FORMER RULER OF ALL THE
RUSSIAS PUT TO DEATH BY
BOLSHEVIKI TROOPS.
WEAK BUT GOOD MONARCH.
After His Overthrow By the Revolu
tionists. Czar Nicholas and His
Family Were Taken to a Remote
City in Siberia—Czar Later Taken
to Scene of His Martyrdom.
The dispatches tell of the assassina
tion of Czar Nicholas, at the hands oi
Bolsheviki troops, which occurred at
the Ural town of Eskaterinburg, at
an unknown date.
Lofty ideals rarely attained, appar
ent good intentions seldom translated
into action, and enlightened and pro
gressive thought that found expression
more often in reaction and oppressive
acts than in reforms, made the career
of Nicholas Romanoff, deposed em
peror of Russia a strange comming
ling of contradictions and inconsisten
cies.
Although, personally, he seemed sin
cere, simple, straightforward, peace
loving, moderate and of benevolent in
tent, disliking dypocrisy or ostenta
tion, a model husband and a tender
father, yet it was often asserted that
h« ruled Russia in a reactionary spirit
was jealous of authority, aroused tc
action chiefly over trifles, that he was
incapable of generosity or sympathy
for the oppressed, subject to morbic
moods during which he was capable ol
cruelty, was superstitious, vacillating
and timid.
It was the same autocrat of all tht
Russias, who called the first greal
world’s peace conference at Tht
Hague, proclaimed the principle oi
international disarmament and dis
tributed 20,000,000 acres of lane
among the Russian peasants, who al
so refused to limit the autoeratii
to by representatices of the Russiai
people, who suppressed the national
ity of the Poles for Russia and ther
became a party to limitation of th<
constitutional rights of the represent
atives of the people. Though he deal
humanely in some respects with th<
minor nationalities merged into Rus
sia, the Jews suffered under his rult
great restriction. Withholding Rus
sia from war with England and de
veloping the Franco-Russian ententt
into a formal alliance, he yet allowec
Russia to drift into war with Japar
and, when Russia drew her sword tc
halt the progress of German aggres
sion, failed to prosecute the war witt
energy and is said to have preferrec
a German victory to liberal control ol
the Russian government.
The usual explanation of these con
tradictions between his characteristics
and his policies was that Nicholas was
of benevolent disposition but weak ir
will, easily swayed by the reactionary
forces of the Russian bureaucracy by
which he was surrounded and which
hampered and hindered the achieve
ment of his own desires. Yet, undei
outside influence, he was capable of
nerving himself to strong determina
tions and firm action such, for exam
ple, as his initiation of the movemeni
to disarmament.
The empress, it was said, once car
icatured him as a bald-headed infant
tied to a high-chair, surrounded by g
crowd of grand dukes and duchesses
each of whom tried to feed him in a
different way, with the result that th<
infant was distracted and in tears. By
some this was regarded as a faithful
portrayal of the emperor’s position.
Nicholas, son and successor of Em
peror Alexander III, was born in St,
Petersburg May 18, 1868, was edu
cated under the direction of Constan
tine Pobedonostseff, procurator gener
al of the holy synod and received mil
itary training but had no personal
tastes for soldiering. Before his ac
cession to the throne, he was sent on
a tour of Greece, Egypt, India and
Japan, where he narrowly escaped as
sassination by a Japanese fanatic. In
that incident, it was said, the Russian
heir-apparent gave evidence of timid
ity.
He succeeded to the throne on No
! vember 1, 1894, at the death of his
’at her and within a few weeks there
after married Princess Alexandra Al
ix, afterward known as Alexandra Fe
odorovna, daughter of the grand duke
of Hesse, by whom he had foui
daughters, the Grand Duchess Olga,
Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia, ami
one son, the Grand Duke Alexis, heir
apparent to the Russian throne up to
the time of his father’s abdication.
| Emperor Nicholas’ coronation at Mos
j cow a year and a half later was at
| tended by a festival in which 2,000
i persons were trampled to death.
