Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-04-07
FOR A GIGANTIC TRUST.
Kaiser Wilhelm Aims to Abb
serb 20 Toy Sovereigns
POCKET KINGDOMS DEAR

Each of These German States Has
Population Less Than New York
--NIonarchs Alone Cost Millions
AnnualIy--The Emperor the Act
ual Boss of Entire Army.
At present Germany Is not an alb
solute empire, but confederation OF
some score of sovereign states, who
have combined on the basis of COM
mon nationality to present a united
front TO foreign countries, The Ger
man 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
monarchs 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-
eign rights is an absurdity in the
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 q popula-
ton of a little more than 2,000. 900,
the kingdom of Saxony a little moro
/ than 100000, and the kingdom OF
Bavaria little more than 5000. 900.
and all these states are overshad-
owed by Prussia with its population
/ OF 100000 Apart from the I'M
perial chancellor, Prince Bulow, and
the central federal government. Ger
many possesses 90 prime ministers.
20 cabinets, 20 royal courts and 18
parliaments, for two German states,
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and Mecklen-
burg-StrelitZ, are absolute mon
arches governed by their grand
dukes without any assistance from
| elected representatives OF the people.
The cost of maintaining all these
monarchies with their courts and
households is a heavy financial bur-
| den for the German nation. The king
of Bavaria receives an income OF
S1,500,000, the king of Saxony an
income of 100000 and the king
of Wurttemberg an income of $780,
900 per annum The grand duke of
Baden, the grand duke of Hesse, the
grand duke OF MecklenburgS chwer-
In, the grand duke of Saxe-Weimar
| and the duke of Anhalt each receive
! incomes varying from $500 to
| $500, 900 a year. The duke of Sake
| Meiningen, the duke of Saxe-Coburg-
| Gotha and the duke OF Saxe-Alten-
| burg receive incomes varying from
$4,000 to 100000, and the re-
| naming German monarchs receive
an average of $125,000 per annum.
I The 20 monarchs between them
| own lis 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 50 per head of the
| population, or So per head OF family,
a 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 mailman, 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 d.
vine right, His predecessor, King
Louis, was also 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 sc
much and which produce 80 many
| scandals calculated to discredit mon
archical institutions, IL that they are
purely ornamental. Although all the
little monarchs theoretically possess
sovereign powers they are a. q 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
name OF the empire only with the
consent of the federal council. but
the council is absolutely controlled
by his own country of Prussia.