The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-11-04
BIG GATHERING KINGS AND QUEENS
  Eleven Already in London and More Are Expected
 at Any Time
Nv K. WALTER

London, October Sn.--(Reciprocal News Service.) .)-What may well be the last great gathering Of kings and queens the world will see is taking place here in these days. Eleven crowned heads are in Lon don today and others are expected next week. Spain, Norway. Persia, Portugal, Russia and France arc among those pres ent. Several of them are refugees. Elm press Eugenie set the fashion years ago and recent revolutions sent King Maauel and the Empress of Russia to shace her exile. Switzerland is planning to eXpel
 several of it's royal refugees who will probably find asylum here when yeace lS declared, but these are not members ID good standing with their union.
 The gathering IS largely accounted TOT
 by family ties. Thtis does not minimize
 the significance of the event. Family re- lationship has always been the cement of the royal union and the monarchlst
 cause. Recently published correspond ence of royalty shows that the uphololns
 of the monarchist principles IS stni re-
 garded as vital concern of all mempers of the union The great issue invoiving
 royal privilege today is the fate of the kaiser. There will be no formal n;eetins
 to discuss this or any other matter. That
 is not how the business of the union Is
 transacted. But every influence royailS
 retains vii be exerted toward sparing nm
 the humiliation Of a trial which wouid
 cast reflections on all sovereigns.
 King George is absolved from any lnl-
 tiative in the matter by his well known
 neutrality regarding the Kaiser's rate. Kings and queens just naturally flocA
 around him as being the most secursiy seated of all sovereigns today. The whole business is rather an unlnVlted enhu'H ra ssrnent from which the English press can only save him by retrainlng lioiu any mention of the matter. Although liS great majority of his subjects don WanI the Kaiser brought here, King Georse vvo,,ld he the last man in the country to voice that sentiment. His poslllon IS uI assailable no matter what political anu industrial troubles come so long as he does not step aside from the cons'ieu- tional functions of ar aloof presloehcS As the one least likely of all ever to De l, refugee he is less concerned than any of the others with the fate or ms liii- perial cousin Rut for all the others, and particularly those already refugees, the handing over l of the Kaiser for trial whether by ms ! own neople or a foreign tribunal woulu create a dangerous precedent. King Mah- uels supporters in Portugal might any | dav commit some indiscretlon that Woulu rouse demand for his eXtradltloh oy us republican government of Portus" s ls kings can be extradited The Empress oi
 Russia might be held responsible for me monarchist intrigues and wars in kpssia,
 Even the old Empress Eugenie might pc | conpromised by ths royanst party li' l 1-.orca None of these can have much in- fluence on the Queen Of Holland, who VII
 ultimately have to answer the demand for the Kaiser's extradition, Wmcn 'ne British government still asserts Will pc made But Spain and the ScandinaVlah monarchies are in the favorable POST 1 ton of neutral for taking such actlon, They will be al lthe more hkely lo uo ftar narsona{ contact with the strong sentiment that prevails in Englanc against the farce of the proposed trial.
 Nor can those who are welcomed a.
 visitors today be indifferent to wha' might be their reception tomorrow Eng land would lose her pride in being a haven of refuge for political outcasts eevry exile brought with him the tn'ea sa l;nternational complications.