The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-10-31
PAYING OFF THE EMPEROR.
Immense Salary of Wilhelm Carried to
Him in Strong Boxes,

hillt III oAEOAE AtoAo5t
Emperor William receives his salary
quarterly in advance. The money Is
thrice counted by different f2nction-
aries at the national treasury, AID is
afterward placed in a number of strong
boxes and carried to the royal mail
wagon, waiting at the door between u
troop of mounted gendarmes. After
the load has been placed in the vehicle
the ministers of finance of the empire
and of the kingdom place the seals of
their respective offices upon the door
and accompany the minister of the
royal household ia his carriage TO the
place, the mail wagon with its escort
of gendarmes following Immediately be-
hind. Not until the money is actually
deposited in the vaults of Emperor Will
liams Berlin palace does the minister
of the household sign the receipts,
which are made out in the name of
"Wilhelm Rex" and civilian Impera-
tor respectively, one-haf of the sum
being derived from the treasury of the
kingdom or Prussia and the other from
the treasury of the German empire.
Two days afte1ward the court func-
tionaries receive their pay, but al
though the emperor receives his salary
in advance not one of the employees are
similarly favored, so that the emperor
is practically always three months be-
hind in the payment of his household.
The only exception which the emperor
makes is in the favor of his copsort,
whose personal allowance of s250,000
per annum is paid to her quarterly in
advance.
At no great court in Europe are the
salaries so low as at that of Berlin, the
so-called great dignitaries having to
satisfy themselves with a pittance of
So, 900 year, while the minister himself
receives but So, 700. This is not surpris-
ing when the enormous number of per-
sons who figure on the pay roll is taken
into consideration. For instance, there
are no less than 500 housemaids and L.
500 liveried footmen. Every servant,
high or low, is entitled to pension
after working in the royal household
for 90 years.
Over and beyond the civil list re-
ctlNtI ny tllc tlhltVioi iipiii 'iiS - N'1
ury of the empire and that OF the king
dom, he draws from the war depart
ment full salaries for the different
commands he assumes. As commander
in chief of the army he is continually
appointing himself colonel in CHIEF or
this or that regiment, which has there
upon the right to style itself the "leib'
or body regiment OF his majesty. When
ever one reads in the Gazette that he has
thus honored a regiment In the army,
one may take 1t for granted that 1t en-
tails am addition to his income in the
shape Of colonels pay and allowances.
Inasmuch as at the present moment he
holds the colonelcy of some so different
regiments, it will readily be seen that
this constitutes no nconsiderable addi-
ton to his income, all the more as the
colonelcles carry with them forage al
lowances for about 200 horses.
Out of this civil list the emperor Is ex-
pected to pay the allowances of the var-i-
GUS members of his family. But this is
not n heavy drain on his purse. His
brother, Prince Henry, and his brother
in-law Prince Frederick Leopold, have
each inherited immense private for
tunes and are practically independent
of any allowance, while the only other
princes of his house, Prince Albert of
Brunswick, the crazy Prince Alexander,
and the eccentric yet talented Prince
George, all three elderly men, are ex-
ceedingly wealthy. Indeed, they figure
among the richest princes of the blood
In Europe,- Chicago Record.