Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-08-18
END OF LONG
REIGN APPROACHING
Francis Joseph Celebrates His Eighty.
first Birthday-His Last Days
Embittered by Discussions
About the Succession.

I Vienna, Aug. 1S.-Francis Joseph |.
emperor of Austria and king of Hun
gary, today celebrated a melancholy
birthday, The passing of his eighty.
first milestone finds the aged ruler
growing perceptibly weaker, and he Is,
In all probability, nearing the end
which awaits all men, mighty mon.
archs as well as lowly peasants. The
last days of the emperor are embit-
tered by the squabble over the sue
cession, his descendants not waiting
until he is dead to inaugurate a war.
rare which may plunge the dual mon
archy into civil war when the grasp
or Francis Joseph's hand on the helm
or the ship of state Is finally loosened.
Plots and counterplots are rife in
the imperial palaces and are common
gossip among the crowds that filed
the streets of the capital during to-
days holiday celebration of the EN-
peror's birthday. The archduchesses,
1t is stated on excellent authority, had
planned to take advantage of today's
anniversary to announce that Arch
duke Charles Francis Joseph, grand
nephew OF the emperor and heir pre-
sumptive to the throne after Archduke
Francis Ferdinand, would take as his
bride the emperor's granddaughter.
Archduchess Elizabeth Frances. This
alliance, it was thought, would render
futile any project that might be at
tempted by Francis Ferdinand. when
he succeeds TO the crown, of securing
the succession to his eldest son by his
morganatic wife. formerly Countess
Sophie Chotek. The archduke, who in
all probability will soon become en-
peror, is sincerely attached to his NOR
ganatic wife and their children, and
there is little doubt that he will at.
tempt to override the ancient Austrian
law that provides that all rights of
succession for their children must be
renowned by member of the royal
house when marrying any person not
OF royal blood Francis Ferdinand for
mally made such remuneration when
he married the Countess Chotek, but
there are indications that he will con
slider his action void when he assumes
command of the empire.
The plot to marry Charles Francis
Joseph to Elizabeth Frances has APP
parently fallen through and the for
mer has been betrothed to Princess
Zita of Parma. The mother of the
princess is sister of the mother of
Archduke Francis Ferdinand.
There is little reason to doubt that
the old emperor and his nephew. the
heir to the throne, are on bad terms
The tattle of servants hints of violent
a 1iCoo
ment that led the emperor to send his
the youthful Archduke
Charles Francis Joseph, to Lodon as
his representative at the coronation,
instead of Francis Ferdinand. This
quarrel and the growing weakness of
the ruler have led to sharp division
of the members of the imperial family
into warning camps.
Francis Ferdinand has been unpop-
ular with his relatives ever since he
in 1900. the Countess Chotek
against the protests of the emperor.
If the morganatic wife had been con-
tent to remain quietly in the back
ground, all might have gone well, but
she has entertained high ambitions for
herself and children. Little by little.
step by step, she has advanced on the
way that leads to throne, until now
she attends court functions and balls
rom which, as a morganatc wife, she
IS. by all rules of royal etiquette, sup
posed to remain aloof.
The emperor and his heir now meet
only formally and there is a decided
,oldness in their greeting of each
,ther. The archduke has steadfastly
'efused to represent the emperor at
oreign courts until his wife has been
'aised in rank so that she, too, may
,e received. and this the emperor has
Is steadfastly refused to do