Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-10-30
PRINCE LOUIS
OF BATTENBERC
HAS RESIGNED
First Sea Lord of British Ad-
miraIty Quits Office Because
Of Germanic Origin and
Connections.

tsf soHhiNe JOURNAL aftciAt tftseo wistl
London. Oct. 20 G0.55 =. M -
Prince Louis Of Ba1enberg. against
whom there have been no open charg-
es but much idle gosslping because Of
his Austrian origin. has resigned his
position as first SEES lord of the
admiralty. It Is thought proba-
bic. because Of a newspaper cam
paign against his holding such high
command
Announcement Of Prince Louis res
ignation WAS made tonight in the
court circular which recorded that the
prince had been received in audience
by the king on rclnqulshing his APP
lpointment.
Prince Louis OF Battenberg, al
though horn In Austria. came to Eng
land as a boy and was naturalizcd In
1865. when he was only "A years old.
His rise In the navy was slower than
that Of most cadets. for he had been
in the navy twenty-throc years before
he was promoted to a captaincy and
Il was another thirteen years before
he became rear admiral Even az
ter that he went up by slow stages
but finally, his great ability and SER
vices being recognized. he was APP
pointed first sea lord in i9l2-a few
years after his visit 70 America.
Outside Of the fact that he was
born in Austria, the chief argument
his opponents made against him was
that he is the brother-ln-law Of Prince
Henry Of Prussia. who holds some
what similar command in the Ger
man navy.
There were runors some time ago
that Prince Louis had been confined
in the Tower of London, but these
We're too ridiculous to be given sori-
Gus consideration, although the au-
thorities deemed il expedlent that he
should appear more in public instead
OF combining himself To the admiralty
where since the outbreak Of the war
he had been working night and day
directing the strategy Of the navy the
prince being considered one Of the
most noted strategists Of the admiral
lty Following this. some of the less
Influential papers took the matter up
land asked that some statement
should be made regarding the fact
that an officer Of German birth should
be retained as the professional head Of
the British navy.
The Globe. for example, while ex-
pressing sympathy for the prince,
whom II described as "himself the
soul Of honor but who is the subject
Of malignant gossip ana unfounded
suspicious" asked that for his own
sake ono less than for the nation
over whose destlnies he now eXer-
clscs such paramount influence, =
some authoritative statement should
be issued of "a nature so emphatic
and so unqualified as to remove at
once and forever every cloud Of doubt
and to silence every breath of fumor.'
The princes defenders quickly re-
piled with the record OF the services
Of himself and his family to England
and rather strangely. his nephew
Prince Maurice of Battenberg, was
the first member of the royal family
to be killed in the war.
Prince Louis Of Battenberg Is an
admirable and personal aide to the
king lie was born at Graft, Austria,
in 1854. the eldest son Of Prince Alex
ander OF llease. He married his cou-
sin. Princess Victoria, daughter Of
Louis ", grand duke of Hesse, and
Of Princess Alice. queen Victories
daughter lie was naturalized Brit
ish subject and entered the royal navy
In 1868.
BY marriage Prince Louis Is relat-
cd to Emperor william of Germany
the emperor being the Oldest son If
! Queen Vctoria's eldest daughter. The
wife OF Prince Louis Is sister to the
Russian empress and cousin of the
German emperor
Prince Louis Of Battcnberg served
in the Egyptian war, was director OF
naval intelligence: second in conn
mand OF the Mediterranean fleet,
commander in chief of the Atlantic
| fleet. commander of the third ann
\ fourth division Of the home fleet and
second sea lord. lie was appointed
first sea lord in 1912.
In 1905 he visited the United states
In command OF a British squadron.