The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-02

INTERVIEW WITH VLADIMIR.
He Defends the Firing on the People
Pleading Necessity. Principle OF
Autocracy Must be Maintained.
(By Associated Press.)


st Petersburg, Feb. 1.-lWednes-
| day. II &. m.--Grand Duke Vladimir
uncle of Emperor Nicholas and COM
mander of the Imperial Guard, grant
| ed an interview TO the Associated
Press at the Dukes palace in Quay
De La Cour, adjoining the Winter
| Palace The correspondent was re-
| ceived in the Grand Dukes private
| study.
| '"rhe newspapers abroad" suggest
ed the correspondent, have made
| many statements regarding events or
| January %.
| Il know. / have read accounts in
/ the foreign press. | have stood
| aghast at the frightful stories OF the
| butchery of innocent people when
| they have printed. / know they say
| we'll intentioned patriots with priest
at their head, coming peacefully TO
| place their grievances before his
| Majesty were ruthlessly shot down IN
| the streets; but we know that behind
/ this peaceful procession was an an
archistic and socialistic plot, of when
| the overwhelming majority OF the
/ workmen were merely innocent tools.
| We know from examination or the
! dead and those arrested that some
/ alleged priests were actually reVo-
lutionary agitators and students IN
| disguise. We had to save the city
| from a mob. Unfortunately to do SO
! innocent and guilty suffered alike. But
| suppose 10000 men had reached the
gates of the Winter Palace; they
| would have sacked il as the mob
sacked Versailles. From the palace
! they would have gone elsewhere ana
| the whole city would have been de-
| livered over to anarchy, riot blood-
shed and flames. Our duty was the
duty of every government; the same
situation has confronted cities in other
| countries. Why, because this occurred
! i'm Russia. should the. whole world
point the finger of scorn at US!
'They say nothing of isolated OIL
cers set upon by mobs in the streets
! and hammered into ;nsensibility, or
/ of policemen killed or wounded. AS
/ . matter of fact complete returns
| show that exactly 1875 are dead. Set-
| eral hundred We're wounded; can |
give the precise figure of the wound
ed, but you shall have an opportunity
! TO see the full reports
| cit is asserted that some of the
troops refused to obey commands.
| "There is no question of the loyalty
| of the troops. They did their duty.
| They are ready. as am ready, to DIE
| in the streets for the Emperor. a
/ soldier was asked by one workman
why he fired, the questibner saying To
!, him. 'You'n be workman soon.'
! Perhaps lie replied. Then you may
| be a soldier and know what it is to
| obey your oath to do your duty TO
your Emperor.
might l ask your imperial high
| ness view of the present situation :!
| said the correspondent.
with this unhappy war upon our
| shoulders we are passing through O.
/ crisis. But with the help of God we
/ will emerge from it as we nave
emerged from other troubles in the
| past. In the interior there are many
! elements of discord, but the situation
| is not so bad as it is painted. The dis
orders at Warsaw, Kieff and else
where are largely industrial, produced
by trade depression and consequent
| lack of employment on account OF the
| war They are not revolutionary at
base"
Too Ignorant for Suffrage.
| Then without being asked the Grand
/ Duke went on:
people speak of constitution.
I constitution would mean the END or
Russia, as the State would be gone,
| anarchy would superhero and when
1t ended the empire would be disin-
tegrated Finland and Poland and
/ perhaps other frontier provinces
| would have broken away. Russia is
1 not ripe for d constitution. Go out
| among the peasants who comprise the
vast bulk of the empires population
| and try to explain to them govern
ment by suffrage The peasant knows
nothing of government; he does not
! even know what the word means. He
/ knows his Emperor, for him the En-
! peror is everything. Give the peasant
a vote and all would be anarchy. Sun.
! there is necessity for reforms, ana
they will be granted by the auto
l cracy.'
/ Maintaining the principle of au-
tocracy then, the people will have an
opportunity to be heard In the gov
i eminent" questioned the correspond
i emf.
eyes" was the reply, "they can and
/ am sure they will be given voice.
/ OF that / am certain" and he re-
peated the words emphatically, Il am
certain. and continued even more
deliberately, "They will be given the
means of presenting their needs and
grievances direct to the sovereign.
With these significant words, fore
shadowing perhaps the immediate
granting OF something in the nature OF
the Zemskyzaboe Gland parliamenO.
the third removed from the throne or
| Romanoffs ended the interview. lie
then turned to Prince Belaselsky his
aide, instructing him to give the AS
ISOLATED Press every facility for lnde-
pendent investigation.