The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-13
State Of Montana.

only every court in Europe. but most Of
the great centers of industry in the old
world. He bids fair to make a far better
king than King Leopold. since. in the
first place, he is devoid of his uncle's
craze for speculation and foolhardy ad-
ventures, such as the disastrous Congo
enterprise. while. on the other hand, he
has as yet shown no trace of having in
herited any of those moral shortcomings
which have cast SO heavy a shadow upon
the reigns of his uncle and of his grand
father.
Should Prince Albert die before King
Leopold or without leaving and male is
sue, all sorts of complications would en-
sue with regard to the succession of the
throne. For, although according to the
terms of the Belgian constitution, King
Leopold possesses the right, in default of
male issue of his owp or of his younger
brother, to select an heir from among the
various Catholic princes of Europe, the
choice, of course, to be ratified by the
chambers of the legislature. yet II is
doubted whether any of those foreign
powers who guaranteed the neutrality
and independence of Belgium at the time
of it's conversion into a kingdom would
ever be able to agree together upon any
one candidate. Indeed, ii would be the
same thing as I'm the case of Prince Fer
dinand of Bulgaria and of Prince Leopold
of Hohenzollern, whose election to the
throne of Spain brought about the Fran
co-German war of 1870.
OTHER NATIONS ARE INTERESTED.
The two nations chiefly interested in the
choice of an heir to the Belgian throne
are Germany and France, since Belgium
lies. so to speak, between the two. Yet 1t
is preposterous to imagine for a moment
that these two hereditary foes, so terri
bly, embttered against each other. could
fhn 0hn nf hn rtnln
of country which occupies such a coign
of vantage, right between the two.
In Belgian court circles ii is asserted
that in the event of Prince Albert's fall
ing to survive King Leopold the latter
would nominate the young French prince
of the house of Orleans, known as the
Duke of Vendome, as his heir, on the
ground that the duke is married to the
Princess Henriette, the eldest daughter
of the Count of Flanders. But there
seems no reason for this and King Leo
pold being himself a German prince and
a member of the German ducal house of
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, would be just as
likely to nominate Prince Charles of Ho-
henzollern. a Prussian officer, who is
married to Princess Henriette's sister,
Josephine. 1t is still more likely that
King Leopold woul select his own son in
law. Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg, elder
brother of Prince Ferdinand of Belgium,
who is a general in the Austrian service.
Both Prince Philip and Prince Charles of
Hohenzollern would, however. be object
ed TO by France as officers of the armies
of the triple alliance, while, on the other
hand, Germany would certainly veto the
nomination of a French prince, such as
the Duke of Vendome.
From this ii will be seen how exceeding
~ precious are the life and health OF
young Prince Albert of Belgium. not only
to the Belgium people. whose independ-
ence and future welfare are at stake. but
also to the whole of Europe. which may
yet, one of these days, be involved in a
terrible war in connection with the ques-
ton of the Belgian succession