THE KAISER’S AMBITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 13937, 20 December 1905, Page 2

THE KAISER’S AMBITION.

(Berlin Correspondent *' New Orleans Times-Demccrat.”) Kaiser Wilhelm’s latest and , most startling ambition is said to be that of forming himself into an Iniperial monopoly by gradually wiping out the expensive toy monarchs of the other German States, who try to, compete with him in royal dignity, thus transforming Germany into oh© united country, with one centralised administrative system. The tendency of the age is evident among the courts of Germany as in every sphere of life, and the Kaiser may be compared to a growing trust which will eventually absorb all the small and weak competitors?

If the Kaiser has been less active in this direction than he might have been, his lack of initiative has probably been due to consideration of • self-preserva-tion. Although the little States of Germany have been badly governed for centuries, there is no doubt that the existence of*so many courts brings the monarchical idea home to many Germans to whom it might otherwise be foreign. The little German courts are bulwarks of political Conservatism, and serve to defend monarchical institutions against the growing forces of social democracy. If the Kaiser were to i sweep them all away he would create a precedent which the Social Democrats might at some future time utilise to abolish the Prussian and German Monarchy. v " If, however, the smaller States can bo gradually absorbed by Prussia without open blows at monarchical institutions, there is no doubt that the Kaiser will welcome the change. He is frequently impatient of the necessity of sharing his supreme authority with the superfluous, little sovereigns who occupy the thrones of the smaller States of the Empire. On various occasions the Kaiser has made them feel that they are his vassals, and has treated them as subordinates, a procedure which some of them 1 have keenly resented. At present Germany is not an absolute empire, but a confederation of some score of sovereign States which have combined, on the basis of a common nationality, to present a united front to foreign countries. The Gorman Emperor, pnlike the Emperors of Russia and Austria, is nothing more than the hereditary president of the Confederation of German States. The Gorman Emperor, as such, is a strictly constitutional monarch, and it is as King of Prussia that he enjoys’ such extensive personal power over his subjects. The present Kaiser has contrived to make us forget most of these facts. He is himself so prominent a figure in the affairs of his country that the world has almost forgotten the existence of all the remaining German monarchs who are theoretically quite equal to the Emperor in rank and dignity. THE kaiser’s TWEXTY COLLEAGUES. Apart from the Kaiser, there are twenty independent monarchs in Germany—three kings, six grand dukes, four dukes, and seven reigning princes. Some of these States are so small that the maintenance of their sovereign rights is an absurdity in the twentieth century. Their existence dates from the time when Central Europe was dotted with large numbers of small feudal States, each ruled by its own petty monarch. The smallest German State is the principality of Schaumburg - Lippo, which contains a total population of 40,000. The capital of this miniature country is an overgrown village called Bnckeburg, with, a population of 5000.

The crown of Schaumburg-Lipp© is worn by a prince, and the government is carried on by a Prime Minister aided by a Council of State and an elected representative assembly. The' principality of Reuss (Elder Line) is only a trifle more important, with a population of 70,000. This principality also has its own Prime Minister, its own Council of State and its own representative assembly, which legislates for the benefit of the people of Reuss.

