Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-09-01
AUTOCRACY WAS THE
RUSSIANS CHOICE
The Romanof Dynasty in Rus
STA Began With Popu-
lar Assent.
CONSTITUTION REFUSED
Masses Once S~purned an Offer of Leg
~:slative Body Such as They Are
Now Making Every Effort
to Secure.

From the National Geographic Magazine.
From 1905 TO 14I2 Russia groaned UNI
der the merciless sway of the Mongol
Tartars. Resistance vas OF no aNall
against the overwhelming numbers of
the invading horde. The period Is htly
called in Russian history The Age OF
Tears" or THE Age of Woe" NO oth-
er country of Europe has ever been SUP
iected TO such horrible and long contln-
ned suffering. The only alienation to
the awful distress was found in the Ell
forts of the royal Russian family-itself
tributary and a vassal, always weak,
but determined and modlly
the ferocity of the conquerors and 10
keep the sense Of nationality from
dying. Upon their princes, felioW
sufferers with them in q common
and intolerable subsection, the people
looked as their only hope. When at
last Prince Demetrius Of the Don won
q decisive victory over the horde and
made it evident that its Anal expulsion
was only the work Of patience and
time, the delirious gratitude or the
people knew no pounds. They were
ready to swear themselves the subjects
OF Demetrius and his heirs forever.
From 1862 to 1884 three princes occu-
pIed the ~throne-Ivan III. the Great,
Wissili, n Ivan ~. the Terrible, or,
more accurately rendering the. RUSSIAN.
adjective. monstrous, but always
mighty. always persistent In one pur-
pose, these three built up Russia from
fts humiliation and weakness INTO glory
and strength. Before Ivan ~, the
marvellous mailman. died he had made
himself a god in the minds of his
peoule." Autocracy had received a
fresh sanction in their absolute ana
whole-hearted submission.
People Chose First RomanoH.
Suddenly the boy prince, Demetrius,
the last heir of Ivan, died. with MN
the royal line of Rurik became extinct.
There followed thirty years or lawless-
ness and anarchy, of disastrous civil
and foreign war. At last. in 1913, a
great assembly, made up from every
rank and class in Russia, got together
in Moscow. A national assembly,
equally representative of a nation,
neither Russia nor Europe had ever
seen. This assembly, after long and
fierce contention, chose Michael Ro-
Inanoff as car. Not a single condltlon
did they impose upon that untried boy
OF II thus unanimously elected ruler.
When he appeared before them, upon
their knees they shouted, Promise
that thou wilt graciously consent TO
rule over us" And so with autocratic
power the dynasty of the Romanoffs
was seated upon the imperial Russian
ItlIOIit. < 10 liz ONift = OOS
r~eigning in Europe today which in
equal degree owes its elevation to the
free voice OF the people. There is no
other reigning house that does not
trace its origin back to some success
full warrior and W its earliest adj
vancement TO the sword. In every 9TH
err country, on some bloody plain, q
Hastings or a Marchfield. William the
Conqueror, the Hapsburgs, the Hohen-
Zollerns, have carved for themselves
and their descendants a title to the
crown. The father of Michael Roman
off was no brilliant soldier, only a
faithful parish priest, who was re-
nowned for piety and ability, n who
because Of his noble qualities attained
high ecclesiastical distinction.
epon the autocratic throne, thus
broad based upon the popular will,
sovereign succeeded sovereign for more
than a century. On each monarch de-
volved the duty of choosing his heir
from among the male m female MEM
bers of he imperial family. Always
that choice was accepted by the ma
ton. Smallpox caused the sudden
death of Peter H., in 1880. before he
had expressed any preference as to his
successor. There were then living four
descendants OF Michael Romanoff.
Three of them were women-Anna
I%vanovna, Catharine Ivanovna, Eliza
beth Petrovna--and a male infant a few
months old. Eight of the most power
ful mobiles banded themselves together
in what they termed THE High Secret
Council" They obtained control OF the
army andtof every department OF gov
ernnlent and administration.
They then offered the crown to Anna,
subject 10 the following conditions: Cd