From a photograph by Brown and Dawson
WILLIAM II
German Emperor
From a photograph taken since the beginning of the war of 1914
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
AS SHOWN
IN HIS PUBLIC UTTERANCES
BY
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1915
Copyright, 1915, by
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
Published February, 1915
PREFACE
Unlike his grandfather, who shielded himselfbehind his Chancellor, the present Emperor hasalways insisted upon making himself the storm-centreof the debates in his Reichstag and amonghis people. He has played with many, if not all,of his cards upon the table. In accordance withthis policy he has gone through his country fromend to end and into foreign lands, everywhereannouncing his policies and his views on everypossible subject of interest or controversy. Upto 1905 he had made upward of five hundred andseventy speeches, and since that time has madealmost as many more. It was manifestly impossibleto give all of these speeches, and it was alsothought unfair to give merely extracts whichmight fail to represent the spirit of the entirepronouncement. They are all printed, therefore,in the completest form available. Particularspeeches have often been reported to the pressin widely differing versions. In all cases onlythose speeches are here presented which have receivedofficial or semiofficial sanction. The text[vi]followed for pronouncements made before 1913,with the one exception of the Daily Telegraphinterview, October 29, 1908, has always beenthat of the recognized and standard edition infour volumes, edited by J. Penzler and publishedin the Reclam Universal-Bibliothek. Now andthen only portions of certain addresses appearto have been reported, and on a few occasionsparts of speeches are given directly and otherparts are merely summarized. In all such casesthe speech is translated from the form sanctionedin the official version. In no case has any changebeen made. Where significant differences existin the versions of addresses as given officially andunofficially, the official version is in every instanceprinted first. It has been the aim to presentfaithfully the language and spirit of the speaker,and his phraseology and emphasis have been reproducedas closely as was at all consistent withfair English usage. The speeches have beenchosen to represent in due proportion his manyinterests, and range therefore from agricultureand art to Biblical criticism, national and internationalpolitics.
The Emperor has, of course, not given titles tohis speeches, and the headings have been assignedby the compiler. It has been his aim toexplain the circumsta