The Dominion SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1918. THE TRAGIC FATE OFNICHOLAS II

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 264, 27 July 1918, Page 6

The Dominion SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1918. THE TRAGIC FATE OFNICHOLAS II

.' '.The 'latest 'reports of the death of the cx-Tsar of Russia may be accepted as trustworthy in view of the fact that the English Court is going into mourning for a month. The cx-Tsau has recently been referred to as "Nicholas i the Last," but the position in Russia is so uncertain that almost anything might happen. It is even possible that the monarchy may be restored and that a Romanoff may again sit upon, the throne. It is too soon to assert- that Nicholas II will be known in history as' "Nicholas the Last-." But when we pass from possibilities to probabilities we cannot sac much prospect of the restoration of the Romanoff dynasty. The most likely interpretation of the trend of events is that some form of republican government will eventually be established. It would, however, be rash to prophesy at the present moment. The element of surprise cannot safely be overlooked, and when tl:o inevitable reaction from the prevailing confusion begins no one can say what course it will take. When 'the. pendulum starts to swing back who can tell how far. it will go ? ' Anarchy has a tendency tu end in a" dictatorship. Such is the teaching of history. But sonic other way may be discovered of bringing order out of the present chaos in Russia. It is not correct to assert, without qualification, that "history repeats itself." History reveals certain general laws and tendencies. Btffccvory event is in sense unique. History may,repeat itself, but always,with a difference. We can guess about the future, we can, speculate about it, we can prophecy about it; but wo. cannot know it—lt is unpredictable. The disorder in Russia at the present moment is so great, there are so many currents and cross-currents to take into consideration, there are so many conflicting and ever-chang-ing tendencies at work, that those who know most are the readiest to admit I heir .inability to pierce iho veil which hides the things that are about to come to pass.

It was a cruel .fatn that placed Nicholas II- upon the throne at a time when the llnssian .Umpire had to pass through the greatest crisis in its history. He seems'.to have been stunofied by the magnitude of tho problems which confronted him.

'fo had' neither the ,brains nor the forcc of cliavacbv to grapple fueccssfully wit' l 'I' l - situation. lie lost his head untj 'his nerve. He vaccilated and temporised just when decisive action was most necessary. He had to deal with.affaire too Ij'ik and too complicated for his mind, to grip. 'When everything'depended upon doing the right thiiyr, and doing it strongly and promptly, lie hesitated, and in such circumstance the man who hesitates is lost. He lacked the capacity of reading character ml did not know whom to tnist and whom to distrust. He might have saved his life and _ histhrone if he had chosen the right men to advise him and had accepted their counsel. But as the war went on his position became increasingly difficult. He was misled and deceived on every side. He was the victim of all sorts of intrigue and counter-intrigue. He was betrayed by his Ministers, betrayed by his generals, betrayed by G"rman intrigue and German gold, betrayed even by his own wife, and eventually allowed to fail, hopeless and help-

loss,'into the hands of his enemies. When ho did the right thing he did it in the wrong way, or at the

wrong time. The pathetic inscription "Too late" has l to be written over the one decision that might otherwise have proved his salvation and saved his country from tlft German tyrant and from the. wild orgy of anarchy from which it is now struggling s'o painfully to extricate itself.

Nicholas II does not appear to ltfive realised the desperatencss of his position until he had readied the verge of the precipice. Nothing that he'could then do could retrieve tho situation, He was in the hands of fate. General Russky, in his account- of the abdication, remarks:

Nicholas usually said little, and on this occasion he wa., even more curt and economical of-words. Events had not only agitated him, but also made him angr,'. He-never dreamed of adopting rejn-os-sivo measures against the revolution, however; on the contrary, at i! o'clock that night he sent for me and paid: "i have decided to submit and. to give tho people a responsible .Ministry. What, is your opinion?" A manifesto concerning a responsible Ministry lay already sign'ed upon the table. I knew that this compromise cntne too late, and that it would, fail.

It was indeed too late; he had to vacate his throne. ■ He submitted to the inevitable'with quiet dignity. Shulgix, one of those who..witnessed that memorable scene, states that he could not help feeling pity for the person /'who in that moment was redeeming his mistake;;. Noble thoughts illuminated his resignation of power." Right through the crisis the Tsar's motives appear to have been excellent, and his rapid road to ruin and a tragic death was paved with good intentions; but'he was'unable to read tho signs of the t ; mes. "What' others saw he 'could | not or would not see. Before the revolution broke out' a patriotic Russian, writing to a friend, referred to the shame which he and thousands of other, loyal Russians endured "in witnessing this lamentable spectacle of the ruin of the Monarchy through the stubbornness or madness of one—woman!" The evil genius of Nicholas II was his German wife. M. Joseph Reinack, the French historian, well describes the late Tsar as "that weak Emperor who desired the good and allowed the evil, to be done." But he was the foundation of the whole Russian Constitution, and with his removal the Constitution collapsed. The old order was* swept away. The work of destruction was wonderfully swift and thorough. Every effort to stem the mad torrent proved futile. What an opportunity' for quackery and unscrupulous ambition ! M. Reinach tells us that the Russian spirit lives on dreams, whether these be beautiful, mad, or atrocious. If you cite realities against the wildest Utopias the Russians will cling to their daydreams, saving: "So much the worse for reality." But anarchy is .self-destructive and cannot continue for ever. It is the worst form of tyranny. Bitter experience will compel the Russians to find a way out of chaos into order and stability. . Tho process of disillusionment may be a long and painful one, but unless Russia can regain its political and social equilibrium, and cs- | tablish some form of stable government in accordance with the needs, ideals, and characteristics of her people, she cannot maintain her national existence. When the Russians come to their senses again they will see that they must either construct a rational Constitution or perish.