The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-01-09
.GL|MPSES Behind The Scenes
EMPEROR WILLIAM OF GERMA-
NY A VERY EXTRAVAGANT
MONARCH.
He CANNOT Be SUED FOR HIS BILLS
His Salary or Civil List Amounts to
About Five Millions Yearly-His
So-Called Great Dignitarics
are Poorly Paid.

OF all the monarchs of Europe. the most
eXtravagant is Emperor William, and in
order to find parallel for the deluge of
debt and pressing liabilities by which he
is overwhelmed it is necessary to go back
to the reign of King George Nv of Eng
land. Until now the Hohenzollerns have
been renowned for their excessive thrift.
Their economy used to be Il household
word Throughout Europe, and much specu-
lation prevails rs to whence Emperor Will
liam derives this extraordinary tendency
to excessive and reckless expenditure, he
be described as guilty in this particular
The question is timely in view of the
official announcement to the effect that
the emperor and empress intend the Win
ter season of 1886 to surpass in sbien-
dor and magniicence all those that have
gone before, this, in spite of the fact that
never. at any time since his accession to
the throne have his financial difficulties
been OF such acute nature as at the pres
ent moment. His recklessness is perhaps
attributable to his immunity from any
legal process ON the part of his creditors.
Neither the kaiser nor any member of his
immediate family-that is, princes or
princesses of the royal house of Prussia
can be sued for any debt in any court of
law. Berlin tradesmen are practically
compelled to fulfill the orders which they
receive from the master of the royal house
hold and from the members of the royal
family, under penalty of being boycotted
by the court, the aristocracy and in fact
by everyone who has any social aspira-
tons at Berlin, the alternative of refusing
to purvey the reigning family meaning
nothing less than ruin. Yet they have
no means of collecting payment by process
OF law, and tradesmen's claims against
royalty being referred to the minister and
grand master of the royal household, from
whose decision there is no legal appeal.
Thls condition of affairs is the more in
eXcusable, seeing that the salary, or civil
list. which the kaiser receives from the
national exchequer every year amounts
to close upon $5,O00,000, added to which
the emperor lives in palaces built by the
people and is exempt from disagreeable
attentions on the part of the tax collector
HIS civil list is more than double that re-
celved from the crown by his father ant
grandfather, and in addition thereto hi
has at his disposal the control of the pri
vate fortune and vast estates of the rOya
house of Prussia, which represents for
tune OF some $3O,000,000. This proper
~, pelonglng to the junior branch of thu
Iiohenzollerns-for the reigning house o.
Prussia is only junior branch of the fam
lily, of which Prince Leopold of Hohen
Zollern is the head-consists partly il
money loaned on mortgage in London ant
New York, while the remainder is in th,
shape OF German real estate. yalua hi,
horse-breeding esta blishments. manufac
tories, mines, etc.
FINALLY, it must be remembered that tbt
nation has provided the emperor witt
three yachts, one Of which is a floating nal
ace, and couple of railroad trains. one
or them palace on wheels. So there is
debt "e IL
Emperor William receives his salar,
quarterly in advance. The money /.
thrice counted by different functionarie,
at the National treasury, and is after
wards placed in number of stronf
boxes and carried to the royal mail wa gor
waiting at the door, between a troop Of
mounted gendarmes. After the load In,
been placed in the vehicle the minister
OF finance of the empire and of the king
dom place the respective seal of their of
nee upon the door and accompany til,
minister of the royal household in hi.
carriage to the palace, the mail Wagon
with its escort of gendarmes followin.
Immediately behind. Not until the mon
ey is actually deposited in the vaults O.
Emperor Williams Berlin palace does tn,
minister of the household sign the re
ceipts. which are made out in the name
of William, Rex" and Wilhelm, I'm
peratur," respectively, one-half of tn,
sum being derived from the treasury O.
the kingdom of Prussia, and the otheI
from the treasury of the German EN-
pire.
Two days afterwards the court func
tionaries receive their pay, but, although
the emperor receives his salary in ad
vance, not one of the employees is similar
ly favored so that the emperor is prac
tically always three months behind il
the pay list of his household. The only
exception which the emperor makes il
in favor of his consort, whose persona
allowance of $250.000 per annum is pait
her quarterly, and in advance.
At no great court in Europe are the
salaries paid so low and infinitesimal rs
at that of Berlin. so the sO-called great
dignitaries having to satisfy themselves
with a pittance of $4,000 year, while
the minister himself receives but $4,000
This is not so surprising when the enor
nous number of people who figure on the
pay roll is taken into considerations Fol-
instance. there are no less than 50t
housemaids and 1900 liveried foOtmen
Every servant, high and low. is entitled
to pension after working in the roya
household 20 years.
Over and beyond the civil list received
by the emperor from the treasury of tho
empire and that of the kingdom. be draws
from the war department full salary fol
the different military commands he as
sumes. AS commaDder-in-chief OF thu
army he is continually appointing him
self colonel-in -chief of this or that regi
ment. which has thereupon the right t.
style itself the 'lieb," or body regimen
Of his majesty. Whenever one reads il
the gazette that he has thus honored {
regiment in the army one may take 1t To-
granted that it entails an additional in
come in the shape of coloneFs pay ant
allowances. Inasmuch as, at the pres
ent moment, he holds the colonelcy o.
some 80 regiments, it will readily b.
seen that this constitutes no inconsidera
BILE addition to his income all the more
as the colonelcies carry with them forage
allowances for some 200 horses.
Out of his civil list the emperor is ex
pected to pay the allowances of the. yarl
Gus members of his family. But TINS \
not havy drain on his purse. For MI
brother, Prince Henry, and his brother
in-law, Prince Frederick Leopold, have
each inherited immense private fortunes
and are practically independent OF an!