Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-04
Ministers Kept In the Dark

They are often kept in the dark about
matters which it behoOves them to
know thoroughly and early. Thus,
shortly after the present war had be
gun, i number of dignitaries and Off
Gals gathered round General Kuropat-
kin one day and asked him how things
We're going on. With a malicious twin
kle in his eye the war minister replied:
Like yourselves, l know only what is
published The war is Alexeief's bust
ness, not mine" When three ministers
implored the car to evacuate Manchu-
ria and safeguard the peace of the
world, he answered, Il shall keep the
peace and my own counsel as we'll" To
one of the grand dukes, who, on the
day before the rupture with Japan
vaguely limited at the possibility of
war, the emperor said: Leave that to
me. Japan will never fight. Ny reign
will be an era of peace to the end"
In the conduct of state affairs the
car is reserved and formal. Like his
father when presiding over a commit
tee or council. he listens in silence to
the opinions of others, almost always
Withholding his own.
In his study he is generally busy sign
ing replies to addresses of loyalty or
writing comments on the various re-
ports presented by ministers. governors
and other officials. He is encoura ged by
his courtiers to believe that all these re
plies and comments are priceless, for
even such trivial remarks as Il am
very glad" God grant it may be So
are published in large type in the
newspaper, glazed over in the manu-
script and carefully preserved in the
archives like the relics of n saint.
The emperor imagineS it to be the
right and the duty of the autocrat of
all the Russias to intervene personally
in every affair that interests himself
or has any bearing on his mission. The
instances Of this uncalled for personal
action are nearly as numerous as his
official acts. and the consequences Of
several are written in blood and fire
in the history of his reign They have
undermined the sense of legality, and
the end of legality is always the begin
ming of the reign of violence. The sad
dcst part of the story is that the more
unsteady he becomes the more vigor-
ously he sweeps away the last weak
barriers which stand between the au-
tOcracy and folly or injustice, such as
the council OF the empire, the commit
tee of ministers and the senate.
OF the course of justice in political
trial little need be said. The prosecu-
ton of the murderers of the KishineR
Jews is fresh In the memory of all
An incident unparalleled in our history
Inf no ant hot
trial celebrated for all time The
counsel for the prosecution in the civil
case threw up their briefs and lef. the
court because Of the systematic denial
of justice to their clients When the
Jogging cases We're heard in the govern
mcnt of Poltava Il year ago Il similar
course was taken by the lawyers. The
rights which our laws bestow upon
prisoners We're 50 persistentIy denied
them that the advocates of the accused
peasant had no choice but to throw up
their briefs and leave the court.
The cars reign has therefore
brought everything into a state of fux.
Nothing is stable with us as in other
countries. No traditions. no rights, no
laws, are respected. There are only
ever increasing burdens. severer pun
ishments and never dwindling misery
and suffering
In all these measures, in their most
trivial details. the car takes an eager
and personal interest, because he treats
them as part of the defense Of autocra-
cy. He knows. therefore. what is be
Ing done in his name. He expressly
and in writing approves coercion and
the many novel forms OF it brought into
vogue bT tie ame damnee Of au-