New Britain herald., 1919-06-25
LIECHTENSTEIN IS
 A TINY REPUBLIC
Country Which DeHed Allies Has
 Progressive Ideas and Institutions

Washington, D. C., June o5.1"If some McCutcheon would but forsakSN Ns mythical Graustarks and write @1he bald facts about Liechtenstein, what a, fascinating, swash buckling, bizarre romance he could compose" says @ bulletin from the National Geographic society concerning the tiny principal- 2 ity that delivered an "ultimatum" 10 the peace conference the other day, demanding place in the league of nations. A
 "Liechtenstein is about the size ofS the District of Colum bia The last of it's princes, who ruled it until about a year ago. owned estates outright that almost equallcd the area of Del4 aware. He sat in the upper house of Austria, and ruled his miniature domain principally by long distance telephone When the citizens asked for d constitutional government he created parliament of , members, appointed a governor with a cab inet, anG| granted suffrage to alrs males. A
 Long the princes have paid for tho upkcep of EiechtCnstein largely from the enormous incomes of their private property. The inhabitants pe- titioned for an entertainment fund md Johann IT.. who abdicated last
 yr, granted a subsidy. perhaps with a smile. It was used thereafter to decorate Naduz, the Paris of Liech- tenstcin and to set the fountaina playing and the fireworks going when he visited there. 4 Tn tho Austro Prussian war Liechtenstein cast her lot with her ally, Austria. Her entire population hravely said goodbye to her soldier boys; and the entire standing army of four score men marched off to battle But they arrived after the { war was over.
 When if came to making peace terms Bismarck nodded, for once, and little Liechtenstein was complete- 1y forgotten. It was just as we'll or 1 she might not have retained her free dom. But apparently, she is deter- mined not to be ignored again. Her army mafched home again, l stacked their muskcts and hung their | leather helmets, the bugler's trumRet, { and the captains sword in the an- cient castle of Naduz, where they remain today. The citizenry informed the prince they wanted no mere Of war He. abolished military service, and since then there has been hD standing army, though, technically, Liechtenstein. has been at war with Prussia since 1866.
 Moreover Liechtcnstein paid Fir= tually no taxes nor did she have a public debt so long as her princes ruled. A small levy was made fer keeping up the dikes lest tho Rhine overflow her fields in springtiIne, Customs and the ready generosity eff her monarchs kept her treasury filled
 This quaint. but electric lighted and hot water r-hcatcd nation, with itsi roadside shrines and modern tyRe- writers, lies ir the eastern Alps, south of Lake Constance. scene of Count Zeppe1ins carly aerial ventures. with the Rhinc for it's western border. It is elongated. as if by the pressure of it's neighbor nations, Austria and Switzerland suggesting Mark Twains complaint about another land whera, he said, people had to sleep with their knees pulled up because they couldn't stretch out without a pass port.
 TWO fiefs of the Roman empire, Schellenbcrg and Naduz make up the latter day Liechtenstein. Both came into possession of the Liechtenstein family while their previous ovcrlords were financially embarrassed. Many travellers passed through the little state. within a sight of the Naduz castle mounted on it's white cliff pedestal, for the route from Paris to Vienra lies that way. That is why Iicchtenstcin's threat to stop conn munication might be annoying. But none of tho travellers ever stopped. When Robert Shackleton "lsited there not many years ago he was welcomed as Inc first American to set foot in the country.
 Vet Licchtenstein, small aG it is, is larger than the oft-visited Monaco or the much written about Marirr. It's peasants are simple, sturdy, Shrewd folk, Intensely proud of the bright stone of the Alps which, tkey love to recall, has not been capt. ed. for a thousand years. There hre good schools. eycp to kindergartens, and the abundant water power makes electricity aVaila ble fo the humblest residents of Naduz or the smaller towns.
 Cattle raising and agriculture arc two industries. The stalWart men are not to be misjudged by the fact that nearly all of them embroider and wear ear rings. The origin of the ear rings IS not clear, put the eIn broidery is common occupation in the adjoining Swiss cantons. Many American folk to whom LieChtenstein is no more than a name have bought linen handkerchiefs in department stores which were embroidered by these mountaineers after their out door work ol mins and herding cattle.
 "The tolerant y~ld whimsical Jo- ham IT., who let &4lis subjects levy taxes on his nriNate purse. left Aus.