The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1912-10-28
WOMEN FIGHT
FOR A THRONE
With CzarevIteh N, They En-.
gage in Intrigue.
EACH PLOT FOR HER SON
Dowager Czarina and Grand Duchess
Vladimir Cirect Rival Camps to Con
troll Succession If Young Heir Dies.

Dowager czarina and Grand Duchess
Vladimir Cirect Rival Camps to Con
troll Succession If Young Heir Dies.
St. Petersburg, Oct. 28.-While the
little czarevitch lies i'll and mysterious
rumors and alarms concerning his
condition spread like wildf1re, the two
most powerful women in Europe are
quietly but skillfully marshaling their
forces to control the succession in case
he should die.
They are the cars mother, whose
second son, Grand Duke Michael, nat.
urally would become the heir apparent
If the cars little son should die, and
Grand Duchess Vladimir, the car s
aunt by marriage, whose eldest son,
Grand Duke Cyril, would become the
heir apparent if the cars brother
were out of the way.
Both women are as astute in the
manipulation of their forces as any
diplomat in Europe. Their political or
CARNATIONS could be studied with
profit even by a Tammany boss. Both
work in the greatest secrecy. The con-
tinued presence of the car at the
Vladimir palace indicates that he still
remains under the influence of his fas-
cinating and willy aunt, and that he
would not be reluctant to relinquish
his rights to the succession in favor OF
his cousin, Grand Duke Cyril.
Michael is now nearly thirty-four
years old and has steadily refused tc
make a royal marriage. His mother
kept him in leading strings for years
after he grew to manhood and would
not allow him a separate palace and
household, such as his rank entitled
him to have, even as a bachelor. 1t
was only after numerous fruitless at
tempts to get him properly married
that his mother and the car discov-
cred his unofficial" household in the
vicinity of St. Petersburg, presided
over by a beautiful woman much his
senior, remarkably intelligent and &C.
complished, and an intimate member
of Grand Duchess Vladimir's political
party.
Russian court who have heard Grand
Duke Michael say in the past few
years that he would never accept the
Russian crown. This determination is
partly due to his naturally democratic
character, for he has been nicknamed
"the plebian" by his family ever since
he was a little boy. But the woman
who holds sway over his heart has
used every wapon at her command to
make him ideally happy away from
court, while Duchess Vladimir has
never ceased to adroitly involve him
in some disagreeable duty connected
with the throne, so as to intensity his
aversion to accepting the crown.
His cousin, Grand Duke Cyril, who
IL next in line of succession, Is thirty
six yers old, the eldest son of the late
Grand Duke Vladimir. He married his
Ut consin, the daughter Of the Grand
Duke q Edinburgh, but with a mother
who was Russian grand duchess.
The two cousins were childhood low
ers, but the Duke of Edinburgh, infiu-
enced by his mother, old Queen Vic.
toria, made a match between his
daughter and the Grand Duke of
Hesse, brother of the young czarina.
The two were finally divorced, AMI
then the girl eloped and married her
Russian cousin. They have two chill
dren, both girls. They are both hand
some. full of energy and good spirits,
popular with the Russian people, in
telligent enough to let Grand Duchess
Vladimir lead their cause in fighting
against the dowager czarina for the
Russian crown.