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Show DUKE CLOSES ROADS AND MAKES TROUBLE Entire Populace Rebels and Some Officials Espouse Their Cause. Special Cable to The Tribune. BERLIN, May 30.--The duchies of axe-Coburg and Got ha are being torn today by a serious constitutional strife over the right of the inhabitants to walk along the roads of the ducal forests. The young duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of King George of England, reigns over about a quarter of a million people. The Thurlngian forest covers a considerable portion of his duchies, and most of the timber forms part of tho ducal demesnes. The question ques-tion of rights of way through the woods Is an important one in all the forest duchies of Thuringia. and In Saxe-Coburg and Gotha the rights of the duke's subjects sub-jects are safeguarded by an agreement between the dint of the combined duchies (Sa xf-Coburg and Gotha) and the crown. Lately the sylvan peace of Haxe-Coburg and Gotha has been disturbed by the sudden a ppea ranee of notice boards on certain of the forest roads and paths, informing in-forming all whom it may concern that these roads are closed to the public by order of tho chamber of the ducal demesnes. The foreat hampdens of the Thurlngian woods protested as one man against these new rules. They claim that the public have rights of way on the closed roads by virtue of established usage, and the diet emphatically took the view that the closing of the forest ways was a breach of the agreement between the diet and crown. What is more surprising is that the duke's principal minister of state, Dr. Von Richter, took the popular side, and gave orders that the offending notice boards should be removed in one of tiie forest districts. The ministry of state consists of four members, of whom '.wo support Dr. Von Richter. The fourth. Herr Von Bassowitz, president of the chamber of ducal demesnes, who Is responsible re-sponsible for the closing of the roads, held that in any cane the duke would close them if he were prepared to provide pro-vide other ways through the forests for his lieges, and went off privately to lay his views before the duke, who wns staying stay-ing at Pansnnmno, near Florence. The duke took his side, and demonstrated his sympathies by sending him back to Gotha with a new and brilliant decoration. Whereupon Dr. Von Richter sent In his resignation. The duke postponed acceptance until his return. When he arrives he will find awaiting him addresses from both his diets, energetically recommending him not to accept the resignation of Dr. Von Richter Rich-ter and praising that minister. Meanwhile Herr Von Bassowitz has also sent in his resignation, and It Is understood under-stood that Dr. Von Richter will withdraw his if the duke will part with Herr Von Bassowitz, and of courso, remove the notice board a |