Toy Kingdoms of Germany.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8959, 7 December 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

Toy Kingdoms of Germany.

A L. Mark*, in the- Detroit Frco Press. HrrEtii, Oitobrr 12.—Kaiser Wilhehn'e ami in*wt startling ambition is .said to ht' jhat of formiiis; lunisrll" into an Im* jm rial riiorinji»>iy !»y irradually wiping otit sht v t-jv monarclV} of ilw oihvr ir*'rt;;an wh<i try to compose with htm in roya! dignity, tints transforming lit'rmarty irUo one united country with one a : traßvd adminUtmtivo sy.stem. The tt'ttdisicy of tlw ts evidfnt among thu r»*rtrts oi frrnnany in ev« ry sphere of {;!>♦. and the Knca'.r may he compared to a tnet which will eventually a l *- all th»- small and weak competitors.

If the Kaiser lias Ken loss active in tliis fltricitort than he might have been, hi.; I.ick »f initiative fins probably been due f<» rnraidt'rattnna of sell-preservation. Although tiie- f111f«- States of <tcrmany have Irfr. bvilv governed for centuries, there to no doubt that the existence of so many ti.nru brings the monrmhinl idea home t > many (Wmans to whom it might other'.v;■ tit- foreign. The little German courts .-.r- btihvarks of ]>oli;ica! conservatism and

ytvc to d"fi'?:d monarehial institutions against the growing forces of social democracy. If Kaiser were to sweep all awav he would create a precedent wht-li the Social Democrats might at .«>me future time utilise to abolish tho

Prussian and German monarchy. If. however, the smaller States can be srattuatly absorbed (>y Pntisia without

■ (lows at mMiarchi.il institutions there is no dotibi that the Kaiser will welcon-.o rhe lie is frequently impatient of rh- neo-Miiiy of sharing his supreme authority with the snpertluotts little sovereigns who occupy the thronis of the smaller Stntes of the Empire. On various occasion the Kaiser has made them feel that thev are his vaseals and has treated them

ra a procedure which somo of th*m have keenly resented. At present Germany is not an absolute ••mpirc. but a confederation of some score of sovereign States who have combined on tin- baits of a common nationality to present a united front to foreign coonlries. 'Hie German Kmperor, unlike the Emperors of and Austria, is nothing more than tho hereditary president of the cmfederation of German Slates. Th« German Emperor, as such. Li a strictly constitutional monarch, and it is as King of I'rtmia that ho enjoys such extensive personal power over his subjects. The present Kaiser has contrived to make us forget moM of these facts. Ho is himself <*> prominent a figure in the affairs of his country that the world has almost forgotten the existence of all the remaining German monarchs, wlio are theoretically quite equal to the Emperor in rank and dignity. ( i-irt from the Kaiser there arc twenty independent monarcbs in Germany. Three kings. six grand dukes. four dukes, and seven reigning princes. Some of thnso States are so small that the maintenance of their sovereign rights is an absurdity trs the twentieth century. Their existence dates from the time when Central Etiro|>e was dotted with larse numliers of small feudal State?, each ruled by its own petty ir.ernri-h. The smallest German State is in the principality of Schatimburg-Lippe, which contains a total population of 40.000. 'Hie capital of this miniatnre country is an over green village c.-.Hed I'tickebcrg. with a population of 5000. The crown of Schaumbtirs-Lippg is worn by a prince, and the Government is carried on by a I'rirre Minfccr aided by a Council of State and an elected representative assemMv.