The autocratic ruler of many mil
j lions of Russians was 26 years old
when he succeeded to the throne. His
i .
j lack of experience in the rough affairs
i of the world and the limitations of
his early training in the secluded
Russian court had failed to qualify
him in any way to fill the role of an
| autocrat. Instead of wielding the
; sceptre with a firm hand he succumb
ed at once to the stupefying influences
of the bureaucratic forces which dic
tated Russian policies.
He alienated the love and loyalty ot
the Russian people within a short
time after his accession as emperor by
rebuking a delegation from the Rus
sian Zemstvos who gathered at the
Winter Palace to greet the new sov
ereign and brought a memorial in
which they suggested that the law be
enforced with equal justice to all and
hinted at an extension of constitution
al rights to the people. Prompted by
Pobedonostseff, or other bureaucratic
mentors, the emperor denounced these
suggestions as idiotic dreams. From
that time Nicholas was to a large ex
tent under the control of his minis
ters. He had alienated the support of
j the Russian people which might have
enabled him to assert himself in a
conflict with the bureaucrats and ini
j perial relatives who thwarted him.
Five years after his accession to the
throne, Nicholas startled all Europe
by calling in 1899 the first peace con
ference at The Hague to discuss the
^ principle of disarmament and arbitra
tion. Although it did not lead to the
: result he anticipated, it yet forms the
* basis for hopes of men throughout the
1 world of erecting a structure for the
’ maintenance of peace.
1 By some Nicholas was held largely
responsible for the Russo-Japanese
war on the ground that he permitted
his favorites to develop the aggress
ive policv in Manchuiia and Korea
which aroused Japan to hostilities.
He was accused to hindering prepara
tions for the war, of meddling with
General Kuropatkin, his commander,
but is credited in some quarters with
having by his firm insistence, saved
Russia from paying an indemnity to
Japan after peace was proclaimed.
The constitutional reforms in Rus
sia inaugurated by Nicholas were at
tributed to the growth of a democrat
ic spirit among the Russian people and
to internal dissensions caused by the
revelations of official incompetence
and dishonesty in the war with Japan.
A general strike in Petrograd in Sep
tember, 1905, gave the emperor warn
ing of the danger of a revolution, and,
to prevent this, he issued in October
a ukase promising a representative
assembly, and other reforms.
Election of radical dumas, as the
Russian constitutional assembly is
known, apparently aroused in Nicho
las fears of what might develop from
a popular government and they were
soon prorogued. Restriction of suf
frage resulted and a more conserva
tive duma was elected.
Adoption of a policy of fostering
the development of Slav nationalities
in the Balkans led Nicholas into a
clash with Austria-Hungary and when
1 the German emperor aligned himself
beside Austria “in shining armor,’’
Russian ambitions suffered a check.
To what extent Nicholas dictated the
policy of challenging Austrian aggres
sions upon Serbia which led to the
great war that began in 1914 is not
revealed, but he is said to have in
sisted that Germany should not be
permitted to awe Russia a second
time.
Soon after the beginning of the war
the emperor proclaimed the autonomy
of a reunited Poland and in this, as
well as in his resistance to German
aggression, he was in line with the
development of Russian liberalism.
After months of continuous disaster
to the Russian arms, Nicholas took
command of the Russian armies from
Grand Duke Nicholas in September,
1015. His command, however, was
regarded as only nominal.
Although the influences leading tc
the revolution of March, 1017, which
forced his abdication, were various
and some of them obscure, it was ev
ident that the leaders of Russian lib
eral thought blamed the emperor foi
failure to prosecute the war success
fully, for continuing the rule of the
bureaucrats and for the growth of a
pro-German influence at the Russian
court which were undermining Rus
sia’s war strength. There was a bit
ter struggle between the duma and
the reactionary party, a shortage of
food, lack of supplies for the army,
neglect of precaution and organiza
tion. Some of these were attributed
by the liberal leaders to “dai’k forces”
at the court.
One of these for which the emperor
was held personally responsible was
the mysterious power exercised by
Gregory Rasputin, the mystic monk,
who had obtained great ascendency
over both emperor and empress. One
explanation was that Rasputin had
fostered the emperor’s mind by decep
tion the belief that the health of his
only son, the Grand Duke Alexis, de
pended upon Rasputin’s good offices
and presence at the court. Protests
against the monk’s power and pres
ence and against the mysticism and
superstition that enveloped the Rus
sian throne were suppressed. The re
sentment culminated in the murder of
Rasputin and was fanned to renewed
flame by the honors paid him after
death, including burial in a chapel on
the grounds of the emperor’s palace
at Petrograd.
