The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-04
by LA M,nauIsE DE FoNrENoY.

..NISilJlLxts HdS DeGIl 80
Il much dtsgusted by the revela
lions OF one kind and another
concerning the doings of his Sc
cret political police that he has deter
mined to do away with the entire
system of political espionage and
ployed for the purpose by the Chief
of Police and by the Department OF
the Interior, have SO repeatedly be-
trayed their employers. have rendered
themselves guilty of such infamies of
one kind and another, as to excite the
indignation of foreign nations against
the imperial government for having
such people in their service and for
attaching the slightest value or belief
to their reports. In fact they have
done far more harm than good. anu
II has been resolved 10 do away with
them.
At the suggestion. IT is said, of the
to have their place taken by mem
bers of the regular police force. and.
above all, by the gendarmeric. The
latter Is in every sense Of the word
plain, light blue uniform. and are re-
nowned for their integrity and for
their answering loyalty. They have
often to do with political Offenders. but
rather than with their surveillance
with the suppression of risings and
with the maintenance of order Their
authority Is very great, being Indeed
own chancellery, so great that even
governors of provinces and generals
commanding military districts have
often been willing, to defer to the
views of a mere lieutenant or cap
tain of gendarmerie.
More recently they have been UNI
der the Minister of the Interior. The
latter's project of transforming them
secret police. hes excited the utmost
indignation among them, and has led
the Minister OF War and the command
ing officers of the army to urge that
in the event of the gendarmerie being
assigned TO detective and secret police
work, in one word, to espionage, the
entire corps should be disbanded as
military body and reorganized on a
purely civilian basis. on the ground
that secret police work is not con-
sistent with the honor of an officer
and gentleman. If / call attention to
this. 1t is because 1t sheds strong
light on the attitude Of the Russian
officer of the army and OF the navy
they regard as incompatible with the
ethics of their profession. In detec-
tive work, especially of political
character. an officer will be often call
voting TO his sense OF self-respect and
of dignity To such an extent was
this understood in the French police
that no matter how much French
government at Paris declined to ac-
cord him the cross OF the Legion of
Honor until his retirement from the
service. for fear that he might, in the
upon to violate the laws and ethics
incumbent upon Its knights.
1t remains to be seen whether the
Car and the widowed Empress viii
I,
iect. or whether in the face of the
opposition to tho scheme, they viii
give way. This is to be hoped for
their sake; for If they transform the
splendid uniformed corps of ,gendair,,,
merle into mere secret police they will
not only drive all the best men out OF
the service. but likewise deprive those
| that remain, of the high standard OF
honor and integrity that has caused
| the gendarmerie until now to always
be regarded as a corps d'elite
! Professor Arminius Vambery, al
though a great authority on matters
times moro OF az courtier than OF. a
| historian, and has been led by a de-
sire to render himself particularly
| agreeable to Queen Mary, to put for
ward a statement which cannot. be sub
stantiated, namely. that she is descend
ed from Ference Rhedey. Prince OF
Transylvanias Now, | have before me
q complete list OF the 5Eflnces OIL iran
sylvania, who reigned from 1926, when
| zapo,y won, with the assistance of the
Porte. the sovereignty OF Transylya..
| MIA CATER having been done out OF
the crown Of Hungary by Emperor
| Ferdinand I. Of Germany, until down
Ito 1899, when Emperor Leopold I. re-
conquered TRANSATLANTIC and incorpor
ated 1t in the Austrian Empire. In this
hist there are Zapolys, Bathoris. Bets
kays, Betlems. Ratetzis and Abaflis, but
Inc Rhedeys In fact, there never was
a Rhedey Prince Of Transatlantic
The Rhedeys We're, however, a fam
lily Of the old Hungarian aristscracy
who were first ennobled by st. Stephen
King Of Hungary, In. 1920 for services
! In crushing a rebellion, The HOUSE
died out with Count Lasle Rhedey, last
OF Sis line, and it was his daughter
| Countess Claudlne. who became tht
morganatic wife of the royal Prince
i AleSandel of Wurtemberg The son OF
| this union was the late Duke of Tecls
4 father Of Queen Mary.
4 Countess Claudine. Rhedey, who. or
! the occasion of her marriage recelyee
i from Emperor Ferdinand OF Austria
4 the Austrian title of Countess Hohen,
A stein lies buried besi6, her father y
i the vault of the Protestant Church r
4 the village OF Scent Giorgy, IN ,rransyl,
4 iyania, On the wall Of the church 9
ablaok marble tablet describes N let