Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-05-24
POWER BEHIND
THRONE DYING
Procurator General Of Holy Synod,
Who Has Long Exerted 1anefuI In.
fluenee in Russia, Nearing End.
AN ENEMY TO THE REFORMS
Known as 1.-THE Fanatic Of the West"
He Has Made the Emperor
Do His Will.

st. Petersburg, May 2O.-The pow
er of S. NJ. Pobedonostseff, procurator
general of the holy synod, who for rs
years, since he induced Emperor Alex
ander II to overthrow Loris Melikoff
and abandon his whole reform policy,
has been dominating the reactionary
influence of the Russian state, seems
shattered at last. He is over 80 years
of age, is confined to bed practically
continuously, believes he sees every.
thing for which he fought, slipping
away, and is dying an embittered old
man. Yet, with the threads of life
slipping, he still protests with all the
fire of his remarkable mentality.
NJ. Pobedonostseff has been denom-
mated the fanatic of the west. The
secret of his wonderful sway over the
minds of two emperors mas been his
mistaken belief in and devotion to
the principles of autocracy and ortho-
doxy as the twin cornerstones of Rus
sia's future greatness. Holy Russia,
he believed with all the Intensity of
his soul, was destined to dominate
the globe, and he was ever fond of
asserting, as he did to Senator Bev-
eridge, Of Indiana:
Russia is not a state; Russia is a
world
Figuratively, NJ. Pobedonostseff spat
upon the civilization of the west.
Democracy to him was irresponsible
despOtism and liberty was license, and
he was especially hostile to a free
press. For irresponsible editors sit
ting in judgment on any and every
thing, and lightly fomenting trouble
and internal strife, for which a mon
arch would be dethroned and respon-
sible officials disgraced, was to him
an abOmination.
In the council of the empire for a
quarter of century none of the EN-
peror's ministers could hold his own
against NJ. Pobedonostseff, and his
victories were legion. With all his
might he struggled, in spite of fail
ing health, against the new reform
movement, and in recent months when
he was unable to win outright, he
managed at least to secure the appear
ance of draw by inspiring his i'm
perial master to balance the reform re-
script with the reactiOnary manifesto.
His last signal triumph was the block
ing of the scheme of Metropolitan An
tonius for church council and the
restoration of the patriarchate, and in
having the satisfaction Of seeing its
author practically banished to the
Caucasus. But the browning defeat
of NJ. Pobedonostseff came with the
imperial ukase striking the shackles
from religion, the blow being all the
harder because it was delivered on
the anniversary of his jubilee as pro-
curator of the holy synod
To intimates who are admitted to
his bedroom, NJ Pobedonostseff talks
bitterly. He says he has lost hope
and washes his hands of everything.
He sees only ruin ahead for church
and state. The government, he de-
clares, has gone mad, and to allow
the people to play with questions OF
state as they would with new toys, is
deplorable. The crisis he attributes
to the lack of a strong and command
ing statesman, and he severely blames
the emperor for his weakness in YIELD
ing to the opportunities of the liber
ais. On Friday NJ. Pobedonostsen
said to friend:
"Ten years ago one Of the emper
or's subject would have been exiled tt
Siberia for what the emperor nov
proclaims in his imperial manifesto.
Strange to say, Prince Mestchersky
editor of the Grashdanin, and politica
defender of the autocracy, gloats owe
the downfall of his religious rival
While admitting the procurate gener
ais passionate love for the church
Prince Mestchersky describes him al
the incarnation of negation, not onl.
with regard to foreign ideas, but to
ward anything new.
eff Christ himself should apepa
before Pebedonostseff," Prince Nest
chersky says, che would fall dowl
upon his knees and worship him, bu
he would deny the living world. Pc
bedonostseff would brook no opposi
ton. He has dominated men am
made them puppets to do his will.