The government had ordered the
dissolution of the council of the em
pire and the duma. The hungry peo
ple were incensed by the lack of food
supplies and held the government re
sponsible for their sufferings. The
| duma rejected the imperial ukase of
dissolution, continued its meetings and
organized an executive committee. It
was believed to represent the demand
of the people that the war should be
prosecuted with greater vigor and ef
| ticiency. The troops in Petrograd
sustained the duma and within three
days from its inception the revolution
was accomplished, the government
overthrown and Nicholas forced to
abdicate.
The emperor was then at the
Russian army headquarters. He at
tempted to transfer the throne to
his brother, the Grand Duke Michael,
but he, in turn, abdicated, and the Ro
manoff dynasty which had ruled the
destinies of the Russian empire for
more than 300 years was brought to
an end. At the order of the executive
committee of the duma, Nicholas, who
had signed his abdication at midnight
March 15, was arrested and taken to
Tsarkoe-Sela palace, which was to be
his prison, and was placed under
guard . He delivered a farewell ad
dress to his soldiers who listened un
responsively and, at its conclusion,
sang the Marseillaise.
Nicholas seemed to be stunned by
the suddenness of the blow and made
no attempt to resist. He rejected the
I suggestion of one of his generals that
the Russian lines be opened and let
the Germans pass through and “deal
with the Canaille in Petrograd,” de
claring that he was no traitor. He ex
pressed the hope that he might be per
mitted to live at his palace at Livadia,
in the Crimea, where he loved to stroll
with the empress among the flowers
and woods. Instead he was taken a
prisoner to the Petrograd palace
where the other members of the form
er impei-ial family had. gathered to
share his imprisonment. At first the
former emperor was not closely con
fined, but was allowed to walk in the
garden twice a day under a guard of
soldiers. His chief occupation in the
first weeks of his imprisonment was
in shoveling snow on the garden
walks. He seemed to be in good
health, displayed interest in what the
foreign newspapers printed about him
but was said to have periods of cry
ing.
His state as prisoner must have
been in painful contrast with that
which he enjoyed as Russian autocrat.
His private wealth had been estimated
as $2,000,000,000, but it was confessed
that no accurate idea of its vastness
was obtainable. His income was be
lieved to exceed $50,000,000 a year.
His personal expenses were placed at
$50 a day, but the expense of main
taining the royal state were almost
incredible.
When emperor he was classed as
the most wealthy man in the world.
He owned several of the world’s most
beautiful palaces and possessed a
great fortune in diamonds, pearls and
other jewels and precious stones. He
owned, it was said, more than a mil
lion square miles of cultivated land
and forests. One-third of the output
of Russia’s gold and silver mines was
believed to be included in his income.
At Petrograd he was housed magnifi
cently in the colossal Winter Palace
but at times the imperial family resid
ed in some of the other magnificent
establishments or chateaus where he
and the empress loved to hold court. It
was reported that he gave $100,000,
000 from his private treasury to Rus
sia’s war fund.
In appearance Nicholas was rather
slender and undersized and, being sen
sitive on that point, usually occupied
the foreground when a photograph
was being made so that his size would
be exaggerated. His resemblance to
King George of England was often
remarked. He was blond and wore a
full beard. Having no desire for os
tentation, he avoided crowds and pomp
when possible and carried no airs or
bluster. Although as emperor he
was head of the Orthodox Greek
church, both he and his wife were re
ported to have been spiritualists, and
it was said that he often consulted
mediums, some of whom obtained con
siderable influence over him. His out
door pleasures were a mild sort, such
as boating, cycling, sketching, ox
playing tennis, of which game he was
very fond.
