Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-09

German reserve officers and when the war
broke out were Immediately recalled to their
they contrived to reach. bringing along with
them valuable information in regard to the
Baltic port, which is sort of annex to Reval
and where great portion Of the Russian
fleet remained generally bottled up during
the winter months.
THE GERMANS IN RIGA fl
The population of Riga. as well as that
of Rcval, is mostly German, at least has
German sympathes. Both these cities had
the reputation of being the stronghold of
German propaganda in the empire of the
Cars owing tG the constant manner In
which they traded with Germany ever since
fact was found in 15S as storehouse by
few Bremen merchants, About 1870 an Au-
monastery there, and i2Oi Bishop Albert /,
of Livonia, obtained from Pope Innocent Ill.,
permission for German merchants to land at
the new settlement, which he chose for his
seat, exercising his power over the neighbor-
ing district in connection with the Teutonio
knights.
century the young city obtained the right Of
electinG its magstracy. Almost im-
and from rssed ine to rscosnas
the rights of the bishops and Teutonic
Knights to rule it. The latter. however. eL-
forced obedience with their sword. and the
town fell again under their yoke after
furious resistance, until the reformation
freed II once more.
in 15t7 and the Russians burned part Of its
suburbs and destroyed all the ships at anchor
Of Gotthard Kettler from his grand MASTER
ship Of the Teutonic knights In 1861. the
town became a Polish possession. together
with Livonia and Courland. and the Poles
tried persistently but unsuccessfully to rein.
troduce Roman Catholicism. The population
tempts to do so. until at last King stephen
Bathory of Poland recognized the religious
freedom of the Protestants
All through the seventeenth century Riga
was a bone of contention between sweden.
Poland and Russia. In 1921 Gustavus Adolf A
phus, King of Sweden took it from Poland
and held it against the Poles and Russians,
who, in 1856, besieged 1t together forgetting
for once their standing animosty. The city
courageously defended itself. but at last suc-
cumbed after the battle of Poltava. and In
July l71O, 1t fell definitely into Russian
hands, in which it remained until the other
day without, however losing any of its Ger-
man sympathes. Indeed, the whole charac-
ter Of the town has remained German ana
the old portion of ii still preserves its Han
seattle features and appearance with its htgn
storehouses and spacious granaries and cel-
lars nanking the narrow, winding streets. Z
The only open spaces are the the market ni,r place
more modern but the German aristocracy
and the merchant community; who mostly
inhablt them, have also built their houses In
the style Of those one sees in Berlin Bremen
or Lubbock. y
REvAL MORE TEUToNIC
As for Reyal It Is even more German than
us rival sister port, because its population is
almost entirely Prussian. Its origin Is traced
hack TO the Danish King waldemar, who
erected there in 1919 a strong castle, which T
still exists and which was even enlarged IN
1722. The Livonian knights took 1t by storm
In 1898 but lost 1t again TO the Danes nine K
years later.
II was the King of Denmark who encour- (.
aged some Lubeck and Bremen merchants TO
settle in the already fourishing town, which
very soon. under the impulse VI these new
inhabitants. became an important seaport OF
the Hanseatic League that caused II to be
fortified early in the fourteenth century,,
waldemar III sold Reval and Esthonia TO the
Teutonc knights in 1346, and on the dissolu-
ton of the order 1t surrendered, this time
of its own free will, to the King of Sweden.
Eric XIV. stN
But after this one misfortune after an
other overwhelmed the prosperous town and
ruined it's trade After the great conhanA-
tion, which very nearly destroyed II entire
ly in 1893, a, pestilenee In i5S2. bonn.
hardmcnt by the Danes in 1853, which was
quickly followed by the Russo-Livonian war,
Reval lost its importance as harbor, thouxn
the fortress was enlarged by the swsdes
Peter the Great, after his conquest OF the
town in 17lO, began there the erection OF
military port for his Baltic fleet which was
continued by his successors. S
GERMAN DESIGNS l
From the beginning of the eighteenth cen.
turv German eyes were once more turned
toward IT, and an earnest attempt was made
nv prussia during the Congress of Vienna
to get possession OF this strategic po195s
masters of the Baltic Sea. To this prse41,'
sion Alexander l would never acquiescss o<(<
Reyal remained in Russian hands. though W4|
town never assumed the character ok ~
Russian city, and its population remain
essentially German In It's opinions ana
toms, TO the last 1t looked with susptcj
ewes upon everything that was Rueyiaus
spite Of the efforts made by the C1ArI
conciliate the sympathies OF the inhahlcnI
of this prosperous place. fXX
II has been a wonder TO many people 11<7
the armies of the Kaiser have not 70 U1
day occupied Reval. where they would h&<X
found even more supporters of the qeEu1I;
cause thar In Riga, where In recent yQr
the percentage of the Russian populstio0
considerably Increased. neutralizing "a.
tain extent the active Prussian propoM1
that has been carried ON there.
There Is another curious thing whick
he noticed. and that is how very It'll
population OF Esthonia shares tho "a
| ieanings and sympathies OF It's cap11
| cause while Reval only anpires -
| a part OF tho German Empire,
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