The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-04-29
.VICEROY ALEXIEFF
WANTS TO RESIGN
1t Is Believed His Request tc
Be Relieved Will Be Granted
by the Gear.
S TOO MUCH CRITICISM
One and the Direct Cause of the Nov.
Is That Skrydloff, AIexieff's
Enemy Has Been Appointed
Naval Commander.

st. Petersburg, April 21.-Viceros
AleXieff has applied by telegraph to the
emperor to be relieved of his position
OF viceroy in the far east.
1t is expected that the request will
be Immediately granted.
While no official announcement has
yet been made, there Is reason to be.
lieve that the statement is correct.
The immediate cause OF the viceroy'a
application is reported to be the APP
pointment of Vice Admiral Skrydloff,
on" of Admiral Alexieff's strongest enc
mics apd sharpest critics, as successor
to The late Vice Admiral Makaroff III
command of thu Russian hay in the
tar east.
Vice -aanl;1al tErydloff had an inter-
view W. tAs az. ..eror today and dis
cussed with his majesty the question Of
mis- (Skrydloff'sl relations with Alex
Jeff.
Is No Surprise.
TEe relieving from command of Vice.
rC- tlaXic:f would not surprise intelli.
gent observers &c the far eastern situ-
alton, who are familiar With the grad.
ual change in the emperor's attitUGe
toward the viceroy and Mr.. Bezobra-
rolf. III represented t2e militant. or
advanced element, which rsas anxious
NiiA' AiSNANi -
ria.
1t is to these two men that the Anglo.
japanese entente first lost its te-rorS
They believed that Great Britai!s you'd
not so to war and that Japan could moi
do so. To the Indignation of Japan
they succeeded in turning the policy OF
the empire from carrying out the
entire evacuation of Manchuria, pend.
ing further demands on China.
Niceroy AleXieff recommended the
appointed of either Vice Admiral Deu,
bassoff or Vice Admiral Makaroff tc
command the fleet in succession ia
Vice Admiral Stark. The emperor Sc
issued a special ukase making him abb
solutely independent. This was tho
first blow publicly given to Alexieff
The second was the appointment o!
Gen. kurOpatkin as commander III
chief of the army in Manchuria. Kuro-
patkin sided with Count Lamsdorff,
the foreign minister, and M. Witta
against the policy of M~anchurian agi,
tation and stated to the Chinese min
lister to Russia hat the whole troubla
originated with AleXieff.
First Blow to Alexieff.
That there might be no doubt OF
kuropatkin's exact jurisdictions. this
emperor issued another ulkase G,lsOinG
it n gave the former minister of war
complete control of military operations
in the far east.
Officials in st. Petersburg say l.
must then have been evident to AlexieT
that his star had waned. He had
his control, being charged merely with
the civil administration, but in war
times there is no civil administration,
or at least little.
At first the viceroy received the off,
cial dispatches from Makaroff and
~, ~,r LIT l.,f D,,r {ls- 1~-{ l-y
of his dignity was removed when the
two commanders communicated direct
ly with the emperor.
On August IL last, after Japan had
submitted an inquiry as to whether
Russia was disposed to reopen the ne.
gotiations respecting Manchuria and
Korea, a ~viceroyalty in the far east, a
special secretary of state and an ad,
visory committee were created. Alexiel
being appointed viceroy and Bezobra,
zoff secretary of state.
Met Much Opposition.
Seventeen days after these appoint
ments We're made NJ. WHITE, who hat
been opposed to the policy of Alexict
and BeZobrazolf, was relieved Of hi
portfolio as minister of finance.
1t was through his new official ad.
visers that the emperor conducted ne,
gotiationsNWith Japan, and it is claimed
that they misjudged the temper and
purpose of the Japanese and left the
emperor in ignorance of the prepare
ions for war which Japan was making
II h rising war spirit of that en-
pire.
The enemies of Alexieff have persist
entity asserted hat as the man on the
spot he should have kept the emperor
Informed concerning these vital points.
On the V of the war AleXieff appar-
emily still had the confidence of the
ear, but the lack of preparedness Of
the Port Arthur fleet, as shown in the
cases of the battleships Retvizan and
Czarevitch, called the attention OF the
emperor to ~slackness of the navy ad-
ministration in the far east.
The anti-A1eNieff party in st. Peters,
burg held that Vice Admiral Stark, who
was the Viceroy's representative, wa
responsible under him for the first
reverse at Port arthur.
When the P~etropayloysk was sunk
Alcxieff started from Mukdcn for Port
Arthur, ~telegraphing to the emperor on
his arrival there that he had hoisted his
flag on the battleship Sevastopol and
would direct the operations of the fleet
until a new commander was sent out. II
is said that no answer to this was sent
by the emperor. Without consulting
| AleXicff's wishes and without considering
Vice Admiral Dcubassoff, whom he had
originally recommended, the emperor tel
egraphed Vice Admiral Skrydloff to pro-
| coed to Port Arthur via st. PETERSBURG
and assume of the fleet. 1t Is
| said hat not even this fact was officially
| communicated to Alexieff, and he was al
lowed to learn it through the press dis.
patches. Alcxieff considered the matter
| for three days, at the end Of which he is
said to have reached a decision to aDply
for leave.
Enmity to Skrydlof.
The cause Of the enmity between Alex.
1t is believed to be deeper than a mere
! difference OF opinion as to the policy tc
| be pursued in the far east.
Skrydloff has not hcsitated In talking t.
| his friends to charge Alexicff with re.
sponsibility for the disasters to the Pa.
cific squadron, by his division of the fleet
| which segregated four armored cruisers
at Vladivostok and stationed the Varias
and Korietz at Chemulpo.
1t is said that Vice Admiral Skrydloff. ir
his interview with his majesty, gave hin
to understand that he does not care t.
assume command Of the fleet until Alexief
has withdrawn. Therefore the two mer
will not meet at Port Arthur.
Viceroy Alexieff is expected to come dt.
rectly to st. Petersburg, and his friend.
believe he will be elevated to the council
or the empire. BY his withdrawal from
the far east he will not only lose the dig
nliled position Of direct representative o,
the emperor, but the salary of $50, O00 ant
an allowance Of S25, 900 per annum.
When Alexieff sewers his connection witt
the FAR eastern question none Of the mel
responsible for the policy pursued befor,
the war will be in power.
There Is no talk Of a successor to Alex