The Washington herald., 1912-02-09
EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEF
APPROACHING HIS END

Tested themselves at the last illness OF
4 Queen Victoria and OF Emperor Wilhelm
II, preceding the demise OF those two
aged sovereigns, are now noticeable IN
the condition of Emperor Franz Josef OF
Austria. The aged monarch continually
keeps going TO sleep, and neither bis body
physician nor others high in the medical
profession have been able to stop this
In the morning, when the venerable
head Of the House OF Hapsburg. after
his bath, settles down in an armchair to
read the newspapers, he slips of into a
profound doze within few minutes.
When read to he likewise falls asleep.
II is the same after every meal and II
Is creating apprehension that, even while
tout driving, his bronchial cough, sign
OF falling kidneys, cannot keep him
awake
The Emperor, It Is said among the
household attaches, seems unconcerned
about his condition. Perhaps, despite his
advanced age. he does not realize the
81 isriousness Of his case. Heretofore he
has rallied from all attacks of senile de-
icay. He may still possess enough re-
cooperative powers to fight on the final
hour, for Franz Josef has marvellous
constitution. fostered and strengthened
by his all-absorbing love of out-of-door
life and the sport of hunting the "Geis'
on the craggy mountain walls and peaks
Iof his Tyrolese, Kaertner, Austrian. Dali
matian. or Illyric Alps.
That this continued and progressive i'll
ness of the aged ruler has its bearing
upon the future policy OF the dual mon
larchy is self-eyident, and plainly Is TO
be gauged by the imminent open rupture
between Count Aehrenthal, the very able
Austrian foreign minister, and the heir
of the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdi-
nand. his former stanch friend. As a
matter of fact, the situation is rather
extraordinary, and, as happens so often.
II is again a case of "cherchez la femme
The three women concerned In this in
stance are the Duchess of Hohenberg.
lmorganatlc cousort Of the future Emperor
OF Austria, the Countess Aehrenthal, and
the wife OF the German Ambassador at
Vienna. II is a veriable political petti-
coat embodiment and as the count, who
threatens to resign. is not only foreign
ministerl hut chancellor Of the dual mon
larchy as well as imperial house minister.
and as such the custodian OF all its
family and state secrets. his words imply
to a certainty that there exist very seri-
Gus differences between the Emperor and
his heir.
Politically the friction between Franz
Ferdinand was caused by the removal
from Office OF Gen. Won HotZendorff. chief
of the general stan of the army. because
he entertained the same unfrieudly views
toward Italy as are professed openly by
the heir TO the throne and by the Aus
trian war minister. and the retirement
of Count Aehrenthal has been sidetrack-
ed only by the emphatic declaration OF
the venerable Emperor that 1T were not
wise to dispense with the foreign min
ister's services Just at the present time. "
But when all is said. Il fail TO see where
the archduke has much Of kick COM
ing at Won Hotzendorff's enforced re-
tirement, for he himself started the row
by causing the resignation of the former
war minister and former chief Of staff,
because they sympathized with Count
Aehrenthars foreign policy. 1t was plain
ly case OF retaliation.
Franz Ferdinand reproaches Aehren-
thai with having caused the Emperor to
decline a more vigorous support OF Ger
many last fan In the Morocco affair.
He stated openly, In fact, that Austria
ought to stand shoulder TO shoulder with
| her Teuton brothers in their quarrel
| with France and England But the aged
| aggressive policy OF Germany and this
view. 1t is now asserted on the "Kaertner
ring" was shared at the time by sew
eral Cof course. anti-Prussian) rulers Of
German federated states.
! Aehrenthal has a powerful enemy in
the person OF the Kaiser, who. besides,
| never has forgiven that minister's inde-
1 pendent action when annexing 40 the
| Austrian crown the two Turkish pTinci-
| palities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with
out first consulting Germany, the leader
! of the "Dreibund." Wilhelm is deter
| mined to undo Count AehrenthaI and to
i accomplish this lie won over the arch
| duke. who hates the minister. 1 have
| already told how the Kaiser. aware OF
| Franz Ferdinands devotion to his mor1
| Ganatic wife. the Duchess Of Hohenberg,
| and knowing of the difficulties made
| about receiving her at the courts OF
Great Britain. of Russian, Of Belgium.
| and even OF Spain (where the queen
mother is an Austrian archduchessD, he
| invited the archduke and the duchess to
| Potsdam and received the duchess with
| royal honors, delicately getting over
questions of etiquette by treating her as
| near relative. Moreover, on his next
visit to Vienna the Kaiser and his En-
press insisted upon the presence Of the
| duchess at all the court festivities Or
ganized in their honor singing her out
! for the most marked attentions.
Emperor Wilhelm also has entertained
the Austrian heir at his pleasant but out
Of-the-gay shooting lodge of Letzlingen
at a stag party. where the new friendship
| was cemented still more closely. The
| domains OF Letziingen has been in the
| possession Of the Hohenzollern house for
| nigh on to four centuries, the Elector
Johann, of Brandenburg. having acquired
IL from the then lord Of the castle, Count
Won Alvensleber and renamed il Hirsch-
berg.
! incidentally. the word ''Letzlingen'' is
misnomer. or rather a corruption of the
4 rightfui name given their estate by the
4 AlvensIebens. who called IT ..Netzliugen,"
owing to their habit Of spreading big nets
! in the game preserves to catch stays.
wild boar, and other quarry During the
thirty years waR the place was complete
| ly devastated. and the great elector de-
voted much time and trouble to the re-
| pairing of the ruins and to the restock-
ing OF the preserves.
II was King Frederick William / of
| Prussia who took most stock in Letzlin-
gen, and who built a new 'jagdschioss'.
there while during the reign of his sue
cessor, Frederick the Great, tho preserves
were to a great extent restocked by
Prince Leopold of Anhalt-D -Dessau, the ia
nous ''Alte Desauer" OF the seven years
war. -
Prince Louis Ferdinand Of Prussia, who
fell in the Napoleonic wars in the battle
Of Saalfeld, had the preserves Of Letziin-
gen at his disposal during the closing
years of his life. and then II Was again
devastated during the FranQo-German
wars. TO be restored by Frederick Will
lam ~. who repeatedly invited there a
Bismarck. who was afterward to become
/ a., arSt .ehaupeIio,- .,f the uarr. -.