The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-08
VIEW OF THE GEAR
DESCRIBED AS BELIEVING HE IS TORCHBEARER OF ALL CIVILI-
 RATION.
Really Responsible for War in East Has Meddled Continuously and Directly in Every Affair of
 State.


 State.
 London Times.
 The July number of the Quarterly Re- view, published July 14, contains a striking article on Nicholas IL, which Is written. we are told in a footnote, by a Russian official in high position. The article takes up what to English readers will be the novel position that the Czar himself. and not his ministers, is actually as well as nominally re- sponsible for the mistakes in domestic and foreign policy which have been made during his reign. In reproducing some of the statements made in sup port of this view, we do not assume any responsibility for their accuracy. through the fact that the article ap- pears in the Quarterly Review Is evil dence that the writer Is a responsible person. The writer begins with an ac- count of the bad impression made by the Czar at his first public interview with the State Council. and after de- scribing his meeting with the repre- sentatives of the Zemstvos a few days later in which with an assumption of severity, he met their expression Of hope that his confidence might not be confined to the bureaucracy with a com mand to them to put away chimerical notions. says:
 Between those two public appear ances of Nicholas II, lay that short period of suggestion during which the impressionable youth has been made not so much to believe as to feel that he was Gods lieutenant the earthly counterpart of his divine Majesty. From that time forward his Majesty has been filled with a spirit of self-exalta- ho strength, in accordance with the psy- biological law that pride usurps as much space as servility Is ready to yield. Nikolai Alexandrovitch soon began to look upon himself as the cen ire of the world, the peacemaker of mankind. the torchbearer of civiliza- tion among the yellow and other 'barbarous races, and the dispenser of almost every business to his own hap py people. Taking seriously this his imaginary mission, he has meddled continuously and directly in every af- fair of state, domestic and foreign. thwarting the course of justice, un- dermining legality. impoverishing his subjects, boasting his fervent love of peace, and yet plunging his tax-bur- dened people into the horrors of a sanguinary and needless war"
 Tn his study he Is generally busy signing replies to addresses of loy- alty, or writing comments on the var ious reports presented by ministers, governors and other officials. He Is encouraged by his courtiers to believe that all these replies and comments are priceless; for even such. trivial re- marks as I am very glad God grant 1t may be so,' and published in large type in a newspaper. glazed over in the manuscript, are carefully preserv- ed in the archives like the relics of Q saint But the most interesting are never published, and of these there is a choice collection. Here is one. A report of the negotiations respecting the warship Manchur was recently laid before him by Count Lamsdorff The tenor of 1t was that the Chinese au- thorities had summoned the Manchur to quit the neutral harbor of Shanghai at the repeated and urgent request of the Japanese consul there. On the margin of that report his majesty penned the memorable words, The Japanese consul Is scoundrel'"
 The Czar Is represented as being sub ject to the baleful influence of the grand dukes, of whom the writer says:
 They paint their plans in the hues of his own dreams, present him with motives which appeal to his prejudi- ces, and always open their attack by gross flattery. They are consequently more than a match for pooor Nickie, as they call him; and their influence over him Is pernicious Perhaps the most influential of all Is the Grand Duke Alexander Mikailovitch who has for a considerable time been the alter ego of his Majesty. This grand ducal ring is the Russian governing syndi- cate unlimited: and no minister could withstand 1t for month. It is ablc to thwart his plans in their primary stage, to discredit them in the Czar's eyes during the discussion or to havo them cancelled after the Emperor las sanctioned them. Obviously Russia has more autocrats than one"
 The indictment is summed up in .he following passage
 Yet, undoubtedly, the power of autoCracy could be employed to fur ment, and justice. if such were the will or him who wields 1t. A single word from the Czar would cause a profound change to come over the condition of the country and the sentiments of his people. The responsibility of his acts cannot be laid upon the shoulders oi his Ministers, whose advice he refrnins from seeking in the most dangerous crises of his reign. It was not lis Ministers who prompted him to break the promise he had given to evacuate Manchuria, they entreated him to keep IL.
 Tt was not they who proposed that ne should curtail the power for good sun lett to such institutions as the council of the Empire, tue Committee or Ministers and the governing Senate. IL was not they who impelled him to make the monarchy ridiculous by seek ing wisdom in the evocation of spirits ana strength in the canonization of saints It was not they who urged him 10 break up the Finnish nation by a series Of iniquitous measures worthy of ancient Babylon or Persia; on the con- trary, they assured him in clear and nov aIWays eourtly phraseology that