The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-08
THE czAR's Watchdog.
How General Tcherevine Climbed to
His Unenviable Post.
Ex-Attache in New York Tribune.

ELS Ou6nV1dD46 EOSLs
Ex-Attache in New York Tribune.
While most OF the countries of the old
world have an official of ca binet rank in
trusted with the duty of providing for
what is known as public safety, and who
bears either the title of secretary of state
for the interior or that of minister of pO-
lice, Russia enjoys the unique distinct ton
of possessing a dignitary styled the Min
lister of Personal Safety" To him Is con-
fided the OnerOus task of protecting the
car from all peril of assassination, and it
is he who is primarily responsible
for the immunity of the emperor from
every harm. His appointment is Of quite
recent date and his power practically IN
limited. For everything is obliged to
yield to this, IN Russia. first and most
vital of all considerations. the personal
security of the autOcrat. Nothing is per
mItted to stand in the way thereof and
hence, not only all the other members Of
the MusCOvite administration, all the great
dignitaries OF the naval, military and
civil service, but even the very princes
and princesses of the blood are con-
strained to defer TO the exigencies Of the
minister of personal safety on the under
standing that his demands are prompted
by the necessity for protecting the car
no matter at what cost.
1t is Gen. Tcherevine who has been in
vested with these extraordinary powers,
and who, at the present moment is as
suredly the most influential man in the
empire, next to Alexander III. himself
And. knowing the general as | do. to be
most ambitious and INSCRIPTIONS man,
though honest in purely financial mat
tiers, | cannot help thinking that to OBJ
tain this post the general must have
worked upon the approximations of the
car, and especially those of the cZariua
much in the same way that the hey S
ana etfendis al COnstantinOple are accus-
toned TO trade upon the fears Of
the sultan when they desire to be-
come pachas or TO obtain some lucrative
office. L have reason to know that he has
long been intriguing 10 obtain this parti-
cular appointment. and quite number
of years ago, while mere subordinate
functiCnary of the department of the in
terror, he addressed memorial TO the
Grand Duke Vladimir, who was in those
days his sole patron, urging the creation
OF special ministry of police But the
moment was the reverse of propitious for
any such scheme, Tcherevine being lust
then seriously compromised in connection
with the vagaries of the so-called Holy
Band, and he had the modification of
notconly seeing his report pigeon-holed
and pooh pOohed, but also came within an
ace Of forteiting his position
Subseqr emily, however, he had the
GOOD fortune TO be shot at by a Nihilist
For it is impossible TO regard as othwise
than a piece Of good luck this unsuccess-
ful attempt upon his life, which left MIN
unframed and served TO attract popular
attention to him and to earn for him the
admiration ana good will of the car who
expressed himself as much struck by the
GOODNESS and courage which he manifested
on that occasion. Promoted shortly af-
terward, he was shrewd enough to dis
cover that the imperial favor which his
chief, Gen. Ignatief, had up till that time
enjoyed was on the wane, and accordingly
took advantage Of several acts of
dishonesty of which lgnatIeff
had rendered himself guilty
while minister of the interior, to bring
them to the notice of the emperor Alex
ander, who had conceived an instructive
distrust for that eminent statesman, who
while ambassador at ConstantinOUle used
to so by the name of The Father of
Lies was, if the truth were known.
glad to find his suspicious verified, since
II gave evidence of perspicaCity with
which he is not generally credited But.
anxious as ever to make no mistake. and
to do no injustice to a man who had served
his predecessor for so many years, he
confronted the two generals, with
the result that Ignatieff for once
in his life lost COunJenanCe, was forced to
make full confession Of his many dis
honesties, and fell in such a manner as to
preclude any possibility of his ever again
holding office under the crown. This, of
course, served still further to attract
Alexander toward Tchereyine, whom he
took for granted must be man of ster-
ling honesty and whom he forthwith APP
pointed one of his aids de camp generals.
BY degrees the general has managed to
convince the car that he alone is de-
voted body and soul to his imperial mas
ter, that his is the only loyalty that is
absolutely disinterested and sincere. and
that II is he above all others who is DUAL
flied to act as the watchdog and guardian
of the car.
have never been able to quite under
stand how he can have brought Alexan-
der to believe this AS stated above he
is both ambitious and INSCRIPTIONS. be-
sides which he is noted for his debauch-
cries, which are on q par with those of
the late Gen Skobelef and in st. Peters
Durg he is known as the principal pro-
tectOr OF those beautiful MuScovite
Tziganes who constitute one of the least
reputable features of the Russian capital.
In one word, he enjoys the nOtoriety of
being one of the worst mauvais suiets of
society on the banks of the Neva. and
would certainly have been far more in mis-
place at the court of the Tulleries in the
days Of Napoleon III. than as the most in
ttuential member of the household of so
eminently respectable and domestic a
monarch as the present autocrat of all the
Russies
With regard to the holy Band of
which mention has been made above, it
was secret society similar in every re-
spect to the Nihilist conspiracy ana
formed with the sole object OF combating
the latter Composed of the best blood
OF the land. its aim was to insure The
safety of the imperial family. and at the
same time 10 encounter the NihiHsts with
their own weapons, that is TO say by Sc
cret organization. The necessary re-
sources We're raised by subscriptions from
the nobility, Paul DemidoT. Prince of
san Donate. paying the larger part of tho
expenses of the new society The Grand
Dude Vladimir and Count Woronzow OBJ
tanned the emperors approval OF the
statutes Of the association, which
began its operations about two
years after Alexander's accession.
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