The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-06
Easrope's Only Autocracy to Get Constitution,

n ERLIN. July -(special.)-Eu-
ropes only autocracy, the dual
Duchy of Mecklenburg- -Schwerin
and Mecklenburg-St -Strelitz, looks like
getting a constitution at last. There
WITH now that Turkey and Russia have
popular representation, will vanish the
drollest political-social anomaly of this
old world, and will terminate the fun
niest of political feuds For two and
forty years-or since immeditely after
the Franco German MISUNDERSTANDING
has been trying to get constitution
and there are perverse incredulous men
who VOW that she will still be just get
ting 1t Immediately after the next
Franco German war
The circumstances that in an empire
based democratically upon universal
suffrage there should be two relatively
important states which are ruled au-
tocratically is puzzle. But everything
Mecklenburgian is puzzling. In Meek
lenburg you find what otherwise you
find only in Asia, a single country with
two equal rulers. The Grand Duchy of
Mecklenburg- -Schwerin and the Grand
Duchy of Mecklenburg- Strelitz are es-
sentially one state; and they have been
politically united since 1855; but they
have two independent grand dukes,
court chamberlains. court doctors and
court chimney sweeps, and when their
only legislature (Which is not repre-
sentative) meets it is opened in the
names of two grand dukes. The per-
sonalities of these.two rulers are amia-
BILE and nowise despotic. The autocrat
of Mecklenburg- -Schwerin, the larger
state, is Grand Duke Friedrich Franz,
aged 80, who married nine years ago
daughter of sCumberland's duke, sis
carried off Kaiser Wilhelm's daughter
His sister is the German Crown
Princess. The autocrat of Mecklenb urg-
Strelitz is Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich
George August Victor Ernest Adalbert
Gustav Wellington, who was born In
1S4s, and is married to a princess of
Anhalt. They are both highly inoffen-
sive autocrats; and one of them boasts
considerable skill at checkers.
The autocracy of these autocrats is a
paradox, inasmuch as while the au-
tONidNS NiCAd univ Cf sal POWC Ch III Pdit
of their domains, in the other parts
they have no power at all. The GIL
bertian duchies are each divided terri
torially into three sections. The first Is
called the Domains. In the Domains tho
sovereign owns all the land, and he Is
also unlimited ruler, with executive.
legislative and with final judicial pow
er. The second part is called the "Rit-
terschaft" The Ritterschaft is composed
of all the memorial landed estates. The
third is the "Landschaft," composed of
the towns. The Ritterschaft and Land
schaft are the estates of the realm The
autocrat's autocracy does not embrace
either Ritterschaft or Landschaft over
these areas there is an organized,
though non-representative government
which limits the grand dukes will. This
government is carried on by body
known as the "Country's Union" 1t is
elected by the estates. The ordinary
population has no vote. The voters are
the 700 land owners, and the municipal
executives of 49 towns. Each landed
estate owned by a single proprietor has
one vote and each whole town has also
only one vote.
Under this system every Mecklen-
burglar who lives on the Domains is
absolutely subject to the dukes au-
tocratic will; and every Mecklenburg-
ian who lives on private estate or in
"a town is subject to the ,despotic will
of the duke acting with the despotic