The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-11-23
FOR A GIGANTIC TRUST.
Kaiser Wilhelm Aims to Abb
SOrb 20 Toy SovereignS
POCKET KINGDOMS DEAR


Each of These German States Has
Population Less Than New York
-Nlonarchs Alone Cost Millions
Annually-Thc Emperor the Act.
ual Boss of Entire Army.
At present Germany is not an alb
ute empire, but a confederation OF
me score of sovereign states. who
We combined on the basis of a COM
Cl nationality to present a united
oat to foreign countries. The Ger
IAN emperor, unlike the emperors OF
Russia and Austria, Is nothing more
than the hereditary president of the
confederation of German states. The
German emperor as such is strictly
constitutional monarch, and It is as
king of Prussia that he enjoys such
extensive power over his subjects.
The present king has contrived to
make us forget most OF these facts.
He IS himself so prominent a figure
in the affairs of his country that the
world has almost forgotten the exist
ence of all the remaining German
moGarchs who are, theoretically,
quite equal to the emperor in rank
and dignity.
Apart from the kaiser there are 20
Independent monarchs in Germany
three kings, six grand dukes, four
dukes and seven reigning princes.
Some OF these states are so small
that the maintenance of their sover-
iG a a IN ha
twentieth century. Their existence
dates from the times when Central
Europe was dotted with large num-
bers of small feudal states, each
ruled by its own petty monarch.
Each of these sovereign German
states has a population less than that
of New York and Chicago. The king
dom Of Wurttemberg has a popula-
tion Of little more than 1000, 900,
the kingdom of Saxony a little more
than 100000, and the kingdom OF
Bavaria a little more than 5000, 900,
and all these states are overshad-
owed by Prussia with its population
Of 35,000,000. Apart from the i'm
perial chancellor, Prince Bulow, and
the central federal government, Ger
manv possesses 20 prime ministers,
20 cabinets, 20 royal courts and IS
parliaments, for two German states,
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and Mecklen-
burg Strelitz, are absolute mon
archies governed by their grand
l7kes without any assistance from
'cted representatives of the people.
ne cost Of maintaining all these
,1archies with their courts and
1-seholds is heavy financial bur-
for the German nation. The king
i' Bavaria receives an income of
S1,500,o0O, the king of Saxony an
income of 100000 and the king
Of Wurttemberg an income of $780,
600 per annum. The grand duke of
Baden, the grand duke of Hesse, the
grand duke of Mecklenburg-S -Schwer-
in, the grand duke of Saxe-Weimar
and the duke of Anhalt each receive
incomes varying from s250,000 to
100000 a year. The duke of Sake
Meiningen, the duke of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha and the duke of Saxe-Alten-
burg receive incomes varying from
S150,000 to 100000, and the re-
naming German monarchs receive
an average of s125,000 per annum.
The 20 monarchs between them
own 115 royal palaces, which, to-
gether with the three dozen palaces
owned by the kaiser as king of Prus-
STA, makes a total of $50 palaces
dotted all over Germany. These pal
aces are surrounded by parks with a
total area of $4,000 acres, all Of
which Is. of course, lying wasted, so
far as productive purposes are con-
cerned. In the smaller German states
the cost of maintaining the monarch
amounts to about So per head of the
population. or $S per head of family,
. heavy burden on a population
which is by no means prosperous.
The 20 royal courts in Germany
are effective supports of reactionary
politics and personal snobbery. The
little German courts have been fruit
full of all sorts of queer situations
and scandals. The throne of Bavaria
has been occupied for the last 20
years by raving madman, who
crawls about on his hands and knees.
barks like dog and eats his food off
the ground. Nevertheless, this being,
although more beast than man, Is his
Majesty King Otto OF Bavaria by di-
vine right His predecessor, King
Louis, was also a lunatic and
drowned himself The future king OF
Bavaria, Prince Rupprecht, has been
involved in matrimonial scandals, and
his quarrels with his wife have been
public report for some years past.
A curious feature about all these
little German courts which cost so
much and which produce 30 many
scandals calculated to discredit mon
archical institutions, is that they are
purely ornamental. Although all the
little monarchs theoretically possess
sovereign powers they are as mat
ter of fact nothing more than vassals
OF the emperor 1t Is true that the
emperor can declare war, conclude
treaties, and promulgate laws in the