The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-20

come. TO adorn hts niche. and to watch
over tho doetlnles of the young mon
arch. and OF his Danish consort
Americans. although thoy rarely
Visit Schwcrin. nevortheloss are
strangely familiar with the palace OF
the grand duke there. partially de-
stToEad. by last weeks ire. Tho rea-
son for this is that quito a number
OF bogus German noblcmeu in this
country have shown photographs OF
this particular palace declaring that
II WAS the chateau Of their family in
tho old country. AS such. pictures
thereof have been widely printed in
American and Canadian newspapers. 4
bogus Count Butcher distinguishing
himself In this respect
rho grand duke Is still a compare
tivoly young man, having been born
~ Palermo but u little over th!rry
years ago, in spite OF which hc Is com
pietoiy bald. TO is married to = SIS
ter OF the now sovereign Duke OF
Brunswick. tho grand duchess being
also princess OF Great Britain and
Ireland. and. while ono OF his sisters
is Queen OF Denmark. another is
Crown Princess Cecilia OF Germany.
ite was but = boy OF thirteen when he
succeeded 10 tho throne OH the tragic
death, in Cannes on tho French
Riviera. OF his father. who was found
dead OF q broken neck. under j vim
duct, come inclining to the bclief that
he committed suicide. while others i'm
siat that hc fell over tho parapot dur
ms an attack Of vertigo.
The present grand duke Is worry lib
eral minded. ana has oecu ever since
no attained his majority. in open CON
ilict with his noblcs. on the sub iect OF
the franchise. MeCklenburg- SchWerin
ana her sister, grand duchy OF Neck
!enburG- Strclitz, are tho only two
counties Ia Europe that AFRO without
any popular form of government. All
tho power Is restricted IN tho hands
OF the territorial mobility, according to
Constitution dating from medieval
times. and which has never been
changed since These territorial
MOBILES form species OF dot. which
meets only once every two or three
years. and then only for q few weeks;
just long enough to vo;e down by on
overwhelming majority all projects OF
liberal reform.
Tho conditions which prevail In
Mccklcnburg- Schwerin arc almost In
conceivable In their anachronism.
Thus. in the theatres and at the opera
mt schworin. all tho best seats In the
house ara reserved for tho nobility.
people who cannot boast OF blue blood
being debarrcd thcrcfrom. 10 matter
how much thoy may DO willing TO pay
foi the places.
The grand duke has repeatedly en-
deavorod to persuade the mobiles 10
consent TO an amendment to tho Con-
stitution, with u view TO the extension
OF the franchise, and TO tho popula riz-
ing OF the government hut has always
been turned down. OF COURSE he
nigh; make use of HIS sovereign power
TO abolish the existing Constitution, or
10 decree Its reformation on altogether
modern lines. But 1t has been pointed
out TO him that this would constitute
a violation OF tho pledges given by
his ancestors TO the mobiles OF the
grand duchy. and that. moreover. IL
the people were taught that they could
override the Constitution sufficiently
10 wrcst from the mobiles their prcro-
Satives. they might be encourae ed
thereby to demand similar sacrifices on
the part of the rcigning house.
Meanwhile, universal suffrage pre-
walls In tho grand duchy OF Mccklen-
burg Schwerin. and In that OF Neck
lenburg- Strelitz, for the Reichstag,
that is 10 say. for the Parliament Of
the empire. sitting at Berlin: so that
Il MecklenburIcr who does not happen
to be territorial noble. has q voice
in tho government OF the empire as a
whole. but not IN that OF his own
grand duchy.