QUARREL WITH THE EMPEROR WILLIAM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 5, 7 January 1899, Page 5

QUARREL WITH THE EMPEROR WILLIAM.

(By Cable.—-Press Association.) STRONG LANGUAGE TO A GERMAN PRINCE. t BERLIN, January G. The Federal Council claim the right to decide the succession for the principality of Lippedetmold after the Regent's death. This is regarded as a victory for the Emperor.

A Vienna newspaper has (says the Berlin correspondent of the London 'Daily Telegraph,' writing on Nov. 14) just published a copy of a memorandum sent to the German Federal Council by Count Ernst /.ur Lippe, Regent of Lippe-Detmold, setting forth the details of a complaint made by the Regent against Kaiser Wilheltn. The memorandum also contains verbatim tlie text- of the count's letter, addressed to the Kaiser last June, and His Majesty's telegram sent

as a reply to this letter two days later. Persons living in other countries than Germany would probably be disposed to characterise the dispute between the two Federal princes as a trifling qnerelle d'Allemaud —a wrangle of words calculated to stir up nothing more than a storm in a teacup, and certainly not one that could upset the equanimity of the German Empire. There is, however, some possibility of its becoming a cause celebre.

The principality of Lippe, which is now" in conflict with Kaiser Wilhelm, King of Prussia, is a speck on the map of Germany, representng 1215 square kilometres, and contains a population of about 140,000 souls. Its capital is Detmold. The little country has to be governed for the nonce by a Regent, its legitimate prince being incapable of exercising his sovereign rghts and duties. Another branch of the Lippe family is distinguished from the Detmold Lippers by being styled Schatim-burg-Lippe, and its residence town is Buckeburg. This principality is about one-quarter the size of Lippe-Detmold, and its population is also about a quarter of that of the latter province. When Prince Adolph zn SehaumburgLippe married the Kaiser's sister, Princess Victoria, it was generally supposed that he would eventually come in for Lippe-Defmold. As a matter of fact he was appointed Regent, and remained in that position for some years. Count Ernst zur Lippe-Bie.-terfeld, the head of another line, claimed, however, a prior right, and the King of Saxony, to whom the matter was referred Por arbitration, decided in the hitter's favour. Prince aiid Princess Adolph had accordingly to make way for Count and Countess Ernst,. This incident caused bad blood in Berlin and Buckeburg, and it is no secret that Kaiser Wilhelm was very annoyed that his brother-in-law did not win his case. The Sehauinbiirg Lippers then insisted that even though Count Ernst was entitled by law in his own person tg the Regency, his issue would be excluded, seeing,that he had married a Countess yon Wartensleben, who was not of equal rank to himself. The Detmold Lippers have thereupon in order to cut the ground from the other side, decided the matter for themselves by passing a law in their provincial Parliament, declaring that the issue of Count Ernst shall succeed to the throne. The Sehaumburg Lippers determined to appeal to the Fedderal Council of the Empire to quash this decision, and lawyers would have had to give an opinion as to whether the Federal Council was qualified to pass judgment on the question.

Meanwhile a question of etiquette arose. Count Ernst gave orders that the troops quartered in the principality were to present arms to his children, as well as himself, and that these children were to be addressed by the' title of 'Erlaucht'—which he himself bears—instead of merely count or countess. His orders were at first obeyed, but later on the general commanding the 7th Army Corps issued a counter order prohibiting his officers and men from according military honours to any of t;he Regent's children. Count Ernst, not unnaturally saw in the general's action a slight to his own person as sovereign of the principality, and he appealed to the Kaiser in a long letter. His letter was couched in almost cringing-language. Itreads more like the humble petition of a subject to his Sovereign than as the missive of a prince to another prince. It began in the high-flown Teutonic style—'Most illustrious of all, Kaiser and King: Most Gracious of all Kaiser and Lord! I pray that Your Majesty may most graciously be pleased to give me a most gracious hearing- in the following matter, and afford me your Majesty's mighty protection and assistance. He then tells Kaiser Wilhelm all abotit the etiquette dispute, and says that if any wish had been expressed to him personally that his instructions should be modified he would have foregone the presentation of. arms to members of his family; that it was not in consequence of the refusal to accord these military honours that he appealed to the Kaiser, btit because the general of the 7th Army Corps had by his action trespassed upon his rights as sovereig-n of the country, and as one of the princes supplying a contingent to the Imperial army, Avhereby the principality of Lippe had been subjected to a treatment different from that accorded to other Federal States of the Empire. .

The Kaiser's reply, despatched two days afterwards, was an open telegram, delivered to the count from the

Detmold Post Office, running as follows:—'Berlin Castle, June 17, 1893.— Received your letter. Orders of the general in command issued with my consent after I was previously consulted. To the Regent what is due to the Regent, nothing more. For the rest, I forbid once for all the use of the tone in which you have thought fit to write to me.—W.R.'

Count Ernst, in appealing to the Federal Council, says that the language of the Imperial telegram prevents him from corresponding further on the subject with the Kaiser. He, says he has done all he could since he assumed the Regency of Lippe to win the favour of the Kaiser, whereas he has repeatedly had bitter experience of the Imperial ill-favour. 'In my quality as Regent, by the Grace of God, and called so by the la.v over a Federal State ofGermany.l am in duty bound to protest humbly but decidedly against the form and contents of the message sent to me by his Majesty the Kaiser in his telegram of June 17 of this year.' Of course the publication of these documents has been deliberately permitted. It has been intended that.the public of Germany should be informed of what has taken place. ■■_ . :_, a;'_