King Of Albania.

New York Times 100 years ago today, May 12, 1913:
    The World trifles with the forces of destiny when it names Theodore Roosevelt King of Albania and quotes the Albanian delegates as saying they would be glad to have him for King, but they find a serious obstacle to his acceptance of the new throne in his lack of great wealth. They are looking for a King with lots of money. From time immemorial the Albanians have been looking for folks with money, and they have generally found them when they have set foot on Albanian soil.
    As a matter of fact, if Col. Roosevelt really wanted to be King of Albania, the lack of money would not deter him. His present fellow-citizens would cheerfully provide enough to build him a big palace, establish a fund for its upkeep, and buy him ermine robes and a diamond crown. But there are more serious obstacles. To begin with. Albania in its new estate will be only a comparatively small kingdom in a large empire, with a King of Kings, to wit, an Emperor Ferdinand, empowered to say what its monarch may do and may not do. Before King Theodore I. could make Albania, the most important State in the empire and seize the Imperatorship himself. Emperor Ferdinand might rub his kingdom off the map and suffer no more personal inconvenience than an unsought membership in the Ananias Club.
    We feel sure that Col. Roosevelt will not be tempted to take the Albanian crown. The King of that country must be willing and able to play a waiting game. If Fate would have Col. Roosevelt King, then Fate must crown him and take the consequences, but Albania is not a good place for so risky an experiment. The Albanians look too high. They must begin with a smaller man and be willing to let him grow up with the country. Col. Roosevelt has grown up with a Nation of 100,000,000 and is too conscious of being rarely if ever out of the minds of any of them to shrink his personality to the stature of Albanian royalty.