Evening star., 1920-02-01
DOWNRIGHT. 1901

Copyright. 192D.)
One of the most remarkable of the
letters written by the German kaiser
to the Russian cZar in their long cor
respondence is dated February 81.
1905. when Russia was seething with
revolution. The kaiser sat down, ap-
parently after great deal of think-
ing. and informed "Nicky' what the
world was saying about him and about
Russia. A crisis had been reached in
Russian affairs. and the kaiser may
we'll have become worried about the
ultimate effect of an upheaval on the
autocracy to the east, which could not
fail to affect his own rule If it fell.
'Nicky's' methods had been anything
but tactful. Workers marching to ad-
dress the car were moved down by
troops on Red Sunday. January %,
1905. Demands for reforms and a con-
stitution were answered by temporiz-
ing. Schemes elaborated by the Rus
sian ministers were not yet ready for
announcement In the far east the
army and navy suffered nothing but
ireverSes. The czar sat in Tsarskoe Sele
and the people grumbled.
The kaiser does not write as il he
we're giving advice on his own respon-
sibility, but pretends that he is repeat
Europe, and takes it for granted that
this news has not reached the czar.
This affords an unusual insight into
the way the kaiser worked. The letter
discioses that the kaiser himself was
well informed not only on events but
the trend of opinion in the world. Sec
ondly. it is evident also that he was
anxious to have the cZar preserve the
prerogatives of divine rule" and not
yield too much to the popular clamor
The letters Of the kaiser were copied
by Isaac Don Levine in the soviet
archives at MOSCOW.
kaiser's Letter OF Advice.
BERLIN, February 21. 1905.-Dear-
est Nicky: 1 am glad 1 was able to
meet your wishes by sending FIR.
Leop to Asia by sea! Your railways
are hereby left unhampered! What
terrible tidingS have come from Mos
cow! These beasts of anarchists have
|perpetrated dark and dastardly deed.
(Grand Duke Sergius, uncle of the
czar. was assassinated at MOSCOW
February II, 19e5.) Poor Ella. what
fearful blow it must have been for
her-may God grant her strength and
devotion to bear it! 1t is very hard
for the fine old capital of Russia, that
her walls should have been soiled by
so foul crime. but surely she har-
bors no true citizen drawing breath
who can approve of it. 1 cannot be-
lieve that these demons have risen
from the ranks of your Muskovite
subjects-they were probably foreign
ers from Geneva. For the grea- bulk
of your people still place their faith
in their "Vaterchen" (Little Father)
the czar and worship his hallowed
from my close observation of the dif-
ferent phases of the movement in
Russia as far as 1 was able from the
news coming directly from there and
by the opinions expressed by observ-
ers. or sometimes Russians. in the
European press.
Gives European Views.
haps be of some interest to you
in your solitude at Tsarskoe-to have
an idea of this European opinion, and
to hear how the events in your coun-
try are judged by what one some
times calls the civilized world in
following lines try to draw a little
sketch for you of the reflected Rus
sian picture as seen. from outside
OF course, as the people outside your
country are not initiated to the de-
tails of the intricate questions at
issue in Russia they often combine
or infer from an ehect they Sec
without knowing its cause-and, there
fore, often a wrong combination VIII
lead to a wrong conclusion, because
their ignorance of the true facts have
left a breach. The foreign specta-
tors are often forced to jump TO
conclusions but we must add: 'Wo die
begriffe fehlen, stellt oft Elm wort zu
rechter zeit sich ein.' (Where judg-
comes at the right time.)
(first Of alD beg your pardon for
writing to you things that you will
probably since long have learned
crave your kind forbearance and for
glveness IL las a loyal. Arm and
devoted friend of yours am obliged
to do-also must record opinions
which may seem to you harsh, un-
generous, false or even hurt your
of turning over new leaf in her
history, and the development shows
a tendency to prepare the beginning
for a certain modernization.
Gives What Russians Think.
i'Such process, you will agree, in a
mighty nation like yours is bound to
command the most widespread interest
in Europe, and CONNIE de raison' before
all in the neighboring country. The
methods to be adopted. the means which
are to be used and the men who are to
do the work have direct influence
nations. If I said that the opinion
was a European one I must not omit
the fact that many Russians who
have passed through here in the last
months. and all those living all over
Europe. especially in Paris and France,
nave Also contributed u lcnQ cOiOT u
| the picture: SO that the facts forming
the base for the European opinion
mostly are supplied by France, who
as annie ct alice Cfriend and ally)
is always the best informed about
Russia The ; outcome u. ONE, of it .,,, is this;
Mirski (Plehves successor as prime
minister) too suddenly allowed the
press a greater liberty than before
and dropped the reins, SO tightly held
by Plehve, too soon. Hence q sudden
flood Of unheard OF articles and open
letters addressed to the ruler, a thing
up to then thought impossible in Rus
sia; some of them most insolent, cal
| culated to diminish the respect for the
autocratic rule. This opportunity was