refused in ways which heaped scorn and ridicule upon me, we would have
been able to advance our growing trade and our oversea interests far
differently.
But my hopes that the German will choose the manlier way have not yet
disappeared, for in him love of the Fatherland is great and powerful.
The October fires which to-day he lights upon the hills and by which he
celebrates the noble figure of the Emperor[27] who was born on this day
bear eloquent witness to this fact.
[27] Frederick III.
And, in fact, Emperor Frederick with his great father and his great
paladins did help to build a wonderful edifice and left it to us as the
German Empire. It stands before us in glory, as it had been yearned
for by our fathers and celebrated by our poets! Let us no longer,
therefore, as heretofore, dispute uselessly as to how the particular
rooms, halls, and apartments of this building are to look or how they
are to be furnished; but may the people, burning like these October
fires with an ideal enthusiasm, strive to follow its ideal second
Emperor, and above all things let it rejoice in the beautiful edifice
and help to protect it. Let it be proud of its greatness. Let it be
conscious of its inner worth. Let it watch every foreign state in
its development. Let it make the sacrifices which our position as a
world-power demands. Let it give up the spirit of party and stand
united and firm behind its princes and its Emperor--then only will the
German people help the Hanseatic cities in carrying out their great
work for the benefit of the Fatherland.
That is my wish to-day, and to it and the health of Hamburg I raise my
glass.
ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE NEW CENTURY
BERLIN, JANUARY 1, 1900
The military New Year's celebration took place near the armory, and
the standards of the entire Berlin garrison were for this purpose
brought from the Royal Palace. The Empress and her younger children
watched the celebration from the windows of the armory.
The first day of the new century sees our army, that is our people
under arms, gathered about its standards and kneeling before the Lord
of Hosts. And, indeed, if any one has particular cause for bowing down
to-day before God it is our army.
A glance at our flags will explain the reason, for they embody our
history. At the beginning of the last century what was the position of
our army? The glorious army of Frederick the Great had become ossified
and was interested only in petty and insignificant details; it was led
by generals feeble with age and no longer capable of conducting active
campaigns; its corps of officers had lost the habit of invigorating
labor; through a life of luxury and comfort and foolish exaltation of
self it had fallen asleep upon its laurels. In one word, the army was
not only no longer capable of carrying out its task, but had forgotten
it.
The punishment of Heaven was grievous, for it was suddenly visited
upon our entire people. Cast down into the dust, Frederick's glory
vanished, and the army's standards were broken. In the seven long years
of grievous slavery God taught our people to take thought, and under
the pressure of the foot of an insolent conqueror developed the idea of
universal military service, the idea that the greatest honor lies in
dedicating our services in arms and in sacrificing our blood and our
possessions for the Fatherland. My great-grandfather gave the idea form
and life, and new laurels crowned the newly established army and her
recent flags.
But the idea of universal military service reached its full
significance only under our great departed Emperor. In spite of
opposition and lack of comprehension he quietly went to work at the
reorganization, and at the re-establishment of our army. Victorious
campaigns, nevertheless, gave his work an altogether unexpected
sanction. His spirit filled the ranks of his army, even as his trust
in God carried them on to unheard-of victories. With this, his own
creation, he brought the Germanic peoples together again and gave us
the German unity for which we had prayed. We owe it to him that, thanks
to this honor, the German Empire commands respect again and takes up
its appointed place in the council of the nations.
It is for you, gentlemen, to cherish and exemplify in the new century
the old qualities through which our forefathers gave greatness to the
army. This means that you must make few demands in daily life,[28] that
you must practise simplicity and give yourselves up unconditionally
to the royal service, that you must in ceaseless labor offer all the
powers of body and soul to the building up and development of our
troops, and, just as my grandfather labored for his land forces,
so, undeterred, I shall carry through to its completion the work of
reorganizing my navy in order that it may stand justified at the side
of my army and that through it the German Empire may also be in a
position to win outwardly the place which she has not yet attained.
[28] "To the Americans the pay of the German troops, officers and men,
is ludicrously small. It is evident that men do not undertake
to fit themselves to be officers, and do not struggle through
frequent and severe examinations to remain officers, for the pay
they receive. A lieutenant receives for the first three years $300
a year, from the fourth to the sixth year $425, from the seventh
to the ninth year $550, and after the twelfth year $600 a year.
A captain receives from the first to the fourth year $850, from
the fifth to the eighth year $1,150, and the ninth year and after
$1,275 a year. Of one hundred officers who join, only an average
of eight ever attain to the command of a regiment. In Bavaria and
Würtemberg promotion is quicker by from one to three years than
in Prussia. In Prussia promotion to _Oberleutnant_ averages 10
years, to captain or _Rittmeister_ 15 years, to major 25 years,
to colonel 33 years, and to general 37 years. It would not be
altogether inhuman if these gentlemen occasionally drank a toast
to war and pestilence."--PRICE COLLIER, "Germany and the Germans."
