No. 462.
Mr. Coleman to Mr. Bayard.
[Extract]
Legation of
the United States,
Berlin, June 20, 1888.
(Received July 9.)
No. 630.]
Sir: The chief public acts which have marked the
reign of the present Emperor and King William II, since his accession to the
throne on
[Page 640]
the 15th instant, have
been his three proclamations, the one addressed to the army, the second to
the navy, the third to the German people, and the convoking in extraordinary
session of the Reichstag and Landtag, the former to meet on the 25th, the
latter on the 27th instant.
I inclose herewith copies with verified translations of the proclamations
referred to.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
630.—Translation.]
proclamation to the german army.
While the army has only just put off the outward signs of mourning for
its late Emperor-King William I, my highly revered grandfather, whose
memory will live forever in its heart, to-day it has sustained another
heavy blow in the death, at 5 minutes past 11 o’clock in the forenoon,
of my deeply loved father, His Majesty the Emperor-King Frederick III.
Truly these are solemn days of affliction, in which God’s providence has
placed me at the head of the army, and it is indeed from a deeply moved
heart that I address my soldiers for the first time.
The confidence, however, with which I assume the position to which God’s
will has caned me is firm and unshakable, for I am aware of that
enthusiastic feeling for honor and duty which has been implanted in the
army by my glorious predecessors, and of the elevation at which this
sentiment has ever and at all times been maintained.
In the army a fixed, unswerving devotion to the sovereign is the
inheritance which passes from father to son, from generation to
generation; and for my part I may call your attention to the figure of
my grandfather, which stands in the sight of each one of you, the
picture of a glorious and venerable sovereign, A picture more beautiful,
or one which speaks more plainly to the heart, can not be conceived.
There is also my dear father, who, as Crown Prince, had already won for
himself a place of honor, in the annals of the army, and finally there
is a long line of illustrious ancestors whose names shine bright in
history and whose hearts beat warm for their soldiers.
Thus we belong to each other, I and the army; thus were we born for one
another; and firmly and inseparably will we hold together, whether God’s
will give us peace or storm. You are now about to swear the oath of
fidelity and obedience to me, and I vow ever to bear in mind that the
eyes of my forefathers are looking down upon me from the other world,
and that to them I must one day render account of your fame and
honor.
Castle of
Friedrichskron, June 15,
1888.
William.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
630.—Translation.]
proclamation to the navy.
With a deeply-moved heart I have to inform the navy that to-day my dear
father, His Majesty the German Emperor and King of Prussia, Frederick
III, gently fell asleep in the Lord at five minutes past 11 o’clock in
the forenoon, and that I, passing to the station destined for me by the
will of God, have taken over the government of my ancestral land, and
with it the chief command of the navy.
Truly this is a deeply solemn time at which my first words to the navy
are addressed. The outward signs of mourning have just been put off
which were assumed for my dear and never-to-be-forgotten grandfather,
the Emperor William I, who only last year, on the occasion of his visit
to Kiel, expressed in the warmest terms his lively satisfaction in and
gratitude for the progress made by the navy during his glorious reign;
and already the flags are being once more hauled down for my much loved
father, who felt so great a pleasure and interest in the navy’s growth
and advancement. Times of solemn and genuine grief, however, strengthen
the feelings and render stanch the hearts of men; and so, while
faithfully preserving in our hearts my grandfather’s and father’s
memories, let us look forward with consolation to the future.
The navy knows that I have not only derived great pleasure from being
connected with it as an officer, but that a warm and lively interest,
which I share in the fullest harmony with my dear brother, Prince.
Henry, of Prussia, has attached me to it ever
[Page 641]
since my earliest youth. I have learnt to know how
high is that feeling for honor and the faithful fulfillment of duty
which exists in the navy. I know that each sailor is willing joyfully to
sacrifice his life for the honor of the German flag wherever or whenever
occasion demands, and so I am enabled at this solemn hour to declare
with absolute assurance that we will stand firmly and surely together,
in good or bad times, in storm or sunshine, ever mindful of the fame of
the German Fatherland, and ever ready to shed our heart’s blood for the
honor of the German flag. With these aspirations God’s blessing will be
ours.
Castle of
Friedrichskron, June 15,
1888.
William.
[Inclosure 3 in No.
630.—Translation.]
proclamation to the german people.
To my People:
God’s decree has once more plunged us into the most poignant sorrow. The
tomb has scarcely closed over the mortal remains of my
never-to-be-forgotten grandfather, when His Majesty, my warmly-loved
father, has also been called from this life into everlasting peace. The
heroic energy, prompted by Christian self-sacrifice, with which, despite
his sufferings, he knew how to fulfill his kingly duties, seemed to
justify the hope that he would be preserved to the Fatherland still
longer. God has willed differently.
The royal sufferer, whose heart beat responsively to all that was great
and beautiful, only had a few months granted him to display on the
throne also the noble qualities of mind and heart which have won for him
the love of his people. The virtues which adorned him, the victories
which he achieved on the battle-field, will remain in grateful
remembrance as long as German hearts shall beat, and imperishable glory
will illumine his chivalrous figure in the history of the
Fatherland.
Called to the throne of my fathers, I have assumed the government,
looking up to the King of Kings, and have vowed to God that, after the
example of my fathers, I will be a just and clement prince to my people,
that I will foster piety and the fear of God, and that I will protect
peace, promote the welfare of the country, be a helper of the poor and
distressed, and a true guardian of the right.
In praying God for strength to fulfill these kingly duties which His will
imposes upon me I am supported by the confidence in the Prussian people,
which a glance at our past history gives me. In good and in evil days
the Prussian people have always stood faithfully by their King. Upon
this fidelity, which my fathers have found to be an indissoluble bond in
all times of difficulty and danger, I, too, count, with the
consciousness of returning it from the bottom of my heart as the
faithful prince of a faithful people, both equally strong in devotion to
their common Fatherland.
From this consciousness of the reciprocated love which unites me with my
people I derive the confidence that God will vouchsafe to me strength
and wisdom to exercise my kingly office for the welfare of the
Fatherland.
William.
Potsdam, June 18,
1888.