Tbe principality of Reins (oldor lirv) is otifv -i sri!!p ntorv important, with a poputat ion '>"* 70X00. Tiiw principality also [ma its own I'ritr.o Minister, its own Council of S't.-vfc and it.? own ass -raHy. which lrgulatcs for the benefit of tr>- of Uoum. ta afnat I he sam«* si7<>. with a population of 60.000. hnt its capital i« fr;ite in irt4i_sni;iran! village called .Arol- «. wish a population of barely 3000. Thts Tillage is the residence of the ins prince ami the of government headed l>y » Prime Minister and controlk»t !.y an elected diet. Svftw.-irzlmrg-Somlcrsliaitson lias a to!ni population of 80.000 and its village capital. Sonrlershatssen. has a population of 7(!'~0. Sehwarzbiirc-Radolstadt has a total population of 90.Q00, and its capital, hmiohudt. las a population of 12,000. Tfo grand duchy of Mocklcnburg-Strelitz h.i» a total population of 100,000, and its capital, Xcti Strolitz, has a population of It.OCO. The principality of Lippe contains a population of 140,000 and its capital. Dot moid, has a population of 11.000. The- principality of Rcnss (younger line) Fi.ts a population of 140.000. The duchies of Saxe-Altenbnr?, Saxe-Cobarg-Gotha, and Saxa Mvtninccn have populations varying between 200.000 and 300,000, and the rfttchv of Anhalt has a population of a little more than 300,000. The grand duchies of Saxe-Wcimar and Oldenburg each has an approximate population of 400.000. and tl» Grand Duchy of Mocklenhnrg Schwerin. which recently supplied the German Crown Prince with his bride, has 3 population of 600,000. The _ Grand Duchy of Hesse has a population of E.0C0.000. The Grand Duchy of Bad?n haa a population of 1,800,000. Each of these sovereign German states has thus a population lot than that of New York »nrl Chicago. The kingdom of Wnrtemberg baa a popu-

lation of a littlo more than 2,000,000, the kingdom of Saiony a little more than 4,000,000, and the kingdom oi Bavaria a : little more than 6,000,000, and aU these I Slates arc overshadowed by Pruasia v::'.:i : its population of 55,000,000. Apart fro:n I the imperial Chancellor, Prince Buclow, | and the central federal government, Ger- | many jwsscs&cs twenty l'rime Minister*, , twentv Cabuiets, twenty Royal Courts, and j eighteen Parliaments, for two Gcriusn States, Mecklonbtirg-Schwcrin and Mecu-Icnburg-Schwerln and Mecklenburg-St relit", arc alieolute monarchies, governed 1-y their grand dukes, without any assistance from elected representatives of the people. The cost of maintaining nil monarchies with their cutihe ai'd linii'.cholds is a fancy financial burden lor t!ie German nation. Tlio King of Bavaria r - wives an income of l,500,CK)0doI, the K:::g of Saxony an income of 1,000,0C0d01, and tlic King of Wurtemberg an incouie of 600,000d0l per annum'. The Grand Du\e of Badenj the Grand Duke of 'lie Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and tl' r - Diike of Anhriit receive incomes yarving from 250,000d0l to 500,000d0l a year. J' : Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, the Duke oi Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and the Duke of Sar.oAltenburs receive incomes varying Ira:i", 150.C00d0l to 200,000d01, and the rerr:si:iing German monarclis receive an averse of 125.CC0d0l per annum. The bare cost of tlie monarclis r.lcne thus amounts to something between 6,000,000d0l and 7,000,000d0l ]mt annum. In addition to the monarclis. it must he remembered that there are twenty Prime .Ministers and over a hundred Ca!-.net Ministers, all drawing salaries from the public revenues for their services to the different states. There are twenty royal households, with several hundred high saralied ornamental officials, and eighteen parliaments, the members of which receive payment from the public exchequers. The twenty monarclis between them own 115 royal palaces, which, altogether with the three dozen palaces owned by the. kaiser as King of Prussia, make a iot-'l of 150 places, dotted all over Germany. Theso palaces are surrounded by parks wii-i a total area of 25,000 acres, all of which is. of course, lying wasted, so far as proi-"-tive purposes are concerned. In the waller Gorman states the cost of maini^!nii-c: the monarch amounts to alwnt 2do! per liead.of the. population, or &dol per hy ' of family, a heavy burden on a population whi'rH is by no rrenns prosperous. The twenty royal courts in Germany are effective supports of reactionary polities and personal snobbery. 'Hie little German courts have, been fruitful of all of queer situations and scandals. The th~»ne of Bavaria has been occupied for the list twenty years by a raving madman who crawls about- on his hands and knees. harks like a dog and eats his food off the grc-nd. Nevertheless this being, although m<to l>east than man. is his majesty King "tto of Bavaria by divine right. His pr<"l"ossor, King Louis, was also a lunatic and drowned himself. The future King of Bavaria, Prince Rupnrecht. has been involved in matrimonial scandals and !i:s quarrels with his wife have been a pn! lie jecret for some years past Tito scandals connected with the royal family, which culminated in the flight of" the wife of the present king, are too fresh in public memory to need repetn-in. The (Ira ml ll:ike of Ile-,=c was obliL"" to divorce his wife after a series of scandals which bromrht his court into disrc"'*e. T'iv> wife of the Grand Duke of Sixe-'Vei-mar ran away from him shortly after t "ir wedding and (led to Switzerland. The Grand Duke was obliced to go in psiri'iit of her. and although he succeeded in in-.' her back, they never lived happily iocoilir and the young grand duchess rev nt Iv di«l of a broken heart.