“A SQUARE DEAL
FOR EVERYBODY”
MEXICO CITY, June 26.—‘CA
square deal for everybody” is the
promise made for the people and in
dustries of Tamaulipas by Professoi
Andres Ozuna, recently elected provi
sional governor of that state by the
national senate after a bitter fight foi
the post that involved two generals
and caused the revolt of one of them
The naming of a school teacher tc
govern a state which, because of it;
oil deposits, is described as the key
stone of Mexico’s international rela
tions, is in itself an innovation ir
modern Mexican pblitics.
“The people of Tamaulipas expec-1
a square deal,” said the new gover
nor, “and they will get it. The for
eign interests need no special favors
They want a square deal and I’ll dc
my best to give it to them.”
Governor Ozuna, in addition to be
ing one of the few non-military mer
who have held responsible governing
posts in Mexico in the last decade, en
joys the added distinction of being
virtually independent in his state. The
new constitution for the state has not
yet been formulated, so it remains foi
the governor to designate what laws
shall be enforced.
Governor Ozuna has spent eight
years in the United States and was
given his degree at Vanderbilt univer
sity in 1913. Since January 3, 1916
he had acted as director general ol
public education and during his in
cumbency he put into effect an era oi
efficiency by installing the merit sys
tem for teachers, inaugurating educa
tional reforms, cutting down the office
force of his department and eliminat
ing politics in the teaching force.
These reforms were put through de
spite scanty appropriations and the
number of schools in the republic in
creased greatly.
Governor Ozuna was chosen by the
national senate from among three
candidates named by President Car
ranza. The other two were General
Carlos Ozuna and General Rafael Gar
denas. General Ozuna is a nephew of
the new governor and will command
the military forces of the state.
Join the ranks of the potatriots and
help spud the kaiser.
Instead of allowing potatoes to go
to waste, send them to the waist Jine.
LICENSE IS
NEEDED TO BUY
EXPLOSIVES
BUREAU OF MINES CHARGED
WITH ENFORCEMENT OF RE
CENTLY ENACTED LAW.
STRICT OBEDIENCE REQUIRED.
Those Found Guilty of Violation of
Law May Be Fined Five Thousand
Dollars or Given Not to Exceed
One Year in Jail—Prevents Activi
ties of Alien Enemies.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., June 28.—
Under the new federal explosives act,
approved by the president October 6,
1917 and effective November 15, 1917,
every person is required to have a li
cense for the purchase, possession,
sale or use of explosives, or ingredi
ent of explosives, according to the
United States explosives officer for
California.
Explosives are dynamites, blasting
! and shot-gun powders, caps and many
other commodities listed in the act.
As well as the component parts of
those materials, which under the act
are classed as ingredients.
The bureau of mines of the interior
depaitment is charged with the en
forcement of this law. The director
of the bureau of mines has appointed
licensing agents for the issuing of li
| censes in every hamlet, village, town,
j and city in the United States. In
California we have 700 licensors
equipped and missioned to use licen
ses. The county clerk of every county
in California is appointed a licensor.
In almost every instance justices of
the peace are appointed licensors, as
well as notaries.
! .......
Licenses will not ne issued to enemy
aliens, or to subjects of a country al
lied with an enemy of the United
states. Subjects of neutral countries
the entitled to licenses, if they are
known to be loyal and responsible.
Licensors are instructed to refuse
to issue a license to any person not
known to be loyal and responsible un
less recommended by reputable citi
zens of the community.
A person who has been refused by
a licensor may appeal to the National
Council of Defense at Washington, D.
C. If the National Council of Defense
grants the appeal it will make an or
i der upon the director of the bureau
of mines to issue the license.
The purpose of the act is to prevent
disloyal persons from procuring ex
plosives and to keep explosions out of
the hands of persons who will not
guard them carefully enough to pre
vent them from being stolen or used
by disloyal persons.
Penalty: Sec. 19: That any person
violating any of the provisions of
this act, or any rules or regulations
made thereunder, shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and shall be punished by
a fine of not more than $5,000 or by
imprisonment not more than one year,
or by both such fine and imprison
ment.
