THE TRUE CZAR

Evening Star, Issue 12308, 24 September 1904, Page 12

THE TRUE CZAR

SENSATIONAL ASSEVERAnONB; ■ The scathing article on the Czar which ' a Russian official of high rank" contributes to the new * Quarterly Review' contains the following concrete instances, of misgoveTiment : A certain person incurred large debts in St. Petersburg, and was declared bankrupt. In the ordinary course of the law his estates were to be sold and the creditors satisfied. The Tula Bank was charged with the sale of the estates; but the Czar, having meanwhile been asked to interfere, issued an order stopping the sale, and Mispending the operation of the law. An action was brought against Princess Imeretimky by. her late husband's heirs. The Princess, who had powerful friends, privately petitioned His Majesty to interfere on her behalf, and her prayer was granted. The Czar ordered the plaintiffs to be nonsuited, and the order quashed, and his will wue duly executed. In a third case some noblemen sold their estates to merchants ; the transactions were properly carried out, and legally ratified. But the Czar, by his own power, cancelled the deed of sale, and ordered the money and the estates to be returned to their previous owners. Such instances of interference with the course of justice might eaily be multiplied. The Czar knows what is being done in his name. He expressly, and in writing, ap-

proves coercion'and the many novel forma of it brought into vogue by the "ami* damnee" of autocracy, the late M. De Plehve. Thus he conferred a Star upon Prince Obolcnsky for his energy in flogging the peasants of the government of Rharkoff .until some of them died; he even raised this zealous- official to the unique rank I 'of- Lieutenant-General of the Admiralty, a post of -which the Russian public had_ never heard before. He appointed ■M. Kleigbels, one of the most corrupt of, police officials, to be hk general adjutant. At this the nation, 'and even the Court, murmured audibly, for no police officer had ever received this rank. But the Czar set their dissatisfaction at naught, and made Kleighels Governor-General of Kieff. A Minister timidly hinted to His MajeEty that all Hussions hated Kleighels, and that so unpopular an official would hardly succeed in administering so difficult a province as Kieff. But Nikolai Alexandrovitch answered : " I car© nothing for what they say. I know watt lam doing."