Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-01
VLADIMIR'S OPINIONS
SAYS PEOPLE MAY EXPRESS
GRIEVANCES TO EMPEROR.

Grand Duke Vladimir. the cars uncle
Governor General Trepoff's master. supreme
In action at the moment just as the Grand
Duke Sergius is supreme in suggestion. per-
mitted himself to be interviewed In 81
Petersburg yesterday.
What information can l give your" he
asked the correspondent. But, remember.
that l am a grand duke and therefore
subject of the emperor. That is to say.
that 1 am loyal to his majesty a Russian
from the crown of my head to the tip of my
toes"
Although he knows English perfectly,
the grand duke preferred to speak In
French. He was seated in his study in his
palace in the Quay de la Cour, adjoining
the Winter Palace Perhaps sixty-fye
years of age. he has iron-gray hair, stern
yisage, large frame. He gives the i'm
preston of a man of force and action full
of nervous energy.
THE newspapers abroad contain many
statements regarding the events of Janu-
airy -, the correspondent suggested.
Il know, 1 know" the grand duke inter-
rupted. II have read the foreign news
papers. I have stood aghast at the fright
full stories of the butchery of innocent peo-
pie which they have printed.
Says Plot Was Behind.
Il know they say weIl-intentioned pa
- Aoeo WIN q pi icSt at tuciT ucdQ, CtIllflS
peacefully to place their grievances before
his majesty, were ruthlessly shot down in
the streets But we know that behind this
peaceful procession was anarchistic and
socialistic plot of which the overwhelming
majority of the workmen were merely inno-
cent tools We know from examination of
the dead and those arrested that some al
legged priests were actually revolutionary
agitators and students in disguise. We had
to save the city from 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 it as the mob sacked Yer
sailles From the palace they would have
gone elsewhere. and the whole city would
nave been delivered over to anarchy, riot,
blo0dShed and flames.
our duty was the duty of every govern
ment The same situation has confronted
cues IN other countries. Why. because
TINS occurred in Russia. should the whole
the midst of our difficulties why should We
be turned upon?
"Why Should America Turn7v
why should America, especially. misin-
terpret and think Ill Of US? We have al
ways been friends-friends of a century
friends when America needed friends.
remember when America was our great
friend Why has all this changed? What
has Russia done to deserve it? What has
Russia done to America?
:. why should the foreign press, especially
that OF Great Britain, not hesitate before
any calumny? No invention seems too bor
rible for them to print. They do not ex-
pam that on Saturday every dead wall in
St petersburg was piacaded with warnings
10 the people not to assemble. No, but they
tell that thousands of innocent peonle were
killed and other thousands wounded. and
paint the streets as running red with
blood. They even say the dead were
pushed under the ice of the Neva at night
1T is infamous. These newspapers saw
nothing of isolated officers set ION by
mobs and hammered into insensibiliry. or Of
policemen killed or wounded
AS matter of fact. complete returns show
that exactly 126 are dead. Several hundred
were wounded; 1 can't give the precise
figure of the wounded, but you shall have
an opportunity to see the full reports
They say that Maxim Gorky will be
hanged"
'Nonensew exclaimed the duke.
1t Is asserted that some Of the troops re-
fused to obey commando" said the CORE
spondent.
Troops VIII Do Duty.
'SThere is no question of the loyalty of
the troops the grand duke replied en-
phatically. They did their duty. They
are ready. as I am ready, to die in the
streets for the emperor. A soldier was
asked by one workingman why he fired
saying to him, You'll be a workingman
soen.' Perhaps he replied; then you may
be soldier and know what it is to obey
your oath to do your duty to your en-
peror.'"
Might ask your imperial highness' view
of the present Situation?'
With this unhappy war upon our shout
ders, said the grand duke. I'VE are passing
through crisis. l will not attempt to con-
ceal it; il cannot be concealed but with the
help of God we will emerge from 1t as we
haye emerged from other troubles in the
past. In the interior there are many ele-
mentS of discord; but the situation Is not so
bad as it is painted The disorders at War
saw. Kieff and elsewhere are largely in
dustrial, produced by trade depression and
consequent lack Of employment on account
of the war. They are not revolutionary at
base"
He continued, voluntarily:
people speak of a constitution. A con-
stitution would mean the end of Russia as
the state would be gone. anarchy would
supervene, and when 1t ended the empire
would be disintegrated. Finland, Poland
and perhaps other frontier provinces would
have broken away.
Not Ripe for a Constitution.
Russia is not ripe for constitution. Go
out among the peasants, who comprise the
vast bulk of the empires population, and
try to explain to them government by suf-
frage. The peasant knows nothing of gov
eminent; he does not even know what the
word means. He knows his emperor For
him the emperor is everything. Give the
peasant vote and all would be anarchy.
Still, there Is necessity for reforms and
they will be granted by the autocracy."
Maintaining the principle of autocracy
then, the people will have an opportunity to
be heard In the government
Yes was the reply, Il am sure they will
be given voice. OF that l am certain"
and he repeated the words emphatically.
am certain and continued even more
deliberately: They will be given the means
OF presenting their needs and grievances
direct to the sovereign
The grand duke ended the interview with
these significant words, which may fore
shadow the creation Immediately OF some
body like the zemskyzabor, the old nus
sian land parliament.