New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-06
UNPROTECTED RULERS.
Their Palaces at the Mercy of 4Hy
Popular Uprising.

q
about to convert the island Of Pichelswerder. in
the Havel River into a fortified retreat for him
self and his family in times Of political disquiet.
vet it is quite true that the Crown is taking
steps to acquire sole possession OF the island in
question. with the object Of erecting an i'm
periaI residence thereon, and Of converting il
into a country seat for the sovereign. Nor can
it be denied that the fact Of its being sur
rounded by water. together with the proximity
Of the great military camp Of Doeberitz, the
training ground of that division Of guards which
is the corps d'elite Of the German Army. en-
dOws it with a degree of security which no other
of the Kaiser's residences can be said to enjoy.
of course. there may be objections in Germany
to the suggestion that a ruler Of the HOhenzOI-
Iern dynasty should ever need any safeguard
against his Heges. But repeatedly in addressing
his troops. especially when administering the
oath Of military allegiance 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 threat
ened it from beyond the empires borders. 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 1t 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 pos
sibility. of troubles Of this character and no one
would dream. therefore Of blaming him for taxi
ing steps to protect his wife and children and
himself from the danger Of any coup de main BY
the Berlin mob
The latter has always shown itself unruly and
dislOyaL The foundations Of the old schloss at
Berlin may be said to have been Cenented with
the blood shed in the repeated onslaughts Of
the populace. bent on preventing its erection.
upon the wOrkmen engaged in it's construction.
and recently as in 1913 several days Of san
culinary conflict between the troops and The
mob resulted in the latter winning the mastery.
making virtual prisoner Of King Frederick
William ~ in his palace. and forcing him not
only to consent to the most humiliatng cOnces-
sions. but likewise to stand bareheaded in the
rain on the principal balcony while the bodies
of all those insurgents who had been killed by
his soldiers were borne in procession past his
residence This King of Prussia the
granduncle of the present Kaiser. and the
brother. then known Prince Of PRUSSIA
whom he was compelled by the pOpulace to de-
prive of his military command and to Danish
from the kingdom. 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. TO enable the
occupants of the royal box to get away from
the theatre 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-
While in nearly every capital Of Europe the
State theatres have been provided with secret
underground passages TO admit Of the escape %
the reigning family IN the event Of danger from
popular disturbances-those at Paris having
played a notable role in the reigus of King
Louis Philippe and Of Napoleon Hit is a Curl
Gus fact that few if any safeguards have been
adopted to protect the metropolitan palaces =
the sovereign from attack in case Of an in
surrectiOn- II is true that three centuries have
elapsed since Queen Mary-Bloody Nary-VIs
besieged I'm the Tower of London by the citizens
or London. but the royal and imperial palace u
the Tuileries sacked by Partisan nols TO
less than four times within the space Of "a hum
dred years before being finally reduced 90 ashes
BY the petrOleuses Of the Commune rebellion -
1Sfl. while only three months ago the konak
palace. at Belgrade was invaded at night by
horde OF rutinOus officers. who murdered King
Alexander and Queen Draga. Both had been
warned that their lives we're in danger and that
a i,