Evening star., 1923-09-08
BY THE MARQUIS DE FosrENoY.

HY THE MARQUIS DE FOsTENOY.
Prince Alexander Hohenlohe. for
mer German governor of Alsace and
younger son of that Prince Clovis
Hohe henlohe. who was, in turn, prime
minister of Bavaria. German ambas-
sador to France, viceroy of Alsace-
Lorraine and, for many years. chan
cellor of the German empire, is dying
in a small boarding house in the
neighborhood of Zurich, confined to
his bed for the past year by an acute
form of spinal disease. completely
destitute and deserted. Yet. some
fifteen years ago, he was the most
widely discussed man in Europe as
the intimate confident, adviser and
most trusted friend of his father 1t
was he who induced the latter to re-
sign the chancellorshfp. not wishing
that the old statesman's name and
honor should be affected and injured
by the almost well-nigh insane va
carries with which eX-Emperor Will
liam. during the last two decades of
his reign. was continually disturbing,
not only Europe, but also the entire
world. At the same time, Prince Alex
ander severed his own connection
with the service of the imperial
crown.
Switzerland, in 1901, he bequeathed
his voluminous diaries. covering the
entire latter half of the nineteenth
century. to his youngest son. Prince
Alexander. and to his friend, Prof.
Curtius. These diaries. of the most
remarkable and revealing character,
were published in Germany, lin France
and in England in 1905, creating the
most extra ordinary sensation. The
German edition was seized by order
81 o. OF nd nj n11nWad n
pear until it had been cruelty cen
aored and modified. But the English
and French editions Were printed as
they had been written, and led to
legal proceedings against Prince
Switzerland. whatever property he
possessed in Germany being confis-
Gated on a charge of having been a
party to the publication Of state secrets.
X X
WELDING very clever pen, and
filled with bitterness against the ex-
kaiser, Prince Alexander continued
to be his most relentless and savage
critic and, during the great war, on
several occasions, made public ap-
peals to his countrymen to Invoke
the good will and intervention of
President Wilson in behalf of peace,
on the ground that the cause of the
entente was bound to be victorious.
that the central powers were doomed
to inevitable defeat and that Ger
many would not only be subject to the
cruel role of a vanquished nation but
also have to bear the brunt of re-
sponsibility for having provoked and
started one of the most terrible wars
in history, involving the destruction
of millions of lives and of billions Of
treasure. for no other purpose than
to satisfy the semi-insane ambitions
of the then kaiser for the military,
political and above all. economic su-
premacy and despotfc domination of
the entire world. These manifestoes
of Prince Alexander served still fur
against him who, in the book which
he published recently, by way of a
foolish apologize of his policies and of
his reign, assails Prince Alexander
for having powerfully contributed
to that Decentralization of the Germap D
people, which resulted in their defeat.
Prince Alexander owned quite a
considerable amount of property in
France, which he had inherited from
his Russian-born mother and uncle.
But, despite his warfare against the
kaiser, it was confiscated by the
French government as alien enemy
property and. since most of his Ger
man relatives had sided against him
and against the memory of his father,
old Prince Clovis, who remains the
most remarkable figure of the ancient
petty sovereign dynasty of Hohen-
living on what he Is able to earn by
his writings-written from bed Of
suffering. In the ordinary course of
events he cannot 1--we much longer. He