Holbrook argus., 1903-10-03
COUNTRY TO DISAPPEAR
SMALLEST EUROPEAN STATE TO
 BE WIPED OUT
For Years It Has Been Going on in Its Own Way With No Army, No Courts and No Crimes to Speak 0f-How It Will Be Done.

be wiped out of existence and its ter ritory divided between Germany and Belgium. True, the country is only eighty-six years old and cannot boast of as lcng history as the republics of Andorra and San Marine, nor will its partition cause as much of stir as did that of Poland. but it possesses one distinction that deserves more than a passing notice, it is the small est independent government in the world, both as to territory and popu- lation.
 This country, known indi6erently as Alten berg, or neutral Moresnet, is bounded on the south and east by Germany, on the north by Holland and on the west by Belgium. It forms a triangle, the base of which is the town of Altenberg, and the acute angle touches the point where Ger many, Holland and Belgium meet, and where four frontier stones have been set up. Its area is 939 acres. Two-thirds is covered with woods, and the rest forms the towns of Calarmine, or Kelmis, and Altenberg.
 There are about $500 inhabitants, of whom 1450 are Germans, 1150 Bel gians, $50 Dutch and $50 neutrals, that is, descendants of persons who occupied the territory before 1915, when the map of Europe was made over by the congress of Vienna, after the Napoleonic wars. Two commis- sioners were appointed to mark the boundaries of Prussia and Holland, but each drew the frontier so as to include in his own state this little country, which contains some rich zinc mines. As the commissioners could not agree their governments agreed to disagree and the territory has been left neutral to this day.
 In 1880 when Belgium separated from Holland, she retained the latter's claim to Altenberg, and since that year the little state has been admin istered by two royal commissioners, one Belgian and one Prussian, who name the burgomaster, who, in turn, chooses ten counsellors. Their regu- lations must receive the approval of the royal commissioners.
 There. is no military service the army and police being united in one indi- viduaI named Mager, who has exer- cised these functions for forty years. There are no courts in Moresnet, and the inhabitants .may apply either to the Belgian or Prussian tribunals, before whom criminals are tried. In 1886 there was set of postage stamps printed by the local authorities which was stopped the same year by Ger many and Belgium, not however, until a large quantity had been sold to collectors.
 In Altenterg fthere is fine Gothic church and wide stree.s S, one of which is on the frontier line the houses on one side being in Germany, and on the other in the neutral territory. German is the dominant language. but French, Walloon, Flemish and Dutch are also spoken. Some weeks ago some professional gamblers from Liege obtained the councilmen' con- sent to erect lgambling pavilion in Moresnet, which was designed to rival Monte Carlo. The concessionaries agreed to build electric railroads to neighboring towns, to maintain parks and various institutions and tU share in this way the profits of the roulette tables with every inhabitant A