Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-07-10
GOOD WORD FOR rnE DEAD.

|
Both before and after the assassina.
ton OF Seryla's unfortunate royal cou-
pie, so much bad 'Sas said about them,
that It Is truly refreshing to see a
word Of culogy from one who claims TO
be- well informed writer In the
Westminster Gazette. says both Alex
ander and Draga We're mallgned by
press reports sent out through foreign
channels. He claims that the malcon'
tents In Scrvia were few aud confined
10 jealous women and disappointed
army officers, lie says, as quoted in
the Literary Digest
king Alexander has been persist
emily described o. "a weak peeNish
youth who did not know his own mind,
| ugly and unC0uth Ia appearance, al
most a debauchee. Queen Draga has
been Interpreted 10 US as ill-born. old
| and (what does not always follow per-
haps no better than she should be,
Now. whatever the King was, no one
who ever saw him could question his
strength OF character. The only symp-
toms OF unpopularity ever dIscernible
we've aroused By his unhinchng zeal to
carry through whatever policy he
deemed best for the nation. He was
party leader ms well as a monarch.
and he was convinced that his policy
alone could assure the national saliva
ton He may have been wrong. but
that Is no excuse for his assassination.
In any case | viii stake my soul that
he was sincere. His honesty Is surely
indorsed by his refusal to countenance
criminal conspIracles in Macedonia If
Prince Ferdinand had been equally
firm he might have been less prosper.
Gus and popular, but he would have
secured supererogat0ry satisfaction
from his conscience Queen Draga was
descended from a hero Of the war Of in
dependence, and ranked With the best
Scryian arist0cracy. Her first husband
treated her badly. and she passed
through time Of lrbuatlon when she
had to earn her own living after his
death. Her unfailing good-humor, her
Wit, her beauty and her charm con-
quered all hearts Soonest OF all, they
conquered that of the king, who was
content to quarrel with his parents, to
risk estrangement with his subjects,
and to place himself at variance with
all Europe for her sake. Their devo-
ton was patNtc and inspiring"
Coope! snowden. formerly United
states representative m that country,
takes similar View in The Indepen-
dent He says the allegation that the
late king was degenerate COM
ports IN with the character Of one who
At Il planned and carried out "a sue
,essfnl plot, and at n was regarded
as enc OF The mathematiclans in servia.
He adds When saw him there was
nothing whatever In his conversation
or dcmeanor to Justify the hostile Inn
pressions recently given to the world
by his enemies and murdercrs,' Alex.
dnder Obrenovieh deserves Well OF his
tory, hc says.
II this is true. It Is all the more In
cninbent upon the civilized world to
meto out Justice for the foul crime at
Belgrade. II Is true enough history
bear witness to as foul crimes umayeng.
ed In other countries. but civilization is
more advanced than Il was when the
thrones Of Great Britain and France
We're despatched with royal blood. he
sides, who was there then on earth to
Interfere as the ayenging angel? Who
had ihp noNver 10 1o eo9 In tho aaus
OF Seryla II is different, II would cost
either Russia or Austria less to take
a hand in the Serylan affairs and set
them right, than it cost the United
States to stay the murderous hand that
spread devastation oyer the island OF
Cuba II the will is there to do right.
the power Is there.
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