Wichita eagle., 1888-03-14
OVER THE OCEAN.
GERMANY.

BERLIN March 13-The living wall OF
mark to loyalty and curiosity patiently
waited to enter the cathedral yesterday.
Men could hardly be distinguished from
women on account of the thick coatings OF
snow which covered their garments The
back portion of the cathedral had been
converted into sloping platform
This was covered with black serge and is
intended for the reception of floral offer
ings of the public. On either side Of the
altar stand laural trees and lofty exotic
plants embedded in a mass of flowers in
full blossom, including large camelias and
thousands of snow blossoms. Palm
branches of colossal dimensions conceal
the granite columns
A continuous stream of people passed
over the bridge which had been erected in
the cathedral and which affords view of
the catalfalque No person was allowed
to stop on the bridge.
Prince William stood for hours superb
tending the arrangements and giving final
orders, during which time fifteen stalwart
guards corps, with fine features and
dressed in snowy uniforms and hemlets
bearing silver eagles, all men picked from
the first families in the land laid floral
wreaths at the feet of the dead emperor,
and then knelt and recited short prayers.
Prince William ordered that the thick
white veil almost completely concealing
the emperor's face be removed. This was
replaced alter the guards had taken their
final look at the dead. The same
thing was afterwards done when the
contingents of Emperor Williams favorite
regiments were present on the same sad
GRAND. 1t is supposed that the veil pre-
vious to its present use was immersed in
some kind of preventative liquor to pre-
vent the color of the face suffering from
contact with the air. This morning only
artists. photograph and newspaper men
and courtiers were admitted to the cathed-
raj
Emperor Frederick passed good night
He received a deputation of Berlin alder
men at Charlottenburg palace today. The
Emperor will not leave Charlottepburg
for some days.
Emperor Frederick, arriving at Chariot
tenburg place, refused to be carried to his
apartments in the Sedan chair. He
mounted the stairs two steps at time.
After a short rest he wrote until l a. m,
rose at s a. m and received Prince William
and breakfasted with the empress and
children, and then transacted business.
Bismarck's oral reports occupied several
hours In the afternoon the emperor dined
en- famelle, continued working until eve
n ing, occasionally addressing his attend
ants. His voice is audible, but very
hoarse. The physicians are satisfied with
his condition. The emperor will take the
oath according to the Prussian consttu-
ton in the presence of the ober haus and
utter haus at Charlottenburg on Saturday.
THE PRUsSIAN SUCCESSION.
The succession to the Prussian throne is
regulated by the following section Of the
constitution of that kingdom, adopted on
January l, 1850
''The crown is, according to the laws of
the royal house, heredity on the male side
Of the royal house, according to the rights
of the first born. The king attains his
majority at the 18th year. When
the king is incapacitated from governing
by not having attained his majority,
or other causes, then the regency
is taken by the next heir pre-
sumptive who stands next to the crown,
and it becomes his duty at once to sum-
mon the chambers, which in a joint SEES
sion resolve as regards the necessity of APP
pointing a regent. If there is no heir at
hand who is of age, and no previous ar
rangementS made to govern the case then
it becomes the right of the cabinet to sum-
mon both house, who thereupon, in joint
session, elect a regent and until he desendS
TO the regency the cabinet conducts the
government. The regent exercises the
power of the king in his name, and takes
the oath of Office as SUCH
THE CONFEDERATION.
The enforced abdication of the imperial
title by Francis III. in 1906 ended the old
German empire, after duration of 1909
years. On the downfall of Napoleon l.
and the general pacification of Europe in
1915; a German confederation was formed,
al IL. IL r -. 4
whole. but in reality it possessed no
strength, even in time of peace, to restrain
by its Diet its members from an
lnfraction Of the constitution. Ii
was some improvement to reduce the sew
eral hundreds of members of the old en-
pire to thirty Eight in the confederation.
There We're thirty-four monarchial states
OF very unequal extent, and four free cities,
massed into very imperfect union of
reputed equal sovereigntles, but which, in
fact, were controlled by the two most
powerful memberS-AuStria and Prussia
which withheld several of their provinces
from the declarations. One OF its chief
professed objects was the establishing of
representative constitutions in all the
states belonging to the conf, dera;ion; but
this was soon explained in such way that
mockeries of constitutions, like that of
Prussia before lS4S, Were thought TO be
sufficient TO meet the claims of the age.
To the North German Confederation sue
ceeded the present empire as the result of
the raid made 10y Napoleon III upon
Prussia in the summer of 1870. Amid the
glowing pride OF the Germans in the I'M
surpassed achievements of their armies in
France the difficulties and differences
which had Heretofore prevented complete
unity seemed altogether TO vanish. In the
autumn ots 1870 negotiations We're opened
between the South German governments
and the Northern German Confederation
and in the course of November treaties
We're signed by which the North German
Confederation became the German Con-
federation.
EMPIRE OF GERMANY.
The headship of the new empire was
thus left to the royal house of Prussia,
with the full right of hereditary success
sion.
The empire, as at present constituted.
embraces the following quasi-independent
states:
The Kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Wur-
tumberg and SaNony
The grand duchies of Baden. Mecklen-
berg Schwerin, Hesse, Oldenburg. Sake
Weimar and Neutrality-suspicious.
The duchies of Brunswick, SAKE Meinin-
gen, Anhault, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and
SaXe-Altenburg.
The principalities of Waldeck. Lippe.
Schwartzburg- Ru bolstadt, Schaumburg-
Lippe and Reuss Greiz.
The free towns Of Hamburg, Lubbock and
Bremen.
The Reichsland Of Alsace-I orraine
The legislative power of the empire is
vested in the Bundestrath, which consist