The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-07-15
LIFE OF NICHOLAS ROMAN0FF THE LAST EMPEROR 0F RUSSIA
 WHO WAS WEAK AND UNFRAMED

PoACAS 6oou lNSuIIOAo ScIuom tIduS lated into action, and enlightened and progressive thought that found expression more often in reaction and oppressive acts than in reforms made the character and career of Nicholas Romanoff. deposed emperor of Russia. a strange commingling of contradictions and inconsistencies
 Although, personally, he seemed sin cere. simple, straightforward, peace loving, moderate and of benevolent intent, disliking hypocrisy or osten. tation. a model husband and ten. der father. yet it was often asserted that he ruled Russia in a reactionary spirit. was jealous of authority, aroused to action chiefly over trifles, that he was incapable of generosity or sympathy for the oppressed, sub ject to morbid moods during which he was capable of cruelty, was SUI. perstitiOus, vacillating and timid.
 It was the same autocrat of all the Russias who called the first great worlds peace conference at The Hague, proclaimed the principle of international disarmament and dis tributed 2O,000,O00 acres of land among the Russian peasants who also refused to limit the autocratic power of the emperor when appealed to by representatives of the Russian people, who suppressed the nation ality of the Poles and denied liberty to the Films. It was he who granted constitutional reforms for Russia and then became party to limitation of the constitutional rights of the representatives of the people, Though he dealt humanely in some respects with the minor nationalities merged into Russia, the Jews suffered under his rule great restriction. With holding Russia from war with Eng land and developing the Franco Russian entente into formal al- liance. he yet allowed Russia to drift into war with Japan and. when Rus sia drew her sword to halt the pro- gross of German aggression, failed to prosecute the war with energy and is said to have preferred German victory to liberal control of the Rus sian government.
 The usual explanation of these con- tradictions between his characteris- tics and his policies was that Nich- Olas was of benevolent disposition but weak in will, easily swayed by the reactionary forces of the Rus sian bureaucracy by which he was surrounded and which hampered and hindered the achievement of his own desires. Yet. under outside influence, he was capable of nerving himself to strong determinations and firm action such, for example, as his in- itiation of the movement to disarm. ament.
 The empress, 1t was said, once caricatured him as a bald-headed in- fant, tied to a high chair, surrounded by crowd of grand dukes and duchesses each of whom tried to feed him in a different way with the result that the infant was distracted and in tears. By some this was re- garded as faithful portrayal of the emperor's position.
 Nicholas, son and successor of Elm peror Alexander H., was born in St. Petersburg, May IS, 1868, was educated under the direction of Con- stantine Pobedonostseff, procurator general of the, Holy Synod and re- ceived military training but had no personal tastes for soldering. Be- fore his accession to the throne, he was sent on tour of Greece, Egypt, India and Japan, where he narrowly escaped assassination by a Japanese fanatic. In that incident, it was said, the Russian heir-apparent gave evidence of timidity.
 The autocratic ruler of many mil. lions of Russians was twenty-six years old when he succeeded to the throne. His lack of experience in the rough affairs of the world and the limitations of his early training in the secluded Russian court had failed to qualify him in any way to fill the role of an autocrat. Instead of yielding the sceptre with firm hand he succumbed at once to the stupe. flying influences of the bureaucratic forces which dictated Russian poll. cies.
 He alienated the love and loyalty of the Russian people within short time after his accession as em- peror by rebuking delegation from the Russian Zemstvos who gathered at the Winter Palace to greet the new sovereign and brought mem orial in which they suggested that the law be enforced with equal jus tice to all and hinted at an extension of constitutional rights to the peo- pie. Prompted by Pobedonostseff, or other bureaucratic mentors, the en-