Waldeck is about the same size, with a population of 60,000, but its capital is quite an insignificant village called Arolson, with a population of barely 3000. This village is the" residence of the reigning prince and the seat of the Government, headed by a Prime Minister and controlled by an elected Diet. Schwarzburg - Sondershausen has , a total population of 80,000, and its. village capital, Sondershausen, has a population of 7000. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt has a total population-of 90,000, and its capital, Rudolstadt, has a population of 12,000. The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Strelitz has a total population of 100.000, and its capital, Neu Strelitz, has a population of 11,000. xhe principality of Lippe contains a population of 140,000, and its capital, Detmold, has a population of 11,000. The principality of Reuss (Younger. Lino) has a population of 140,000. The duchies of Saxe-ARenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Saxo Meiningen each have populations varying between 200,000 and 300.000, and the duchy of Anhalt has a population of a little more than 300.000, The grand duchies of SaxeWeimar and Oldenburg each have an approximate population of 400,000, and ■ the grand duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, which recently supplied the German Crown -Prince with his bride, has a population of 600,000. The grand duchy of Hesse has a population of 1.000. The grand duchy of Baden has a population of 1,800,000. The kingdom 'of Wurtemburg has a population of a little more than 2.000. the kingdom of Saxony a little more than 4,000,000, and the kingdom of Bavaria a little more than 6.000. and all these States are overshadowed by Prussia with its population of 35,000,000. Apart from the Imperial Chancellor, Prince Bulow, and the central Federal Government, Germany possesses twenty Prime Ministers, twenty Cabinets, twenty royal courts and eighteen Parliaments, for two German States, Mecklenhurg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, are absolute monarchies, governed by their grand dukes, without any assistance from elected representatives of the people. The cost of maintaining all these monarchies, with their courts and households, is a heavy financial burden .for the German nation. The King of Bavaria receives an income of £300,000, the King of Saxony an income of £200,000, and the King of Wurtem-. burg an income of £120,000 per annum. The Grand Duke of Baden, the Grand Duke of Hesse, the Grand Duke of Mecklenhurg-Schwerin, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar and the Duke of Anhalt each receive incomes varying from £50,000 to £60,000 a year. The Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, the Puke of Coburg-Gotha and x the Duke of SaxeAltenhurg receive incomes varying from £30,000 to £40,000, and the remaining German monarchs receive an average of £25,000 per annum. MILLIONS FOE USELESS MONAECHS. The bare cost of the monarchs alone thus amounts to something between £1,250,000 and £1,500,000 per annum. Ie addition to the monarchs it must be remembered that there are twenty Prim© Ministers and over a hundred Cabinet Ministers all drawing salaries from the public revenues for their services to the different States. There are twenty royal households with several hundred highly salaried ornamental officials, and eighteen Parliaments, the members of which ' receive payment from the public exchequers. The twenty monarchs between them own 115 royal palaces, which, together with the three dozen palaces owned by the Kaiser as King of Prussia, makes a total of 150 palaces dotted all over Germany. These palaces are surrounded by parks with a tfota! area of 25,000 acres, all of which is, of course, lying wasted so far as productive purposes are concerned. In the smaller German States the cost of maintaining the monarch amounts td, about 8s per head of the population, or 35s per head of family, a heavy burden on a population which is by no means prosperous. The twenty royal courts in Germany are effective. supports of reactionary politics and personal snobbery. The little German courts have been fruitful of all sorts of queer situations_ and scandals. The throne of Bavaria has been occupied for the last twenty years by a raving madman, who crawls about on his hands and knees, barks like a dog, and eats his food-off the ground. Nevertheless this being, although more beast than man, is his Majesty King Otto of Bavaria by divine right. His predecessor, King Louis, was also a lunatic, and drowned himself. The future King of Bavaria, - Prince Rupprecht, has been involved in matrimonial scandals, and his quarrels with his wife have been a public secret for some years past. HOTBEDS OF SCANDAL. The scandals connected with the Saxon Royal Family, which culminated in the flight of the wife of tho~ present King, are too fresh in the public memory' to need repetition. The Grand Duke of Hesse was obliged to divorce

his wife after a series of scandals which‘ brought his court into terrible disrepute. The wife of the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar ran away from, him short* ly after their wedding and fled tor Switzerland. The • Grand Duke was' obliged to go in pursuit of her, _ and although ho succeeded in bringing her hack, they never lived happily together, and the young Grand Duchess, recently died of a broken heart. The Dowager Grtmd Duchess of Mecklenhurg-Schwerin ran away with' her own hairdresser. The throne of Lippe was occupied only recently by a hopeless lunatic, and since his death a dispute regarding the possession of the crown has been proceeding. The throne of Reuss (Elder Line) is also occupied by a lunatic, who will never he capable of governing his dominions. The reigning Prince of Reuss* (Younger Line) abdicated after contracting a mesalliance, and handed over the reins of N government to his son, who. has also been involved in fifteen public scandals. The Grand Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who is not quite twenty-ona years of age, is already involved in a serious dispute with his subjects, which' has made him intensely unpopular among them. The rightful Duke of Brunswick is in exile because he refuses to recognise the suzerainty of Prussia, and his dominions axe administered by, a Prussian prince appointed by the Kaiser. The Duke of Saxe-Meiningen is boycotted by all his fellow-monarcha because he contracted a' scandalous , morganatic marriage with a low-born: woman who afterwards received the! title of Baroness Heldburg. THE EMFEEOE ALREADY THE, ACTUAL- " ' ■ BOSS. A curious feature about all these little German courts, which cost so much and which produce so many scandals calculated ,to discredit monarchial institutions, is that they are purely ornamental; Although all the little monarchs theoretically: possess sovereign powers they, are, as a matter of fact, nothing more than vassals of the Emperor. It is true that the Emperor can declare war, conclude treaties and promulgate laws in the name of the Empire, only with the consent of - the Federal Council, but this Council is/ absolutely controlled by his own country of Prussia. The Emperor is commander in chief of the entire German army. In; times of peace Bavaria administers its own army, but the troops of Saxony and Wurtemberg. and all the other German states are controlled by Prussia. .

When the troops are enlisted they swear loyalty to their respective sovereigns, hut they swear obedience to the orders of the Emperor. - The Emperor has absolute control over the entire navy without any interference .from the other monarchs. The Emperor has the right of summoning, opening, adjourning and proroguing the Reichstag. The laws of the Empire, which are' practically controlled by Prussia, take’ precedence over the laws of the States, and are compulsory on all the minor go*vernments.

The little German courts perform one service, however, which should not be oveiTooked. When the princes of the great reigning families of Europe are short of wives they can always find ladies o-f birth equal to their own among the minor (german royal families, while the princesses' of great imperial : and royal houses can marry occupants of the little German thrones and their relatives without sacrificing their royal rank and dignity.