New-York tribune., 1894-01-23
KING ALEX1NDERS DANGER.


Belgrade, aud, according to all appearances
either an outbreak Of civil war or a change
Of dynasty Is likely to take place before the
close Of the week. How serious Is the crisis
may be gathered from the fact that ex-King
Milan has found 1t necessary to hasten to Bel
grade, where his presence constitutes distinct
violation OF his most solemn pledges, of the con-
ditions upon which his annuity from the Servan
Treasury was made payable and Of the terms
Of the Constitution by virtue of which his son
succeeded to his throne. The new Cabinet IS
stated to have resigned being unwilling to as
sume the responsibilities with which they are
called upon TO deal: and with the national
finances in n state OF absolute bankruptcy Il
Parliamentary majority hostile to the rcigning
dynasty and the peasantry throughout the
country on the eve Of ins,Irrecton against the
constituted authorities, the situation Is one alto
gcthcr beyond the powers Of the elghteenyear-
old monarch.
In order to understand the difficulties with
which the young King has to deal it Is ncces
sary to point out that the vast majority Of his
subjects both In the towns and in the villages
belong TO the Radical party, which, as stated
above, possesses an overwhelming majority
in the National Legislature. Indeed. the Rad
ical party may be said to comprise % per cent
Of the total population of Servia its programme
being Of Il character calculated particularly to
attract the peasantry. since it advocates the
abolition Of the bureaucracy and OF the stand
ing army. the reduction Of taxation and the
granting OF increased communal autonomy
Now. the Radical party is openly opposed TO
the Obrcnovitch dynasty. which at present oc-
cupics the throne and has repeatedly given in
dications Of its preference for the previously
rcigning house Of Karageorgeyitch, whose head
is n Pretender TO the Servan Crown, a relative
OF the imperial family Of Russia, and the ac-
knowedged ally Of the Pansavst leaders at
Moscow
All the troubles that have taken place In
Servia during the last three years have been
due to the attempt to govern the country In
constitutional fashion with a Parliamentary
majority hostile to the throne. II Is this above
everything else that led King Milan to abdi-
cate. and when he resigned his sceptre he in
trusted the responsibility Of governing the
Kingdom to a regency composed Of Liberals
that Is, Of statesmen relatively loyal to his
house and alive to the urgent necessity OF re-
naming on terms Of political and economic
amity with Austria, upon the markets Of which
for the profitable disposal Of their produce.
This Regency, which was the bulwark of his
throne, young King Alexander overturned by
coup detat just year ago. He gave as rea-
son for his dismissal of the regents the pre-
text that they were guilty of violating the Con-
situton In attempting to keep n Liberal-that
Is to say an Obrenovitch- Ministry in power,
Notwithstanding the fact that the Radicals pos
Ia, a., oh Tn
one word, by his coup detat King Alexander
destroyed what may be described as the Liberal
bulwark of his dynasty Just in the same man
ner as several years previously his father, King
Milan, had killed off in similar manner the So
called Progressist party headed by Mr.. Cara
schaninc which was devoted to the Kings in
tercss and to those Of his house.
After the coup detat Of last spring the young
King chose for his Ministers those Of the Rad
ical party who appeared most ready to hatter
his vanity for party purposes OF their own, ana
placed at their head his former tutor, DIR. Do
kitch. The latter has now died, after having
been incapactated from official duties for near
" six months, and during that time matters
have been going from bad to worse. the Min
listers endeavoring 10 fulfil their duties toward
the Radical party and In Il minor degree to the
King. the wishes and interests OF the latter,
however, being i'm every case rendered subServi-
ent TO those Of the former. The condition OF
affairs will be appreciated when 1t is stated that
only few weeks ago the Ministerial organ,
the "Odick," actually went so far as to pub
lish a solemn warning TO the young monarch
that in the event of his attempting any fresh
coup d'6iat such rs the suspension Of the Con
stitution and the dissolution Of the Legislature,
he would be deposed and driven into exile In
the same manner ny the IIospod0r Cusa OF
Rumania and King otto Of Greece
II Is intmacd In the dispatches that King
Alexander and his father have some project or
this kind In view. and that they propose to dis
pcnse with Parliament and to place their ell
tire reliance upon the army. But the latter has
been unpaid for many months, and not only IA
there 10 money I'm the Treasury. but there Is
no prospect Of any. For the pcasantry, encour-
aged by their Radical leaders are firmly deter
mined not to pay any or their Sl',oooooo ar
rcars Of taxation. and have been furnished by
the Prctcnder, Prince Knragcorgevitch ana his
Russian friends. with arms and money In order
TO enable them 10 resist any attempt 10 make
Them pay their Indebtedness.
While King Alexander has, II not the Russian
Government, at any rate the RUSSIAN people
arrayed against him, and bent on seeing MIN
summarized by its friend and ally. Prince Kara
rcorccvitch he is likely to find little support
from the Austrian Government which bitterly
rcscnts the public encouragement which he
has given to that socallcd "Old Scrvian Party
whose object Is the annexation 10 SerVia oi the
Austrian provinces Of Bosnia ana herzegovina.
King Alexander thus Is without friends at the
nrcscpt moment, either at home or abroad. lie
has broken with his allics. both domestic ana
foreign. and under the circumstances 1t looks
40 ~ tho deothkncl had tollcd for the house
Of Obrcnovtch in Scrvia
Everybody knows what the wilson Dill mas
nj far