Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-01
FOREIGN CHAT.

FOREIGN CHAT.
Gossip of the Capitals and Celebrities
of Europe.
| Official announcement is made OF the
| fact that Queen Wilhemina, OF Hoiia1iu'
once more has hopes of presenting u
the nation an heir to the throne, whose
advent will dispel the fear when tlie
Dutch now entertain OF seeing the
| crown Of the Netherlands pass TO
German prince or princess, when
would mean of course, that the KING
dom would become to all intents anu
purposes part of the confederation
known as the German Empire.
A good deal Of anxiety is entertained
with regard to the Queen. She has
been in a very frail condition OF heaith
ever since her premature conIinefheh''
| two years ago, and in appearance she
| has become 50 wan and unhappy that IL
| is difficult to recognize i'll her TO-DAY inc
healthy, hearty, sunny-faced girl Oh
three years ago. Indeed, she has lost
all the bloom of youth, and gives one
| the impression of woman at least ten
or fifteen years older than her actual
| age.
| Three other women occupying
thrones are looking forward to the birth
of children during the course OF the
present summer, and in the case OF
! each, as in that of Queen Wilhelmlna,
dynastic considerations are at stake,
and hopes are entertained that the
child will prove boy, and thus assure
the direct succession to the crown. The
one is the Empress of Russia, the othec
| is the Queen of Italy, while the third is
| the Crown Princess of Luxembourg,
whose husband is regent of his fathers
grand duchy. Should the crown prin-
cess, who has already six girls. now
| give birth to seventh, the throne
| would at any rate remain to her chill
dren, and would, failing male issue, be
| Inherited by her eldest daughter, the
now ten-year- old Princess Marie. But
with the Empress of Russia and the
| Queen of Italy it is different, for if
they do not become the mothers of sons,
| the thrones of their husbands will pass
| to kinsmen who are not in sympathy
with their IDEAS. political and admins
trative.
King Edwards grant of Il barOnetcy
ito Alfred HarmswOrth. the proprietor
, and creator of the London Mail and
other newspapers, serves to call atten-
| ton once more to the sturdy independ-
ence which the proprietors of the Lon
| don Times have for the past hundred
years displayed in refusing repeated
offers of honors of this kind from the
crown. The late John Walter on two
occasions declined peerages that were
rendered to him. His father likewise
returned negative replies to letters
written to him by two premiers of his
day asking him to accept Il seat in the
| House of Lords, and it is well known
that Arthur Walter, the present chief
proprietor of the Times. has manifested
a similar Discrimination to receive Il
cOronet from the crown.
Like his forbcars, he realizes that the
! acceptance of any honor of this kind
] from the crown places the recipient
, under obligations to the prime minis
| ter, by whom the nomination is made,
and that the independence of the newly
created peer, baronet. or knight be-
comes impaired herrby, a very serious
| consideration wheh the individual in
question happens to be the owner of i
great metropolitan organ that claims to
be voice of the pcoplc-the voX populi.
The owner Of the London Standard
| has followed the example Of the Wal
| tiers, but the proprietor of the Daily
| Telegraph, of London, accepted first a
| baronctcy, and then Il peerage, and Is
| now Lord Durham. 1t is the same
with the proprietor of the London
Morning Post. Lord Glcnesk. The pro-
prictor of the London Globe is Il baron
ct, and. in fact, baronetcies and knight
hoods have been scattered quite liber-
ally among metropolitan and provin-
cial newspapers and proprietors.
Incidentally, l would call attention
to a rather remarkable letter which has
just been published by A. +. Walter in
his paper. the London Times. 1t runs
as follows:
The control of the Times has been in
my hands for good many years past.
1t is there now, and there it will re-
main until events over which mortals
| have no control shall place it in the
| hands of my successors. Until that !
Hhppel!S you Hldy IeSl dSSuIcu THAT no
outside influence Of any kind. or of any
| origin, will ever be permitted to affect
| the character of the great institution
which was founded by my reat-grand-
father 10 years ago, and which has
| never for moment passed from under
the control of his lineal successors, and
| which !. in my turn. have the honor
and the responsibility Of conducting
| today.
This letter was written. as will be
. apparent from it's tenor. in reply to a
| correspondent who had inquired
whether there was any truth in rumors
| current as to impending changes in
the proprietorship of the Times"
| To Lord Curzon, the apprehensions
| with regard to the pan-Asiatic ideas
and aspirations of the japanese, appear