The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-18
GERMANS RECALL LAUNCHING OF THEIR
 WRECKED EXPIRE

In the palace of Versailles - the architectural masterpiece of Louis XIV. where the Allies and the United States are today handing out stern justice to the Germans and con- sidering the fate of beaten autocracy, in that same palace there was pro- claimed AS years ago today the Ger man Empire which has now disap- peared as a political entity, The mo- mentous ceremony which marked the birth of the once powerful new na- ton, also marked the completion of the task of unifcation attempted by the Prussian King, Bismarck and von Molke. In the throne room of this palace the Prussian King accepted for himself and his descendants the title of German Emperor the same title which his grandson, William IT.. has recently reinquished.
 While Germany celebrated its un- fication on that January day in 1871, France was engaged, in blood and tears fin pain and travail, in working out its destinies as a, republic. Out of the confla grafton of war issued a new empire and also a new republic, which, after A years of waiting. once l more engaged in death struggle and the forces of freedom as repre- sented by the Republic of France, 1 have humbled to the dust the forces of autocraoy.
 Twenty-six states comprised the constitutional confederated state, that has now ceased to be under the leadership of Prussia. By the procla- nation at Versailles on Jan. IS, 1871, the imperial office became hereditary in the House of Hohenzollern, and the Prussian kings were given. the ex- ecutive power of the empire, with the right to declare defensive war and make peace, conclude alliances and enter into treaties with foreign na- l tions It was this power of making | defensive" war that William II. | abused, with the result that he Is now in exile and his empire Is no more. The kings of Saxony, Bavaria and WurtemberR, and many grand 1 dukes and princes, were left by the | imperial unification with their titles and courts, but with little more, and now even their titles and courts are |
 tained a certain amount of home rule, but the heads of all the states except Prussia became mere f1gureheads. Today there is nothing left of this vast and mighty empire-Thus doth | history reverse herself.
 It was undoubtedly no coincidence that the German empire was pro- | claimed at Versailles in 1871 on the anniversary of the assumption by the | Hohenzollerns of the title of Kings ot Prussia. The first of the members oi this house to assume that title was Frederick III, Elector of Branden- burg and Duke of Prussia. It was
 218 years ago today, on Jan. IS, 1701
 that the Elector placed the crowI
 upon his head and another upon tha- 1 of his spouse, and was proclaimed ! King of Prussia as Frederick I. by
 an assembly of states On the same day he instituted the famous Order
 of the Black Eagle. The first Prus
 sian King was born in Koenigsberg 1T 175T, the son of Frederick William
 known as the Great Elector." Wher his father died Frederick set aside
 the will by which a part of the pos
 sessions of the Great Elector wer'
 left to his children by his second wife
 and claimed the whole inheritance
 himself. Frederick maintained
 brilliant court, and rented" hi
 troops to various monarchs, deriving
 much profit from this system il
 money and added territory. It wa
 By the loan of 10000 troops tha Frederick induced the Austrian Elm
 peror to consent to the establishment
 of a monarchy in Prussia. The coro
 nation ceremony took place at Koen igsberg. Frederick married a siste of George l. of England. Whil
 Frederick displayed great affection
 for his subjects, his extravaganza let , to ruinous extortions which by n means endeared him to the tax-bur
 dened people.