New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-02
mir 1UsTRIAy TRAGEDY.

The death of the Crown Prince OF AustHa,
either by his own hand or ty that OF an avenger
If nrivate wrongs, is startling episode Of
Fnronean history. II is considered by well
Informed dinlomat. whose views arc quoted in
n Washington letter, as one OF series OF
o~tv,ord;narv condolences by which the Bis
marcl, dynasty has profted. The Crown Prince
was known 70 he n personal enemy Of the Ger
man Fmneror and of the Bismarcks, father and
SON, and he has died by violence under mys-
terions circumstances, indicating either mono
mania or jealous riVats resentment lie
shared the fate Of the uncompromising enemies
Of Bismarck and Germany mbetta, ChanZy
King Louis of Bavaria and Skobeleff. Each
in turn died by violence under conditions of in
explicable mystery and intrigue. The diplo-
mat who links together these painful reminis-
cences does not venture TO intimate that the
German Chancellor has been remotely respon-
sible for any one of these mysterious affairs,
but refers to the series Of condolences as one
of the curiosities of contemporaneOus history
in Europe. If Prince Bismarck were inclined
TO be fatalist his might be justified by the
doom of his most, conspicuous enemies in con-
Guiding that these who conspire against him
are marked out for an untimely end.
The diplomat, continuing his revelations,
discloses the characters of the male heirs whose
chances of succeeding the present Emperor Of
Austria ha'ge been strengthened by the Grown
Princes oeath. The Archduke Charles Louis,
as the s0vereigns oldest brother, stands first
in line. but as he cannot be expected to sur
vive Francis Joseph many years, If he lives to
succeed him on the throne, the real theirs are
his sons, ono of whom is an epileptic while the
other is a reckless profigate and brutal ruffian.
The scandals and orgies which arc briefly de-
scribed by this plain-spoken diplomat sulfi-
GENTLY attest the unfitness of these Archdukes
for the Imperial station which one of them at
least seems destined to occupy. These recit-
ais lend increased interest TO this informants
forecasts of a contingency in which Queen
may reign in Hungary and renew the patriotic
traditions of Maria Theresa. The Crown
Princes daughter in the nursery is not exclud-
cd BY the Sale law from being crowned at
Buda-Pesth and. in the event OF her death, the
present Emperor's daughter, the Archduchess
Valerie, will be equally eligible for tho throne.
This forecast points to a separation Of the
crowns of Austria and Hungary and to dis
solution Of the Dual-Monarchy.
In reply IL may be urged that the Pragmatic
Sanction legalized female succession only in
default Of male heirs. There Is no such de-
fault in this instance and hence the Emperors
granddaughter and daughter are excluded.
Franz Joseph succeeded his uncle in 1S4S, and
his claim would have been equally valid under
the Praginatic Sanction if tho Indicating En-
peror had had daughter instead Of being
childless. While the statutes Of Hungary dated
back through the Middle Ages nearly a thou
sand years, the argument for separate autonomy
was grounded by Deak upon the Pragmatic
Sanction Of 1873, which not only regulated
the succession, but also recognized those dual
nationalihes which were combined by the COM
promise Of 1867. That fundamental law,
which forms the basis Of the dual system, de-
creed the indiyiSibiIity Of Empire and King
DOM There can be only one sovereign, and
so long as there are male heirs that monarch
cannot be a Queen. This seems to us the
logical conclusion to be drawn from Beust's
famous compromise and the historic Sanction
upon which Hungary established it's claim to
oNrfotapcc md aufonounv