The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-02-15
1ermany's kaiser and England S

GermanyS S KAISER and England s
king are engaged in war of diplo-
macy for the dukedom OF Brunswick.
Each has candidate for the place
of ruler. Edward backs his brother-in
law, the duke of Cumberland; the
kaiser is fighting for one Of his sons
Prince Eitel Fitz.
The prize is a little strip of Ian
only 1,424 square miles, and its popui
tion is less than half million. In
fact, it is one of the smallest states of
those that make up the German en-
pire, yet SO keen is the contention that
it actually threatens the friendly rela-
tions of the millions that make up the
population of the two countries.
A few days ago, the duke of Cumber
land, an officer in the British army,
who is now far along in years, an
nounced his unalterable determination
to maintain his right to the throne OF
Hanover and of Brunswick.
Once the two made one kingdom,
but later they were separated by the
German government, SO that Hanover
is now mere province. If the duke of
Cumberland would disavow all claim
to Hanover it is barely possible that
he might succeed in becoming ruler of
Brunswick, but he is obdurate in hold
ing his right to both, and all Europe
knows that the power behind him that
sustains his courage is the august per
sonality of King Edward VII.
The diet of Brunswick forced the is
sue last October by giving the duke
three months in which to resign his
claim to the Hanoverina crown, and
thus reconcile himself with Prussia.
The diet specified that unless he did
SO, he must expect to lose all claim to
Brunswick, and see another selected
to his dukedom. The duke declined
and, as was expected, proposed to
leave the question to the imperial
courts to decide.
The king of England, in making the
fight for Cumberland. and the duke, is
contending so that his son, Ernest Au-
gust, may succeed to the title and in
come
To gain an appreciation of the seri-
BUSINESS of the quarrel of the royal
rivals for Brunswick it is necessary to
go back to the time of George L.
When this king succeeded to the
English throne he was both duke of
Brunswick and king of Hanover At
that time. the German empire had not
yet come into existence. The country
which the iron hand of Bismarck was
to weld into one of the mightiest OF
modern monarchies was a number OF
detached and Independent states, each
having it's own ruler.
King Edward is of the house of
Brunswick Hanover, and had no wO-
man ruler of England come between
him and his ancestor, George l., King
Edward would now be the king of Han
over and duke of Brunswick, as his an
cestor was, and this would have pre-
vented the present controversy. But
just as women in humber walks of life
upset the plans of men, SO do queens
change conditions for kings.
The innocent Queen Victoria is real
ly the cause of the present trouble.
Under the Salic law she could not in
made break in the succession. and
they went to her uncle, the duke of
Cumberland, eldest surviving son Of
George III. The present duke of Cum
berland and contender for the title is
q grandson of the duke, and SO far as
the validity of his title goes there can
be no dissent. 1t is undeniably cor
rect.
The present duke might have been
enjoying all the emoluments of the Of
fee without question but for mis-
take made by his father in 1866. This
was when war broke out between
Prussia and Austria. The ruler of
Brunswick and Hanover, King George,
took sides with Austria, and when
Prussia won 1t took revenge on George
by depriving him of his kingdom.
After the death of Former King
George the present duke of Cumber-
nlo fo ho u y{nn S>f