The Washington critic., 1888-03-05
WASHINGTON, MARCH 5, 1855
Az uNmAppY PnINCEss.

upon MS HeNIl-lnt ulItCl utlI 10 HIS
throne stricken with q malady from
which there seems to be no chance of
recovery-a wife, whose ambition to
be mistress of the royal household is
never likely to be rcalized-a youth in
the order of succession waiting eagerly
for the imperial honors that in the
natural course of events should be his
iatber's-grim in the background, yet
ordering all things to his own liking
and safe in the admiration and conf
denee Of the people, Prince Bismarck.
tits q wonderful and impressive, al
though distressful picture.
The Princess Royal is, perhaps, the
most melancholy figure in it all, for
the reason that she has the fewer
friends, as at this time of all other
times in Germany, one necessarily
must have, who ventures to antago-
nize the power behind the throne.
She has all the aid and comfort that
the Queen of England can bestow
upon daughter, but she has not
the sympathy of the German nation
in her personal aspirations, nor in
the methods by which she seeks to
promote them.
An affectionate wife, her husband
is powerless and voiceless in the
hands of his physicians. A loving
mother, 1t is said that none are more
ready to thwart her wishes than the
son who is being coached for the
crown. An affectionate daughter-in-
law, the aged Kaiser looks elsewhere
than to her for counsel in stern
affairs of State.
The law that declares an heir-ap-
parent ineligible to the succession who
is suffering from an incurable disease,
Judging from present appearances,
stands inexorably in her way. She
cannot complain that DR.. Mackenzie,
in his diagnosis of the Crown Princes
condition, has not done all that was
possible to be done to advance her in
terests-more perhaps than it was ex-
pedient for medical man TO do with
proper regard to his own interests
but'the hopes that he holds out of her
husbands possible recovery are being
ruthlessly repudiated by the court
surgeons, and his Intervention, which
was regarded by the Germans in the
first place as piece of English imper-
tinence, has served TO render her un-
popular as well as unhappy. The
exalted honors in which she yearned
10 participate recede and vanish in
the gloom of impending widowhood,
unless it prove that all the German
doctors are at fault, and that her hus-
band astonish Europe by his conva-
lescence.
ltwould seem something of dis
iinction to be the mother of an EN-
peror, but possibly little to her, who, if
all reports be true, looks forward with
more solicitude than pride to the coro-
nation of son whose character and
habits are not above reproach, whose
abilities are not of q high order, and
whose reign, while Bismarck lived
would depend. for its success upon the
man whom she most dislikes, albei
The greatest man in Europe.
In the midst Of all these specula
lions and complications arises the
question of a regency in case the En-
peror should himself become incapaci
tated, and here again the iron hand o
Bismarck points to Prince William
and will doubtless have its way shoulC
such contingency occur.
Ex-MAYoR COOPER is not to be mad
Minister TO Germany. AT least all re
ports to that effect fail to be verife'
at the White House. His political am
bition is understood to run in quit
another direction.
THE PENDING difficulty between tn
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy roac
and the Brotherhood of Locomotiv
Engineers is serious one, and threat
ems TO become still more so, before it
ended 1t is much to be questioned
however, whether a Congressional il
vestigation would be of any avail.
would probably complicate matter
rather Than facilitate their adjustment
Some exercise of authority by the In
terstate Commerce Commission ma
become necessary in maintainin
broken lines of transportation, but
committee of Congress would only i
in the way. The fight is on, and froi
present appearances it has got to i
fought out. As between the partiC
in controversy il is question of eI
dmance. Whenever it gets to be -
question of endurance between III
parties and the people It will be tim
enough for Governmental interference
The FIRST DRY SUNDAY took plaC
in Kansas City yesterday, and th
population was less than it has bee
for tenyears.
THE New YORK World very iustl
opposes the proposed amendment
he postal laws which provides thi
mo package weighing more than eigl
~ pounds shall be received for conve,
ance by mail, except books publishe
by order of Congress" and sugges
that second-class matter and sing