The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-20
ALExIEFF WOULD RESIGN
Viceroy Asks Gear to Relieve Him OF
Supreme Command.

Supreme command.
st. Petersburg, April 20.-Alexieff
has applied by telegraph to the car
to be relieved Of his position as vice
roy. The request will be granted at
once. It Is not likely that successor
will be appointed.
The appointment Of Vice Admiral
Skrydloff to the command of the fleet
in succession to Makaron Is cited as
the cause Of AIexieff's action. They
are and always have been enemies,
Skrydloff being the sharpest among
the critics Of the viceroy.
It was to Alexieff and Bezobrazof
that the Anglo-Japanese entente first
lost Its fterrors. They believed that
Great Britain would not go to war and
that Japan could not do So.
To the Indignation Of Japan they
succeeded in turning the policy or the
empire from carrying out the treaty
for the entire evacuation OF Man
churia, pending further demands on
China, Aug. IL last.
After Japan had submitted an in
uuiry as to whether Russia was DIS
posed to reopen the negotiations re-.
specting Manchuria and Korea,
yiceroyalty in the far east, speclal
secretary Of state and an ADVISORY
committee were created, Alexieff be-
ing appointed viceroy and Bezobra-
zoff secretary Of state.
Retirement Of Witte.
Seventeen days after these appoint
ments were made M. Witte, who had
been opposed to the policy Of Alexieff
and Bezobrazoff. was relieved OF his
portfolio as minister Of finance.
| It was thru his new official adVls-
ers that the emperor conducted nego-
tiations with Japan, and 1t Is claimed
that they misjudged the temper and
purpose Of the Japanese and left the
emperor in ignorance Of the prepare
tons for war which Japan was max
ing and the rising war spirit Of that
empire.
i The enemies Of Alexieff persistent
w have asserted that as the man on
the spot he should have kept the en-
peror informed concerning these vita
points.
Alexieff apparently still had the
confidence Of the czar, but the lack OF
) preparedness Of the Port Arthur fleet
as shown in the cases of the battle
ships Retvizan and Czarevitch, called
. the attention Of the emperor to th'
slackness of the naval administration
, in the far east. &t2Af
Responsible for Defeat.
The anti-Alexieff party in St Peters
burg held that Vice Admiral Stark
4
was responsible under him for tn
: first reverse at Port Arthur.
a Viceroy Alexief recommended tn
o appointment of either Vice Admire
Deubassoff or Vice Admiral Makaro1
to command the fleet in succession t
v Vice Admiral Stark.
! The emperor selected Makaroff, an
at the same time he issued q specis
a ukase making him absolutely tnde
!, pendent. This was the first blow put
Il licly given to Alexieff.
: The second was the appointment
IL General Kuropatkin as commander
in-chief Of the army In Manchurta.
4 Kuropatkin sided with Count Lam'
"a dorff, the foreign minister, and \
r. witte against the policy OF Manchl
rian annexation, and he stated to tt
I Chinese minister to Russia, Mr.. He
J. Wei Teh, that the whole trouble orig
+ mated with Alexief.
That there might be no doubt
Kuropatkin's exact jurisdiction, Il
emperor issued another ukase deflnir
,sl It and giving the former minister
q war complete control Of military o.
"a erattons in the far east
Took Command Of Fleet.
~ ~ When the Petropavlovsk was sun
an Alexieff started from Mukden for Pc
- Arthur, telegraphing the emperor
q his arrival there that he had hoist
his flag on the battleship Sevastop
re and would direct the operations of t
~ fleet until a new commander was sc
H. out.
re It is said that no answer to Il
"a was sent by the emperor. Witho
consulting Alesieft's wishes and wit
ba out considering Vice Admiral Do
ne bassoff, whom he originally had re
re commended, the emperor telegraph
nv vice Admiral Skrydloff to proceed
" Port Arthur via st. Petersburg a
b. assume command Of the fleet.
fcontinued on Second Page.1