Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-09-23

Gently Of the Msharana of Rajpipla
Arouses interest in This Little
Known Section OF Understanding
About the Government Of india and
Its Maharanas and Maharajas-Lat-
ter Real Rulers.
l. Il mahurana today "a "comic opera
ruler or an .luStriOus eastern potrn.
tate? And whore and what Is RnJpip-
la
These problems have arisen since
an Indian ruler. the Maharana Of Raj
pipla paid formal call on President
Harding one day recently. Something
of tho country Of this ruler and Of Ma
harauas and Maharaias in general il
told IN a bulletin from the Washing
ton, y. C., headquarters of the Nation.
al Geographic society.
Like German PrIncipality.
IF Rajpipla is not as familiar a
name in America a. Bengal or the Pun
iah or even as Hyderbad or MySore,"
says the bullctin, there is reason.
There are some 700 native states in
India, and Rajp!pla happens To- he
among the smallest At the same
time fl i attached TO one OF the larger
native states BarOda, as Il tribute
payer Wellinformed foreigners are
expected C. know of the existence OF
New York and Pennsylvania az com
poncnt parts of the United States. bur
If number OF their counties We're
senn-in'ieytndent and che sttuaT!on
We're parallcled by most OF the other
states. The outsider could hardly be
expected IN know the subdivisions even
though he rulers Mere given the full
title of Governor
"Rajpiplu is il northwestern India
about 700 miles north Of the city Of
Bombay, and is about midway in size
between Rhode Island ana Delaware.
In this territory the maharana rules
over something less than 5000 sub
jectS. Very roughly the status Of his
domain might be compared 10 that IT
some of thu smaller German principali-
ties before the World war, such, for
example rs SAKE Weimar, which is APP
proNiluately the same size and has
little over twice the population.
Though the muharann of Ruipipla
rules over relatively small area and
over It population equal only To that
Of The city Of New Bedford Mass.
aud though he pays several thousand
dollars tribute to a larger state he
Is none the less "a real potcntate. with
family which has reigned since 1870
III common with many Of the hundreds
of rulers Of native states he is adj
dressed as His Highness' under Brit
ish regulations ana is saluted with IL
guns
The Raipiplas army numbers III
men, but this does not measure his i'm
portauce Hardly any of the Indian
princes can muster more than 81 cor
poruls guard for the government OF
India takes care OF all relations out
side their borders. and the only func-
tlon Of their armies Is TO stand guard
about the palaces and furnish atmos-
phere on state occasions.
Manara las heal HulerS.
THE appearance Of an Indian prince
IN the West brings up the little under
stood and very complicated question
of now the government of lndia IS
constituted The whole peninsula Is
commonly looked upon as a British
possession But the British govern
directly only the portion known as
British India The 70oodd native
states whose territory covers about
one-third the area OF India are only
under the protection and suzerainty OF
the government Of India headed by
the yiccroy. the earl Of Reading.
Within their own domain most II
the princes are almost absolute rulers,
though there usually Ii British agent
resident az their capitals who advises
with them from time To time Many
OF the rulers have unrestricted power
Of life and death over their subjects,
and IN the case Of practically all Of
them. all government prOclamations
and writs run in their names. British
police NAV not operate within the
states and fugitives from British JUS
tice must be- extradlted as though
the states were foreign governments.
THE most common title of Indian
royal rulers is maharaja A Raja' Is
ruler or king, aud Maha Raja' means
Great King Maharana is merely IA
variant form used IL some OF the
states"