THE TSAREVITCH.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 33, 7 February 1913, Page 2

THE TSAREVITCH.

A COURT INTRIGUE. .

The recent mysterious illness of the Tsarevitch gave all friends in Russia a bad scare. But it served one purpose, declares London Opinion, in exposing the broad outline of a court intrigue that involves the Grand Duke Michael—the Tsar's bold, bad brother —and the Dowager Empress Marie; and aims at the placing of Michael on the. throne of Russia upon the death °l • fycholas. and the sweeping away of all the Liberal reforms for which the present Tsar has worked. Happily, the coming of this black day m Russia's history has been set back by the recovery of the Czarevitch; but even now only two lives stand between the unhappy country and a return to the terrible days'. Nicholas himself is frail ami puny, and goes in constant fear of the assassin's hand; the Tsafeviten is none too strong, as his recent illness showed, and until he reaches age can hardiy be counted upon as an effective barrier between the throne and the ambitions of a strong man like the Grand Duke Michael. There are those who declare that the recent illness of the Tsareviteh was really due to an attempt to kill him. Substance is lent to this opinion by the secrecy with which all the t/ourt surrounded the affair. There is, however, nothing to connect the intriguing Dowager Empress and her son with the affair, and everything points to the assurance that they have decided to await the death of Nicholas before striking. The Tsar, however, is already making plans to foil the arch-con-spirators. A dozen years ago—before the birth of the Tsarevitch, and while he was still completely under the influence of the Dowager Empress— .Nicholas proclaimed Michael the heir Ito the throne. Under the Russian law of succession promulgated by Emperor Paul, Michael was the natural heir-presumptive, followed by the other grand dukes, to the exclusion •of the, Tsar's daughters. But the Isar of all the Russias is not an absolute autocrat for nothing; and he can at any time alter the law of sue- I cession in such a way that his eldest 1 daughter, the Grand Duchess Olga I would ascend the throne in the event of the Tsarevitch's death. And that, m short, is said to be his plan to thwart the reactionaries. Part and parcel of this scheme to place his eldest daughter on the throne is the Tsar's present unwillingness to consent to her marriage to the heir to another throne which would effectively bar her from the throne of Russia.

m At the present moment the Russian court is arrayed in two hostile camps. On the one side is Nicholas trying in a feeble way to put through his various Liberal reforms. He is supported by a small army of ardent souls who see in him their country's hope of salvation. On the other side is Grand Diike Michael, a stronoruthless man who openly preacl^s °a return to the absolute autocracy that trampled under an iron heel the ignorant, suffering population. Standing with him is the sinister figure of one of the most powerful women in the world to-day—the Dowager Empreßs

Marie, the leader of the reactionaries and anti-Liberals of Russia. For. many years she exercised a tremendous influence over Nicholas, but eventually he threw her over, thanks to the influence of his liberal-minded wife.

Behind Nicholas and his mother are arrayed almost the entire court, most of the Grand Dukes, and the great official class. For years these reactionaries have succeeded in thwarting most of the efforts of Nicholas and the Liberals who are-'Vorking. with him. It is this all-powerful class that has put its money on the Grand Duke Michael, and will stop at nothing to gain its end. Michael and his fellow plotters have even won over Rasputin, the Tsar'slatest pet priest, who is said to have had the courage to urge upon his royal patron the claims of Michael in preference to those of the Tsarevitch. He is said to have suggested, cautiously, the promulgation of a decree setting aside the son in favor of the brother on the grounds of the former's "poor health."

Meanwhile Michael is directing his intrigues from his estate in remote Urial whither he was banished by his brother Nicholas some years ago. For years Michael lived up to the reputation of a Russian Grand Duke by leading the wildest kind of life. Eventually lie fell in love violently with the wife of Sergius Mamontoff, a Moscow millionaire. She was the daughter of a Russian senator, and had previously gained an undesirablereputation because of her many love affairs.

Even a Moscow millionaire does not care to oppose a Russian Grand Duke «™ a POf&ible Tsar of .the future. When Madame Mamontoff heard from the lips of Michael that he loved her she told her husband. Accordingly a divorce was arranged. This was not entirely to Michael's liking, as he had the woman. So he prevailed upon an obliging- cavalry officer to marry her and then separated the couple by using his influence to have the officer's regiment transferred to a distant post.

But Michael reckoned without the clever woman who had him in her foils. It was not long before he was so madly infatuated that he was calling upon her to divorce her officer husband. Accordingly, the Moscowcharmer went through her second divorce, and a short time afterwards was legally married to her Grand; .Duke. •

Nicholas had kept his tongue tightly between his teeth during the earlier stages of liis brother's infatuation. After all, he reasoned, it was only what was to be expected of a Russian Grand Duke. But when Michael married the former Madame Mamantoff, Nicholas Q&w into a rage and! immediately prepared to banish the C"*P"* to some foreign clime. 'When the Dowager Empress heard of the isars intention she hurried to his side. No one knows what threats the strong-minded Dowager used.but iNicholas^ emerged from the meeting a much subdued man. For appearances sake naughty .Michael was sent to live on his estates at Oriol, and told never to show his face again in St. Peters-