The Alaska daily empire., 1914-09-04
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The Romanoffs
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By eer,rude B. MaIle,,a


 Perhaps one of the most interesting knots in the web of history Is the facI that the dynasty which now stands besore the eyes of the world as slgni fvIng absoutism first mounted tho throne of Russia as the result of nopular election In 1913 after Russia had recovered from the trouble with pmssia she set about organizing . National Assembly which was to be gathered at Moscow. This Assembly was composed of ecclesiastics, of dele gates mounted by nobles, by the clti zens the merchants, the towns anc inc districts. These delegates had sworn that they would elect for Q Car neither a Pole nor Swede, but if required great deal of discussion and argument and some petty guar reling before they finally agreed upon Michael Romanon, or Romanov as Russia spells the name.
 Michael was elected not for his own sake. because he was only boy of sixteen years, but for the sake of his ancestors, for the name of Romsnoti was the highest expression of national feeling. Under the early rulers of this house began the idea of eastward expansion. Peter tho Great who reigned from 1889 to 1898, con ouered the Swedish provinces about the Gulf of Finland, and in 17O3 start ed to build his new capital St. Peters burg. He employed an army of peas. ants to deepen the channels through the marsh at the mouth of the River Neva, and he laid upon every cart that came into the city, and every yes- sel that entered the port, a toll not of money but of building stones, and these he used to build his city. At the same time he prohibited stone construction in all other cities of the realm. And with infinite labor and at unlimited expense, the famous "win. dow toward the vest was listed among the cities of the world.
 At Peter's death began the tragic chapter in the life of the Rrmanoifs. and their reigus have been clouded ny the deeds of conspirators, of ass- t.ssins, of political uprisings, of troubles of all sorts, and ever Czar has moved under the fearful shadow of assassination which has grown darker than ever before the eyes of the present Ruler of all the Russians.
 Paul l, the founder of the great coalition against England was assass. mated in 1901, England could not help being pleased with the terrible death of the Czar who was the soul of the coalition. But in France the condemnation was great" Bonaparte, who saw the downfall of his vast pro. jects could not contain himself, and he ordered printed in the Moniteur the following lines yoicing his hatred against England, and making himself the mouthpiece of an absurd sus- picion; Tt is for history to clear up the secret of this tragic death, and to say what national policy was in. terested in provoking such catastro. phe."
 Comes then to the throne Alexand- CT II who delivered Russia from her yoke of serfage and who led her into a new period of history. But the foreign policy of the country has nev. CT been for moment permitted to swerve from the path which she has always followed since the time of Ivan the Great. The conclusion of the duel with the Polo-Iithuanian State for the hegemony of the Slav world ; the struggle with her western neigh, bors to secure the freedom of the Baltic and the Black sea; and the re. venge for the Tartar Yoke, whether meted upon the TuraniaDs of Central Asia or those of Constantinople.
 On down through the line to the present Czar Nicholas, we find him calling himself the victim of great Empire" an empire torn by wild factions, an empire whose court is full of intrigue. He has made an effort to bear his burden without leaning upon the shoulders of his ministers as his predecessors have so often done and since the beginning of his reign the struggle between the people and the autocrats has waged around him with deafening roar.
 A victim of the terrible idea of assassination which has been the fear of so many of his line, the realization that he is probably Nicholas the Last" as some one has nicknamed him unless some rare chance improves the health of his only son Alexis, and the continuous turmoil within his do minions have all united to crush the spirit of the Romanofr today, just as the other Romanoffs have been crush ed.
 Some one has said "But after all, it is only a mask confronting a figure of flesh and blood" when speaking ir reference to Nicholas as opposed tc Germany's War Lord who is his cousin, flor Nicholas is only a shadow behind which the great warlike ant political energies of Russia move in dependent"
 -S-S-O