3,000 HUNS ~
ARE CAPTURED
LONDON, June 28.—Surrender of
a German force of 3,000 men in East
Africa was due to the chance dropping
of a number of bombs by a British
airman, according to a report from
Capetown, which says:
“An officer of the flying corps was
out on reconnaissance in the region of
the Rovuma river, but found nothing
to bomb. Being forced to discharge
his cargo of bombs to lighten his ma
chine for the homeward trip, he chose
a quiet spot and dropped them all,
causing, of course, considerable noise.
“The German general, Tafel, was at
the time marching to join his chief,
Von Lettow, but news of the explo
sions was reported to him, and he,
thinking a large force of the enemy
must be somewhere in the district, di
verted his line of march and before
long bumped into a British force.
“Ultimately his whole force, 3,000
strong, surrendered.”
ATTEMPT TIE <
JOE BERNARD OF NOME IS ON
WAY FROM PACIFIC TO AT
LANTIC VIA ARCTIC OCEAN.
PASSED WINTER AT MELVILLE.
With Small Power Boat Called the
“Teddy Bear,” Intrepid Arctic Trad* r
Is Seeking to Make the Difficult
Northeast Passage.
SEATTLE, Wash., June 28.—Navi
gation of the difficult northeast pass
age through the Arctic ocean from the
Pacific to the Atlantic, which has been
attempted by several explorers, may
be accomplished this year by Cap
tain Joe Bernard, a hardy Arctic trad
er, who, for a time was a member of
the party of Vilhjalmur Stefansson,
the Canadian explorer.
According to reports received here
Bernard, aboard his schooner, the
Teddy Bear, spent the 1917-18 winter
frozen in the ice somewhere east of
Melville island, which lies in the Arc
tic ocean off Canada. It is believed
here that Bernard probably was wait
ing for the Arctic ice to break so he
could proceed eastward to the Atlan
tic and sail south to New Foundland.
Roald Amuncisen, the Norwegian
explorer, who discovered the passag*
in 1906, took a different course than
Bernard as he picked his way west
ward between the land and tne ice
instead of eastward. Amundsen,
aboard his little boat, Gjoa, completed
his journey by swinging around Point
Barrow into the Bering sea. Until
Amundsen brought back word thi£ a
passage between the Pacific and the
Atlantic existed in the Arctic, it was
believed bv many that unexplored land!
blocked the way and that the stories!
of the opening were fables. The!
Gjoa is now high and dry on exhib’-J
tion in San Francisco’s Golden Gate
park.
If Bernard succeeds in his attemp
to reach the Atlantic he wiU be at- \
complishing what his former chief,
Stefansson, attempted and failed. Ber
nard aboard the Bear, which for a
time was one of Stefansson’s fleet,
worked eastward with the explore! in
1916. It is not known here whether
Stefansson commissioned Bernard to
attempt the passage.
Few details of Bernard’s trip have
been received here. Captain AlcUn- <*
der Allan, another Arctic trader, ar
rived here recently and reported^er- k
nard was trying to reach the cast
coast. Reports picked up along the
Arctic coast by traders and brought
into Nome, Alaska, confirmed Allan’s
statement. Bernard started in the
fall of 1916, but was too late to get
very far before the ice pack closed
about him. The following year he
pi'essed eastward and nothing definite
has been heard about him since.
Joe Bernard and his late brother
Pete Bernard are known at every
point along the western Arctic coast.
For a time both were with Stefansson.
Pete was frozen to death last winter
in Banks land. From Bering strait to
Coronation gulf and even farth^ea-t
there nins a legend among the Eski
mos, “There are two Joe Bernards,
one he named Pete.”
WATSON MAKES RECORD.
Inspired by patriotism and further
by keen competition from the bal
ance of the Pacific Steamship agpnts,
Barney Watson has made an en^tiote
record in selling W’ar Savings and
Thrift Stamps. Barney’s record of
$600.00 in sale of war stamps yester
day will probably stand for some time
to come, as will the total of $1,993.00
sold by him during the month of May.
This has been done absolutely through
personal efforts and individual can
vass of the general public. Mr. Wat
son is fat and forty and abo^ draft
age, but at that is certainly doing his
“bit” to assist the administration to
win the war, which is the paramount
question with all loyal Americans. A
few more $600 victories over the kai
ser will be entitled to wear the honor
ed title of “Captain Barney.”