The Washington herald., 1912-01-21
KAISER WINS FAVOR
BY PROGRESSIyENESS

himself to be a thorough progressive BY
his radical methods IN dealing with mat
ters concerning the creation and stanli
ard Of the arIstocracy. Primogeniture Of
ten Is more OF a drawback than an ad-
vantage to great houses OF the nobility.
and. for that matter. so Is peer who
inherits his seat in the British House Of
Lords. or in the Prussian or Austrian
Herren-Haus, or the spanish Grandees.
with perhaps a determining voice on the
most vital issues
An eldest son not always turns out
to be the best qualified to maintain the
dignity OF house or TO administer It's
wealth. or to represent IL ss legislator.
To. the Kaiser belongs the credit OF In
augurating a system OF nestowing titles o.
nobility which ought to- be adopted by
other rulers or governments
The Emperor obtained the idea OF con-
ferring titles 10 individuals instead Of
families by HIS experience with Prince
Bismarck, when the latter was forced TO
retire as chancellor Of the German En-
plre. He then bestowed upon the old
Iron Chancellor the title OF Duke Of
Lauenberg. but not the duchy. During
the latter part Of the reign of the First
Wilhelm Bismarck endeavored to induce
him 20 secure the consent of the other
sovereigns OF the new German fedora
tion TO the restoration Of the ancient
Duchy Of Lauenberg to a status Of petty
sovereignty and 20 raise him and his FAM
fly to the status OF a mediatised formerly
reigning) house
Bismarck insisted that the old Kaiser
as well might agree to this by way Of
reward for his great services In the Or
ganization Of the new empire Aged
William, however, was Quite too eonserv-
alive. and, though ~ highly priced Bis
marck's invaluable services. he did not
relish the idea OF putting him on foot
Ing OF semi-equality. The consequence
was that he turned deaf ear TO his
chancfllor's appeals.
when the present Kaiser bestowed
upon Bismarck, at the time Of his dis
missal. the empty title Of Duke OF Lauen-
berg. without any prerogatives in con-
nection Herewith, Bismarck received the
honor with publicly expressed contempt
and was wont 10 remark that about the
only use he could make Of Il was In
travelling as an incognito. Owing 10 this
the Kaiser decided that II should be con-
sidered as having lapsed with Bismarck's
demise.
In nearly all Of the titles OF nobility
which the Emperor has conferred since
the patent have borne the words either
''ad personam" or right reserved TO
the crown Of designating the successor"
Thus. when he advanced the late Prince
Johann Pless TO the rank OF duke. he
stipulated that the dukedonn should be
ad personam; and. although the duke
died in 1907. the Kaiser has not seen fit
TO continue the title to his eldest son.
who, married 10 the beautiful daughter
of Col CORVALLIS West. has had 20 re-
main content with the rank Of prince.
In 1901 the Emperor conferred upon
Count George Munster, his ambassador
at Paris, and his representative at the
FIRST peace congress at The Hague, the
title Of prince. the patent OF the dig
nifty containing the intimation that the
crown reserved TO itself the right OF desig-
mating the successor. The reason for
this was that the eldest son, Count Ernst
Munster. had become involved in all sorts
Of scrapes, and had angered his father
by contracting a mesalliance.
When the Kaiser raised his fellow-stu-
dent, Bernhard Won Buelow. to the dig
nifty OF a count for his services as secre-
tary OF foreign affairs. provision was made
that the crown should have the right OF
designating the successor to the title,
and a similar reservation was made when.
five years later, the count who IN the
meantime had been promoted and been
made chancellor Of the empire. became
Fuerst Cprince) Won Buelow. Perhaps the
choice OF Q successor 20 his titles OF count
and prince may fall upon his nephew,
who recently has been sent as an attache
TO the German Embassy at Washington.
Greatly to his regret. Emperor Wilhelm
has raised his former friend. Philip zu
Gutenberg to the dignity OF a fuerst
(prince). for he is the only man who has
IL
membership list OF the high Prussian Or
der OF the Black Eagle. the much coveted
and highly prized ''SchwarZe Adler Or
den" In this Instance the title went with
the entniled estate OF the house of Eu-
ienberg and can only cease whenever Il
passes out OF the possession OF male de-
scendants Of that family.
But the Kaiser has not restricted his
method Of reserving TO the crown the
right OF designating the successors to
such titles as he bestows 20 dukes or
princes. He has extended it to all other
classes Of the PrussiRn nobility, and II
his system Is continued by those who sue
coed him on the throne, German titled
classes will be raised to a higher moral
standard and financial integrity, and re-
stricted 20 men who have some sense OF
the obligations of their position and will
revive the motto: :'Noblesse oblige."
sixty years ago Queen Victoria en-
deavored TO introduce the system OF life
peerages' in Great Britain, but the then
all-powerful House Of Lords frustrated
her designs.
II was not until quarter OF century
later that a law was passed authorizing
the Crown TO bestow life peerages on
eminent judges whose services were need
ed by the House OF Lords, which is the
supreme tribunal of the United Kingdom
and Ireland. These peerages endow their
holder with an the rights and preroga-
tives Of peers, save that of transmitting
the peerage TO their hrst-born. For the
present, however, life peerages are re-
stricted in England to judges who hold
or who have held the position Of justices
Of the High Court Of Appeals.
The rulers of Italy and Spain have not
been slow TO adopt the Kaiser's new sys-
tern. but in a stIil more drastic form, as
Il affects not only newly created titles
of nobility. but also those which have
been inherited from a long line OF an
cestors. On the death of every possessor
OF title his heir. first OF all. must es-
tabhsh his rights OF succession under
the law of primogeniture in the direct
male line in Italy. while In Spain the
claims Of a son TO the honors which have
belonged TO his mother by her birth are
admitted. These prelimInaries concluded
In the heraIdry cabinets. both Of Rome
and Madrid, quite heavy fees have to be
paid for the succession of each separate
title, Thus, for instance, II Spanish
grandee, Ike the Duke of Alya, inherits
a number OF tities-duke, marquis, count,