Evening star., 1923-08-02
By THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTE>oY

4
Secretary of State Hughes policy
| of pronounced reserve with regard
to any relations with the soviet
junta at Moscow meets with the cor
dial approval of the Italian govern
! ment. For Premier Mussolini has
| just recalled Commander G. Amadori.
the chief commercial representative
of Italy in Russia. and the entire
Italian official trade mission there.
on the ground that il is unable. under
existing circumstances. to serve any
useful purpose.
{ The Italian prime minister's action
Fin the matter is based on Commander
i=Amadoris exhaustive report to the
leffect that the present soviet rulers
of Russia will be unable, either in
che present or in the future. to
evolve. out of the chaos created by
! the existing system. any sound basis
for either trade or Redistribution.
This definitely esta blishes the men
dacity of the soviet press and es-
paCially of its principal organ, the
PEavdar in asserting that the great
pewers are preparing for a system
at=c resumption of commercial rela-
items with Russia on a large scale.
Despite the feverish and indiscreet
activities of the eX-CrOwn Prince of
Germany, and the reports of his
candidature for election to the presi-
denCy of the republic of Germany
wher, the present chief magistrate.
Ebert, goes out of office-activitieS
which may force the Dutch govern
ment to expel him from its territory
on the charge of abuse of its re-
luctant hospitality-he is doomed
to ignomintouS defeat. The Germans
have not forgotten the imbecility and
debauchery of his conduct during the
war, nor his desertion from hfs army
and his craven flight into Holland,
when defeat stared him in the face.
There is a princely candidature,
however, which has some chances of
success. namely. that of ex-Crown
Prince Rupert of Bavaria. 1t is idle
to deny that his dynasty, namely,
the ancient house of Wittelsbach, has
retained to a far greater degree than
any other of the former sovereign
families of Germany a hold upon the
loyalty and good will of its people.
and that the Bavarians, were il not
for the objections of the remainder
of Germany to the establishment
of a monarchy, would quickly raise
Rupert to their throne.
Now, Bavaria has been a source of
trouble. of conflict and even of great
expense to the government at Berlin
and to the reichstags there ever
since the establishment of the re-
public And the leading statesmen
and politicians at Berlin are asking
themselves very seriously whether
he election of Prince Rupert as
president would not. after all. put
an end to the troubles and dangers
which the republic-that is to say, the
"reich"-has suffered for three years
past at the hands of Bavaria. The
latter and her eX-crown prince would
be far less of a source of apprehen-
sion to the German government. as
now constituted and to the republic
,, pcfo q n 40
of President Ebert in the Wilhelm
strasse at Berlin, than if he remains
in the royal palace at Munich, and
whereas every foreign nation, save
perhaps Russia would hesitate, or
refuse altogether, to recognize the
who, like his father at Doom, is still
under the ban of international out
lawry, they might be disposed to
recognize ex-Crown Prince Rupert in
spite of the charges Of cruelty laid
at his door during the great war.
At any rate, the enjoys today a
greater degree of respect as man
of responsibility than ex-Crown
Prince william, whom nobody, least
OF all his family and relatives, have
ever found , it possible to treat
seriously.
Through the death of the widow of
the late DR.. Ludwig Mond of the
Royal Society, the scientist and nickel
magnate, the National Gallery Of
England, on Trafalgar Square, Lon
dom has just come into the possession
of his bequest of we'll nigh four score
wonderful Italian old masters which
he had collected, regardless of cost
and with great artistic acumen, deal
ing exclusively either with the Cru
cifxion or with the Madonna and
Child. Perhaps the most notable of
the paintings is Raphael's Cruel
fixion," which was painted in the year
1900 for the Dominican Church of Citta
Di CASTILLO. and which at one time be-
Ilouged to Cardinal Eesch, the uncle OF