The Ttowager Grand Ditcher of M "k----lenbunr-Schwerin ran away with her own hairdresser. The throne of Lippe was occupied onlv recently by a hojKdc* <=s lunatic, and since his death a dispute, regarding ihe tmsscsAton of ths crown hn3 lx»»>n pre-- -d----in-j. The throne of Bc.tss (elder lin" 1 is also occupied by a lunatic who will never Ik- capable of governing his dominions. The reigning prince of Reuss (younger linr*) nbdieated after contracting a mesalliance '''id handed over the reins of government to his son. who has also been involved in fit. en public scandals. The (irand Puke of Saxe-Coburg-Go'ha. who is not fjiiite 21 years of ace. is already involved in a serious dispute v. : th 1.-?s subjects which has made hint inter ly unpopular among them. The rightful IVike of Brunswick is an exile because he ref>:-cs to recognize the suzerainty of Prussia, md his dominions are administered by a P-'is-sian Prince appointed by the kaiser. The fluke of Saxe-Meininccn is Ijoycotlct l.y all his fellow mon.Tcbs because he contra a scandalous v-irganatic marriage v.-!:'• a low-born woman, who afterward received the title of Baroness Held burg. A curious feature about all thrse l' - 'e flertan courts which cost so much 'nd which produce so many scandals c'Vulated to discredit monarehial inslitut'~>ns is that, they are purely ornamental. Although all (lie little monnrclis theoretic.lly possess sovereign powers they are r.~ a matter of fact nothing more than va.'iJs of the Kmperor. It is true that- the Krnjx'ror can declare war, conclude tref ; es, and promulcate laws in tlie name of ;he Umpire only with the consent of the Federal Council, but this Council is absolutely '■n: 1 (r-il'.'rl by bis own country of Prti" ia. Tlu- Kmneror is commander-in-chief of she entire Herman army. In time of price Bavaria administrates its own army, but the troops of Saxony and Wurtembers ''rid all the other German States are contrn'led bv Prussia.

When the troops are enlisted they sv.mt loyalty to their respective sovereigns, but tli.-y swear obedience to the orders of 'he Emperor. The Emperor has absolute r >nrrol over the entire navy without any interference from the other monarcbs. The Emperor hits the right of summoning. opening, adjourning and proroguing the Reichstag. The laws of the Empire, v.l-'ch. are practically controlled by Prussia, t ike, pre red en re over the laws of the States 'nd are compulsory on all the minor Govern-

Thc little German courts perform one service. however, which should not be overlooked. When the princes of the great reigning families of Europe are short of wives they can always find ladies of !->rih 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.