THE CZAR NO TRAITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17319, 20 May 1918, Page 5

THE CZAR NO TRAITOR

SIR GEORGE BUCHANAN ON HIS "WEAKNESS.

Sir George Buchanan, late British Ambassador in Petrograxi. in a speech in London on March 1, absolved tho ex-Czar from the charge of disloyalty to the Allies. During the concluding months of 1916 (ho said) the political atmosphere was charged with electricity, but with the exception of the party of the Extreme Rig-lit all in the country were united in condemnation of the dark forces behind the Throne. He told the Czar that he had come to the parting of the ways, and that he had to make a choice between two paths, one of which would lend to victory and tho other to revolution and disaster. The Czar oliose the path of reaction, and revolution followed. He would like to take that occasion to correct i report which had been widely circulated to the effect that the Emperor on the eve of his abdication was in favour of concluding: a soparato pcaco with Germany. There was not, ho was convinced, a word of truth in the report. Tho Emperor. no doulvt, had much to answer for. but, he was not a traitor. Ho would never ha-re hotrr.yod t.ho cause of the Allies, and lie was always tho true and loyal friend of this country.