A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE TSAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 278, 13 August 1918, Page 9

A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE TSAR

(By Samuel Turner, F.'R.G.S.) I liavo studied the Russian Empire and its people since l!)0l. My book, entitled "Travel, Exploration, and Climbing in Siberia," published by Fisher linwin, London, in 191)5, takes the side of tho late Tsar and his father, and gives particulars of the wonderful work tho lato Tsar and his father accomplished in tho Russian Empire. In fact, .no peasant class in the world has more to thank its rulers for than the peasants of Russia and Siberia. Take tho Blue Books published by the Uussian Government during the last fifteen years, describing the laws for tho benefit of tho peasants and the development of the country by, tho building of railway lines and agricultural education of all kinds as per instructions from the Agricultural Colleges all over tho Russian Empire. These laws speak for themselves, and liavo proved to mo that tho Romanoff dynasty and tho Tsars under that dynasty have boon a father to tho people of Russia. With the passing of the late Tsar, the British Empire lost one of the most loyal j friends of this Empire, and it is a pity that Britain could' not keep the Tsar on the throne, because as the head of tho Greek Church the peasants were told by tho priests of the Greek Church to fight against the "Little lather's" enemies. Once lie was dethroned thore was nothing for the peasants to fight for, and they turned on the owners of the land in order to 6hare tho land amongst themselves.

Since that day the Bolshevilci, which aro the majority of the peoplo of Russia. have proved absolutely that they were not capable of handling a vote. This is my statement about tho peasants in my book in 1905. It stands to sense that if tho people are not capable of handling tho vote or the power of such voto that they must be ruled by some other methoj, and I think for tno next twenty years the Russian and Siberian peasant will have to be ruled by an auto, eratio monarch, and another Tsar will have to bo placed at the head of tho Russian Empire before anything like progress caji,tako placo or unity of Governments in tho Russian Empire can bo accomplished. As regards tho Tsar's personal character, his wisdom is shown by the fact that he was not a despotic monarch, becauso 'in his time somo terrible bloodshed would lwye occurred if he had shown the slightest sign of dospotism. "Uneasy ia the head that wears a crown" is iv true'saying in even civilised Britain, but with Russia and its one hundred and twenty-two different races of people, with 85 per cent, of the people only educated egiculturally and the biggest percentage of these unablo .to read and write, tho Tsar's task so far as good government was concerned wa6 absolutely impossible. It takes good rulers and well-edu-cated people to havo a good government of the country. England and Great Britain in this respect are ideal, becauso rulers can be selected out of 40 per cent, of the people, whilst CO per cent, can interpret these laws in a sensible way. .This is not the case in the Russian Empire, and if tho Russian Empire had 20 per cent, of the rulers as wise as Solomon in all his wisdom they could not .iccomplish good government until • the peasant has advanced nunself by education to get a more reasonable understaading of men. and ? flairs. Almost every man' in the street', blames j the Tsar for boing weak, yet ho shuts . hisvcyes to the weak attitude that Eng- ! land took in the Suiffiragett'o affairs in ' England, and the apparently weak atti- : tilde that has been taken in other civil i disturbances in the British Isles of moro | rccent date. It is very easy to judgo ] and criticise, from one's owvi standpoint, i but if we stand inside Russia and judge 1 tho Russian Empire from its own inter-

mil standpoint, wo can have nothing also but praiso for men like tho late Tsar, who, although in daily fear of being assassinated, (by tho same kind of Nihilist as assassinated several Presidents of tho United States from time to time), carried out his duties with advantage to his limpire. The people of Russia have paid mora than one tribute to iiis father, and will pay more than one tribute to the late Tsar, and fcrce of

circumstances over which he bad no control brought about his downfall, rather than any weakness or bad judgment on his part. There are always 6ensational writings about tho Russian Empire. Books published about Russia oil recent dcte aro no exception, and it is a pity tlat tho British people do not understand enough about the Russian Empire and the late

Tsar as to realise ■ that when the-King of England .declares his Court shall go into mourning for one month at the loss of Britain's friend, this order is a very reasonable and humane one, '.'.'hero appears to ho / moro ignorance about Hie Russian Empire than almost any Empiro I know of, and I am afraid that our Empire hns lost a great opportunity by letting the Tsar be dethroned, when probably one hundred thousand men well placed ia the Russian Empire c.uld havo stopped German espionage, kept 'lie Tsar on the throne, and kept .Russia, fighting for us. I am quite euro that the historians of the futuiro will pay/tribute whero tribute is due when dealing with the Eussian Empire, afad the Tsar will be looked upon os a wise monarch—too wise to bo despotic. A man who served his time and generation to the best of his ability, fearing God and doiiig evil to no man, and if ho seems to have been weak it is only because ho understood so much that he knew it was dangerous to lie in any way strong or despotic. It must be remembered that an autocrat soon (becomes despotic, and it takes a great man having the despotic power not to use it. It was only the lato Tsar s desire to do the right thing that made him appear to 'ho weak, but I do not think for ono moment that the information in books that have been written about the Eussian Court recently is one quarter tirvw In conclusion, let me say that the late Tsar would never have signed peace, and Tvhilo ho was ruling Russia the Russian Army inflicted two terrible knock-out blows against the Austrians and Germans. One was three-quarters of a million casualties on the Austrians, the first month of the war, fa'om the middle of August, 1914, to the middle of September, 1914. Then, again, in the famous Pripet Marshes advance 800,000 casualties in two months were inflicted upon the enemy. These two events helped to break the back of the enemy, and. Russia has lost more men, probably, than all the Allies put together. My firm toeliof is that the Russian Empire will come back again, and much quicker than is expected, if a new Tsar is putt on the throne. In any case, the Germans aire not making much progress with the Russian Empire, and oven with the complications in Russia there is enough loyalty to the Allies' cause to encourage intervention by amalgamation of the Allies' armies. Russian noblemen and royalty have been more under the influence of English governesses than any other nation in the world. Therefore these best cducalerl men in the world, who have been responsible for endeavouring to rule the Russian Empire, have English aims, ideas, ambitions, and the same sense or English justice as we have ourselves. All these attributes the late Tsar stood for, and every man should owe him and Ins dynasty a debt of gratitude, which I do niyself. Please read my book on this Empiire, and I am sure you will also ■ agree with me. .