The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-08-02
TOO SWIFT FOR
NOTED ALMANAC
March OF History Causes Gotha
Publication Considerable
Trouble.
PLACES Fx' BEFORE KAISER
Some Strange Entries in Latest Edi-
tion al Result of the War-can't
Keep Up With Affairs in Fin
land, Poland and Ukraine.

n Poland n Ukraine.
Paris.-The swift march of history
which has reduced to waste-paper
value most of the existing works of
reference about European state affairs
has been too rapid for the old AL
manach de Gotha. In peace times this
compendium of statistical data con-
corning princes and potentates and
their dominions went to press about
the end of October, when its Informal
ton was supposed to hold good for
another year, and 1t generally did,
barring some coup d'etat or other in
South America.
Now, however, its issue Of 1919,
which went to the printers in Deem
Der, is affected in several important
respectfully sudden developments in
volving many of the former ruling
houses of Europe.
Amusing to students of Germany's
eastern border policy is the naive pref
atory remark that "the editors regret
that, after having prepared three new
articles on Finland, Poland and the
Ukraine, they were obliged to cancel
all three, owing to the change In the
course of events"
Two important Changes.
Tn other words, Prince Frederick
Charles of Hesse, brother-in-law of
the former German emperor, will
new seat himself upon the throne of
Finland, and there is to be no Prus-
sian predominance In Poland and the
Ukraine.
The downfall of the houses of Ho-
henzollern and Hapsburg has not
caused the compilers of the almanach
much racking of brains. The prefix
Tex" is apparently held to be sufficient
to define the present status of William
III and Charles /, although the former
is still credited with his full SO titles
and the latter is still styled, among
other things, "King of Jerusalem,
Prince of the Trentino and Lord of
Trieste"
Much the same treatment is given to
the score Of German princes and
princelings who abdicated. They ap-
pear In the almanach as they were
but for the tex"
Democratic infiltration in Germany
has set in from the top, instead of
from the bottom. For although the adj
ministrative branches of the German
government are filed with the usual
array of excellencies, professors and
councillors, yet at the head of that
government stand the names of Ebert,
Scheidemann, Dittman, Landsberg and
Barth. Nobody is supposed to care
about their Christian
The German national colors are still
given as black, white and red, and the
war flag still blazons the Prussian
eagle.
This year, provisional, govern
ments abound. There is Poland, de-
scribed In the almanach as San ancient
kingdom whose 'chief'' is General
Pilsudski. Finland, formerly grand
duchy," has no president, but General
Mannerheim is the present regent"
Puzzle About Ukraine.
The Ukraine is described as ga con.
stitutional monarchy on a republican
basis" with General SkorOpadski as
hetman. A footnote. however, explains
that according to news received De
cember Is, 1918, the hetman has alb
Dictated and the power is in the hands
of a directorate consisting of Win.
nitshenko, Petliura, Sehwetz and An,
d~reievaki."
Russia, or to give II its modern
name, the "Federative Socialistic Re.
public of Russian Soviets," at whose
head Lenine vladimir Oulianoff) and
Trotzky (Leon ID. Bronstein) figure, is
In a chaotic state as far as its inter
nal administration is concerned. The
almanach enumerates the eleven ''more
or less Independent states into
which the empire has fallen, as fol
lows: Poland, Lithuania, Baltic
states (Courland, Livonia, Esthonia)
Finland, Ukraine, Bessarabia (occu.
pied by Roumanla), Georgia, northern
Caucasus, territory Of the Don and
territory Of A~strakhan, Turkestan and
Siberia.
Vanished Is the pomp and panoply
Of the sonorous sounding names OF
the Russian a~ristocracy that once filled
the higher administrative posts in the
old empire. The seven members OF
the council Of c~ommissaries Of the
people" are Immediately followed by
the dignitaries Of the Greek Catholic
church. If there are any excellencies
or other fu~nctionaries or officials In
p~resent-day Russia, the almanach does
not give them.
AS for the diplomatic corps at Petro
grad, all the ambassadors and minis
tiers. except one from Spain, are sig
~nificantly designated as absent"
One curiosity is that Albania shares
with San Marine the distinction OF
having a government indicated BY
blanks.