The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-09-01
ADVOCATING THE CROWN.

NO voluntary Surrender OF Auth 0K1ty
Known In English History.
There seems at last some foundation
for the report that Queen Victoria
means to alodicate, in which event the
prince of Wales will become king of
Great Britain and Ireland and emper-
or of India The ground of the rumor
is her majesty's alleged intention to
pass all her time hereafter at Balmoral
or Osborne, and to give her eldest SON
the use of buckingham palace and
Windsor castle.
It is a curious and interesting fact
that there has newer been an example
Of voluntary abdication ON the part Of
any English sovereign> although six
rulers have been deposed, or seven, if
we count Lady Jane Grey, who was
crowned and reigned nine days. There
have been many acts Of self-renuncia-
ton, on the other hand, ON the part Of
monarchs on the continent Of Europe.
Tbe memorable surrender Of all his
titles and powers by Emperor Charles
v. Is not the only instance of the kind
In tho Spanish monarchy. Philip ".
abdicated in favor of Nilsson, Don Lx1is,
but on his sons death resumed the
crown. There is, however, no p-ece-
6ent in France, for the two abdnationa
Of Nspoleon l., and those of Charles x.
and Louis Philippe were made under
pressure. This can hardly b said Of
the abdicatton of the Austrian throne
by Emperor Ferdinand L, in Decem-
ber, 1s4s, for his generals had just beat
en- Hungarian army and recovered
Vienna He was doubtless influenced
less by the example of Emperor Charles
Y. than by that Of Emperor Matthias,
who on the eve Of the Thirty Years war
renounced the crowns of Bohemia and
Hungary in favor Of q cousin. 1t ia
the house of Savoy which has furnished
the greatest number of instances OF
abdication. In 1884 Amadeus VIII.
made his son a lieutenant general and
retired to a monastery, and subsequent
y he definitely renounced his duledom
In order to become pope, under the
name fFelix V. His grandson, Amade-
Us *. ~es impelled by his bodily suf-
fe-ings TO abdicate in favor OF his wife,
Yolande. In 1870 Victor Amadeus II,
then king of Sardinia, abdicated in
order to marry the countess Of San
Sebastian, at whose instigation he sub
sequently tried to regain the crown.
In 1902 Charles Emmanuel w., having
the island of Sardinia. renounced his
throne IN favor of his brother, Victor
Emmanuel L, who In bis turn abdicated
In 1920, sooner than embroil himself
10th with his own people and with
Austria. His next SUCCESSOR but one,
Charles Albert, also abdicated, after
his defeat by the Austrians at Novara,
In favor OF bis son, Victor Emmanuel
Il
After al, however. there has been
few instances in which abdication was
30 entirely voluntary as II would be il,
the case OF Queen victoria. Her sub
;ects are warmly ettached to her, and
no open remonstrsnce would be made
should she insist upon retaining tho
outward gusse Of sovereignty as long
"a she continues tolive. Those English
men who are republicans 1t heart would
doubtless be glad to see pass into sbey-
ance those powers OF supervision.
regulation and interposition still
asserted in Theory for the crown, and
upon which the queens husband,
Prince Albert, laid so much stress For
That very reason her majesty EoAy deem
II a duty which she owes to her Do
scendants to transfer 70 her eldest son
Official functions which she 10 no longer
able or willing 10 perform before tho
public mind becomes accustomed TO -
them divss~--a frnan roSalty-N. Z.
Sun.