The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-31
tcopyrisht. 1878. by A. D. J.cobonJ

/ fCoTyTight, 1913. BY A. u JAcousou-'
| The only two principalities of the Ger
man federation. which thus far have no
constitutional government, at last are to
have IL, and, strange to relate, It Is not
the people who force their rulers TO
grant them personal liberty and govern
| ment by representation. but the soNer-
eigns who urge the reform.
I am speaking of the Grand Duchies- of
| Mecklenhurg-Sc hwerin and Mecklenburg-
Strelitz. both of them together not quite
assiarge in area as New Jersey. There
has been a sort of INSTRUMENTATION.
provincial diet. consisting OF united
chamber of both principalities. with 81
landed proprietors as delegates. But
the people never had any vote, or fran
chise or representation whatever.
These landed gentry. called the Junk
ers.' or the '.Ritterschaft," have siren
uousIy opposed the granting of a repre-
sentative rule to the people. and step
by step fought the two sovereigns, who
were anxious for their subjects TO have
written constitution. by voting the
proposition down in their chamber A
number of years ago both grand dukes
promised their people such reform. but
thus far they never were in position
':Junkers."
But now they have determined to have
their will. beng tired OF the one-sided
legislative body. that knows no other law
than that of the "Agrarians.' And SO
the world is to witness the rare spectacle
of a monarchial coup d'etat" in the d.
rection OF liberalism in the last two
uItra-feudal states OF Europe. This is
indeed novelty in the history of gov
ernments.
The sovereigns Of the two Mecklen-
burgs are the only Slavonic rulers in the
West of Europe. They belong to the
oldest reigning house on the Continent.
and are closely related to all the dynas-
tic families lone of the daughters OF the
house is the wife of the German crown
prince: but the family is especially af-
fiIiated with the Romanoffs through, in
termarriage.b
Prince Niklot uSicholas) of the obo-
trites. is the first Lord of Schwerin
mentioned n1sOD. After Henry the Lion
CHeinrich der Loewel. Duke of Saxony,
had subdued and devastated the country,
he compelled the inhabitants to adopt
Christianity. restored the land TO Prince
Burevin. heir of Niklot. the Slav ruler.
and gave him his daughter in marriage.
1t was at that period that the country
received its present designation from its
principal settlement. Miklinburg, now a
village near Wismar. The German En-
peror Karl elevated the land to the dig
NY of a duchy. The inhabitants of the
twin grand duchies are of Slayonic
origin. the country having been settled
by the wends. at one time the lords of
Brandenburg and the territory known
hYYs lrr.,
nation with their Saxon neighbors has
altogether Germanized the original race.
In 1927 the Dukes Johann Albrecht and
Wolf Friedrich divided their heritage
into Mecklenburg Scheverin and Neck !
lenburg Guestrow. but soon were de- !
prived of their ducal titles in conse- |
puence of their adhesion to the Protes- |
tant cause when the imperial Gen. Wal |
lenstein. commander Of the Catholic |
forces in the thirty years war, was pro-
claimed Duke of Mecklenburg. But in
lSS2 Gustaf Adolf. the great Swedish
conqueror, restored his kinsmen to their
domains There were so many subdi-
visions of the possessions. as the years
went by: also, the successive extinction
II several of the collateral houses. that
an imperial commission was necessary
10 bring about a family compact, ar
angling for the present status In June.
SIS, after the sdefeat OF Napoleon ana
he regeneration of the different German
;tates both dukes were elevated to the
tile of grand dukes.
It will interest many readers to know
hat the sainted Queen Louise of Prus-
ia wife Of Friedrich wilhelm III and
mother of the first Emperor of the new !
German federation, Wilhelm 1. and who
vas so relentlessly prosecuted by the
,orsican conqueror that, with her chill
Iren 1.-TWO of whom in later years
we're fated to wear a CROWN, she had
q flee hundreds of miles over snow
nd zee fields TO the Russian frontier
n ali open farmers sled, contracting
he disease which a few years later
Tiled her IN her thirtieth year. also
vas a Mecklenburg princess.
II was also she who, driven to seek
heller from a driving snowstorm In
he hut of a peasant near Tilsit, with !
he diamond Of her ring. scratched 1