New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-23
0I7O TO Be DETHRONED
, mis- TO Take the Crown on the
AGED Regents Death.

cop'IH1 n,tpold Of Bavaria's health and
pm, ave failing so rapidly, his ply
Hisn as snding it almost Impossible 70
a''sA' the ninety-two-year-old Regent
ar0uS' sc constant drowsiness, that his
from m nv he looked for at any moment
IN spite OF ''e
uary' leu, NJ his imminent demise
II . question Of putting an end to the
% Ina' n is once more being discussed
H .~g the leading statesmen OF ooth po-
. sI.,l' parties in Bavaria and by the prin-
hu's' srs~ritaries Of the Crown. These are
epa. tsyor of proclaiming the sexagena-
al u rr,rce Louis not Regent but full
3~H sovereign on the death Of his
rue and of deposing Otto as unfit to
h'rS Otto was already pronounced as
,,.Slv insane, and under close restraint
.,,s during the lifetime OF his elder
and predecessor, the late King
HD ,Ss. has never recovered his reason
- - and has never been seen by his sub
although twenty-six years have
go s,nce his accession to the Crown.
Iouis, II may be remembered, had to be
,..-ivsd OF the reins Of government and
). placed under restraint in 1886 by
-, If his dementia, the Regency being
49, time vested in his uncle. Prince
,rgnold. When. a few weeks later, Louis
-. 81, life in the waters of the starem-
49,. lake while endeavoring to escape
s,or, his guards, drowning his unfortu-
..,s medical attendant who had sought
:. rr.vsn, his fight, the Regent was
.,.s,sd 70 proclaim himself King, owing
!, the lunacy Of his other nephew, otto
pu, OLD Luitpold realized that the vast
,,ss.s OF the people. especially the lower
,l,sses did not believe that Louis was
1,msnted, and were imbued with the
U.a that IL he had been deprived or
=. reIns Of government it was due to
"a, .nnoity Of the Prussians and TO his
S,trsd OF Prince Bismarck Indeed, his
,.r,,yity and even his death were ascribed
- a bismarck conspiracy TO which Luit-
,od had lent himself, and while King
Inrds was revered as martyr to the
cause OF his country against Prussian
p,urpation, the Prince Regent was de-
,opneed as a traitor and was assailed as
,ncb in many organs Of the Bavarian
pr.ss. popular feeling being so strong
,rslnst him that his statues and busts
var. either smashed or treated with con-
timely.
Under the circumstances he held that
4 would be more polite in the interest
Of the dynasty TO allow his nephew. Otto,
10 be proclaimed King, and 10 remain
mere Regent Moreover, he contented him
self with the income from the national
,Yeheouer and from his private fortune
which he had enjoyed until then, devot-
!nE the greater portion of the civil list
PAYABLE by the nation to the sovereign
under the terms Of the constitution to the
settlement Of the enormous debts left by
Louis These liabilities have now been
completely extinguished.
The reasons which prompted the prince
10 refuse the Crown on the death Of King
Louis no longer exist. His unselhshness
and patriotism have long since been rec
ognized by his countrymen, to such an
extent that he might at any time within
the last ten or fifteen years have been
able to assume the Crown with popular
approval But when urged to do so he
explained that he was too old 10 change.
and that he preferred that things should
remain as they were; at any rate until
his death.
There is no reason why his son Prince
Louis should not assume the Crown
when the aged Regent dies, while there
are many arguments in favor Of his TAX
Ing such a step. Bavaria is the most i'm
portant Of all the non-Prussian sovereign
states Of the confederation known as the
German Empire, but has always been
handicapped in asserting her place by
the fact that whereas Wurtemberg and
ssxony were represented by full-fedged
Kings she was represented by a mere
Regent, who was compelled 10 yield to
them the pas" OF course there was a
disposition on the part Of the other states
10 accord special consideration to Prince
Luitpold on account Of his great age, as
the Nestor Of European royalty. This con-
Hdsration would not be conceded to
Prince Louis IS mere Regent, and II Ba-
yaria is TO play the role which belongs TO
Der by right among the twenty-odd SOW
srsign states OF the empire he must as
sune the role of King and cause him
tslt TO be proclaimed as such.
Prince Louis is far less amenable than
bis father TO Prussian influences and
much less friendly 20 the Court OF Berlin.
Married 70 an Austrian archduchess, a
half sister Of the Queen Regent of Spain,
ne stands above all other princes Of his
house for Bavarian independence Of Prus-
Ea, and It may be recalled that on the oc-
easion Of a banquet at Moscow during
The coronation Of the Car he took occa-
son TO emphasize in a remarkable speech
me fact that Bavaria and the other in
dependent German states were not he
yasSals but the allies Of Prussia, and
her equals in every respect. He knows
lall well, and so do the Bavarians, that
ne can enforce their national policy TO far
greater advantage and defend the SOW
Gtign rights OF Bavaria against Prus-
san usurpation much more effectively as
Aing than as Regent and that is why
Preparations are now being made by the
statesmen and leading dignitaries of the
kingdom 10 proclaim him as sovereign on
Tie death Of his father.