GRAND DUKE VLADIMIR

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 437, 20 February 1909, Page 13

GRAND DUKE VLADIMIR

A feriAß'Acffert SkEtch-. ■ oiitefete ot, ihe 'Gt'Ani DlljfA VllaimiV wM§6 deAth was a'nrifiunced-in qur .pablegrame, ;.y'esterdnT' appeared in th» Btittlegend: lias attached Itself to tlie Grand Duke Vladimir. Some of the Berlin arid London papers, have ■ declared. him .'to-b'A S6iil tof Ducal bitty-/ A fo'AVty wliifet; thfe iilgpfeSibh <Jf 'disturbances, hot by, wise reforms' carried through with: a strong;hand,- but only by the display of .extreme force. , With narrow-minded and .udili'tSlligont ~ bFutdlity-s3 troy 'tte Grand 1 ITukß caifrt dUt.AjS leisure's 8f • siSn:, '-Not ; only , the' informed, but ovsfy • hiaii whd is hot entirely' out' of touch frith political.affairs, recognises the stories thus disscßiiha.tJed • td .be ■' absolutely, 'cb&lrAr-y. ft th' 6 truth-. Tftefe ft M of 'A 'Grand Ducal party.' The existence of such a party assumes ,a, Solidarity of. tli'6, ni&nbers' tof tile ,Bhp'sH4l H(ftise; Mien iil lA'ct afies n'bt eii'st. It is frue that' isolated: members.of. the Imperial family have exercised an influence, as for instance the.late Grand Duke Serge;. But, as has been, already-said,;.there can be no question of the Grand. Dukes as a more pr less el'teo c'orp'ora-UDti;\Hthjl-fiftin&on feWdteficy AMI UleAw ieThe assertion that the Grand Duke .Vladimir, plays A leading -part , in this non-eiistentpart or clique shows.a still greater ignorAniSe. tot, WiStWgcAMi'tiofis-.. jEVArybfi'dj ilei-fe knows that for hipra. than . ten,-years the Graftd flu&fe fiJks. IttKii &8 ! pA'rt in o'itJic Hfa'irs, and that he .oven occupies an .isolated position in the Imperial family,., which, excludes the possibility of his Exercising an iiifitlence, tejffi'eially; aft occAlt Stl- touch -is Wear, JWju. -ti a. distant observer. .'..But those who have the opportunity of approaching tho Grand Duke more closely know that his . whole character is., As • incompatible with, the ''esprit frondeur' As ivith the exercise of any occult Machiavellian influence whatever. The latter, if Especially iA.'cofttradiction. with" feis f undaiffontal cliarac-. ter/. and the outward brusquerie which on tho Erst impression so ■ distinguishes'. hilii: A&y oils ■ who MS tjje opportunity of: seeing, liiin At close quarter's, in his retirement /recognises, at once, - under ■ the t . appearaiita'e of , easy-going 1 cilrelessah'd nil vi'oir of' life," strengthened by serious reading, far different from the spiteful caricature, which, has been put in circulation. The son and the brother .of' Bussiail EMperdiV '<Sanhat>. ih'd'eH bij a 'Liberal' after. tiro hfeal't df tll'e Progressives '<t£. BeHiii; bttt 'oha thih'g ii c'eriAiti,. tM Grand DtiVo li'A's a j\Kter comprehension of the requirements, of tho time than many a liberalising .Russian statesman possesses; . Ha t'e'coglliiies that tho w6rshli> of. the.ido) of absolutism is. fl frois'e. foii of th» Monarchy .thai Anardhy itsllf; And thati if-thfe RnssiA.of th'e t'weAtieth. cenluif is } tb Stah'd out victorious And resjfetSd frt' the world-struggle of peoples and; States, the foundations of its existence as a: State and a nation-: must undergo n thorough and fearless test. As. regard-January 22, the Grand Duke Vladimir .had nothing to do with, events, on that ilntufcKy.dayi hbt jnHeod b'efeiuise he hatt.sAujiht ,'to ,avoid responsibility, but. bccause his • proposal to concentrate in; his own hand all preventive as: well, as_all repressive action -met with no Approval. 'Had things been otherwise, judgment nnd purpose would hnvß.befcn iieAt'Sr ar'a VW tMV or.vioums Bmaller,". \