When both are united I hope to be in a position, firmly trusting in the
leadership of God, to carry into effect the saying of Frederick William
I: "If one wishes to decide anything in the world, it cannot be done
with the pen unless the pen is supported by the force of the sword."
NEW BOUNDARY POSTS
BERLIN, FEBRUARY 13, 1900
On the occasion of the return of Prince Henry from the Orient,
whither he had been sent at the time of the troubles in Kiaochow,
the Emperor greeted him at a dinner held in the Royal Palace in
Berlin. The question of the imperial foreign policy, as during all
this period, is evidently here uppermost in the Emperor's mind.
YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS, MY DEAR BROTHER:
I bid you a hearty welcome to our Fatherland and our capital! Two years
ago I sent you forth to carry out your task in the far East, and could
only hope that God would give you His protection and bring the work to
a successful issue. The joyous and enthusiastic reception which all
classes in my home city, Berlin, give you is a testimony to the loving
interest which our entire people have in the completion of the task
which you had set yourself.
But this reception has a still deeper significance. It is an
unambiguous indication which proves how deeply the people have come to
understand the need of strengthening our sea power. The German people
is of one mind with its princes and its Emperor in the feeling that in
its powerful development it must set up a new boundary post and create
a great fleet which will correspond to its needs.
Just as Emperor William the Great created the weapon by whose help we
became again black, white, and red, so the German people is now lending
its efforts to forging the weapon through which, God willing and in all
eternity, both here and in foreign countries, it will remain black,
white, and red.
On your return you find a little lad[29] in the arms of your faithful
wife. As sponsor for the growth of our young fleet may you see him grow
up to full maturity under the protection of God! Hurrah!
[29] Prince Henry, born January 9, 1900.
SEAPORTS AND CANNON
LÜBECK, JUNE 16, 1900
The opening of the Elbe-Trave Canal took place at Lübeck in the
presence of the Emperor. He again took up the question of the
development of the German Empire.
On this day I congratulate the city of Lübeck most heartily. First
of all I offer my heartiest thanks for the wonderful reception which
you prepared for me. I have seen in the attitude and the faces of the
citizens how joyously their hearts are moved to-day; for they know
that I, too, take a lively interest in all that now moves them. May
the canal which they have carried through with their irresistible
Hanseatic activity not fall short in any way of their expectations, and
I am convinced that it will not do so. You see, as you look upon the
completed work, how significant it is that a united German Empire now
exists. Its past glories Lübeck owed to the German Emperors, and its
present glory it owes to the German Empire, so I hope that everywhere
in the empire and among the people the conviction may grow that through
the re-establishment and strengthening of the German Empire we are
now called upon to carry through those old tasks which could not be
accomplished formerly and which were rendered impossible through the
unfortunate lack of union of our ancestors.
I hope that in the future, under my protection, Lübeck may continue to
develop. I could not express this hope with the same satisfaction if
I did not now stand before you joyously buoyed up by the hope that we
to-day have the prospect of at last possessing a German fleet.
An Emperor can only undertake to protect a seaport when he is in a
position with his cannon to protect her flag, even in the farthermost
corners of the world, whether it be that of Lübeck, or of Hamburg, or
of Bremen, or of Prussia.
May it be granted us to maintain peace outwardly through our fleet,
and may we succeed through the building of the necessary canals within
to simplify the problem of transportation! A blessing will certainly
always rest upon our waterways.
THE OCEAN KNOCKS AT OUR DOOR
KIEL, JULY 3, 1900
The ship of the line "Wittelsbach" was launched on this day. As
the house of Wittelsbach is the reigning house of Bavaria, Prince
Rupprecht of Bavaria was present at the christening and gave the
boat its name. A banquet took place in the evening at the officers'
casino. The Emperor replied to Prince Rupprecht as follows:
I thank your Royal Highness for the friendly words which you have been
good enough to address to me.
At the christening of this new ship your Royal Highness has mentioned
the support which the house of Wittelsbach has given to the German
Emperors. I would like to call attention in this connection to an
episode in the early history of our houses.
On the fields before Rome it was granted to one of the ancestors
of your Royal Highness in company with one of mine to be made the
recipient of a very unusual distinction. Mounted upon their horses
and clad in armor, in sight of the hostile squadron of knights,
they received the accolade from Emperor Henry VII. The incident is
immortalized in a picture upon my yacht _Hohenzollern_.