Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-07
UNPROTECTED RULERS
PALACES AT THE MERCY OF ANY
POPULAR UPRISING.
Report That Kaiser William Will Erect
a Fortified Retreat for Him
self and Family.

Although an Official denial has been
made of the story printed by the German
socialist organ Vorwarts. to the effect that
the kaiser is about to convert the Island OF
Pichelswerder, in the Havei river. Into
a fortified retreat for himself and his fam
lily in times Of political disquiet, yet it Is
quite true that the wnis taking steps to
acquire sole possession Of the island In
question. with the object OF erecting an I'm
perial residence thereon, and Of converting
1t into country seat for the sovereign.
Nor can 1t be denied that the fact of its
being surrounded by water, together with
the proximity OF the great military camp OF
Doerberttz. the training ground Of that d.
vision Of guards which is the corps elite
Of the German army. endows 1t with a de-
gree of security which no other of the
kaiser 8 residences can be said to enjoy.
OF course, there may be objections in
Germany to the suggestion that a ruler of
the Hohenzollern dynasty should ever need
any safeguard against his heges. But re-
peatedly In addressing his troops, especially
when administering the oath Of military al
legiance to young recruits for the army.
William has laid stress upon the fact that
he depended upon their loyalty to defend
the throne not only from dangers that
threatened 1t from beyond the empires Dor
ders, but also from within. and that he
looked upon them to defend their sovereign
from his enemies. not only foreign, but
likewise nearer home-indeed, among their
fellow countrymen. It Is idle. therefore.
to insist that the kaiser is blind to the
menace of popular disturbances fomented
by socialists and directed by anarchists.
His own utterances to his soldiers show
that he Is alive, If not to the probability,
at any rate to the possibility. of troubles
therefore, of blaming him for taking steps
to protect his wife and children and him.
self from the danger Of any coup de main
by the Berlin mob.
The Old Schloss
The latter has always shown itself unruly
and disloyal. The foundations of the old
schloss at Berlin may be said to have been
cemented with the blood shed in the repeat
ed onslaughts of the populace. bent on pre-
venting its erection. upon the workmen en-
gagged in its construction. and recently
as in 1848 several days of sangunary con-
flict between the troops and the mob re-
suited in the latter winning the mastery,
making virtual prisoner of King Frede-
rick William w in his palace. and forcing
him not only to consent to the most humtl-
iat1ng concessions. but likewise to stand
bareheaded in the rain on the principal bal
cony while the bodies Of all those insur-
gents who had been killed by his soldiers
were borne in procession past his residence
This King of Prussia was the granduncle Of
the present kaiser. and the brother. then
known as Prince of Prussia" whom he
was compelled by the populace to deprive of
his military command and to Danish from
the kingdom, was the grandfather Of the
actual occupant of the German throne
Those were the days when the subterranean
passage was made. extending from the
Opera to the "Zeughaus," where a very
strong detachment of troops is always on
duty. so as to enable the occupants of the
royal box to get away from the theater
without being observed in the case Of an
emergency; and the period is by no means
so remote but that the kaiser is anxious, in
the event Of any conflict between the mob
and the authorities. to avoid embarrassing
the action Of the latter by permitting either
his family or himself to fall into the hands
of the populace.
Underground Passages
While in nearly every capital of Europe
the state theaters have been provided with
secret underground passages to admit of
| the escape Of the reigning family in the
event of danger from popular disturbances
those at Paris having played q notable
role in the rejgns of King Louis Philippe
and of Napoleon Hit is a curious fact
that few If any safeguards have been adopt
ed to protect the metropolitan palaces of
the sovereign from attack in case of an
insurrectfon. It is true that three centuries
have elapsed since Queen Mary-Bloody
Mary-was besieged in the Tower of Lon
don by the citizens of London, but the
royal and imperial palace of the Tuieries
was sacked by Partisan mobs no less than
four times within the space Of a hundred
years before being finally reduced to ashes
by the petroleuses Of the commune rebel
lion of 1871, while only three months ago
the konak, or palace. at Belgrade was In
vaded at night by horde Of mutinous
officers. who murdered King Alexander and
Queen Draga. Both had been warned that
| their lives were in danger, and that a coup
de main at night was contemplated upon
| the palace. But. the latter being built so
| that its windows opened on the very street.
there was no means of defending it against
any attack, and the only obstacle which
4 1o pcYfr for fC11y tn hair
steel lined door shutting off access to the
private apartments.