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Show KING LEOPOLD MAY ABDICATE THRONE IN FAVOR OF HIS NEPHEW. Prince Albert, son of Leopold's youngest brother, the late Prlnco Philippe, heir apparent to the Belgium throne. Brassells, June 7. Many rumors are current regarding King Leopold's supreme endeavor to get hold of all the ready cash available. He has created no end of criticism by his selling many gifts which were of a national character. charac-ter. The recent report emanates from a source close to the throne and is to the effect that King Leopold expects to soon abdicate the throne In favor of ' his nephew, Phlnce Alljert of Flanders. Prince Albert is 31 years old. and in 1900 married the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Duke Charles Theodore of Bavaria, The heir apparent Is the eld-est eld-est son of the king's youngest broth- j er, Prince Philippe, Count of Flan- ! ders. who died in 1905. j The kingdom of Belgium is a. new one as kingdoms go. it was born In 1831, when it broke away from the rule of the Dutch. Consequently, it had only two kings, both of them bearing the name of Ieopold. The first Leopold had been a princo ' of Saxe-Coburg, and he accepted the throne at the requent of the Belgian people. After a while, revolutionists began to make trouble and to agitate for a change of government Leopold called tho principal statemen togetli-: er and said to them Indifferently: "I took this kingdom because you asked me to. If you don't wish me to keep it, I shall bo very glad to leave tomorrow." This blunt speech so impressed tj? Belgians that they all decided thai ' Leopold must be kept In fact, that ; they couldn't do without jilm; and he made an admirable king from that time until his death. His son, the present Leopold, has hla full share of the same independence independ-ence As a king, he governs wisely and Impartially. As a man, he likes j to go his own way with as little of the pomp and ceremony of royalty as may be. When he visits foreign countries coun-tries he usually does it incognito, so ! as to avoid those formal functions which to him are tiresome. He knocks about London and Paras as a private person, spins his automobile across the continent; and is sociable and genial with everyone. At his beautiful beauti-ful country-place, aj Laeken, near Brussels, he likes to superintend his garden and stroll about dressed in ex- ; treme simplicity, in old clothes and a shocking hat. j King Leopold Is an exceedingly i shrewd man of business. He is prob- I ably the richest king In Europe, though the sum which he receives from the national treasury is comparatively com-paratively mode3t. He has invested his money very wisely and has a good deal of It, placed in American securities and commercial enterprises. His greatest stroke of business was In orfianizing the Congo state, which Is his personal possession. Its vast plantations of rubber trees yield him millions every year. He has agreed. aowever, to present his African possessions pos-sessions to the Belgian people whenever when-ever they desire to take them over. With all his casy-Rolng ways Leopold Leo-pold can assume un imposing and Wngly manner. He is very tall, and In splto of the 72 years he hold him- self erect and shows no loss of energy. |