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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1905)
jr m fm4&mui '"g ggwi , - ft 6 V5orts of different races, religions and ideas, and thiw no man can do and least of all in a time llko tlii. The simple fact is that the evils of. the old system have now become absolutely intolerable. And when you add to the fact the sending off of lmmenuo numbers of the best young men in the country to an utterly useless and wicked war and the pressure of taxation which grinds the peo ple to the dust, you havo a situation which nono but the very strongest rulers in all human his tory can cope with. The czar has no strength of character, no proper education and 13 hopelessly unfit to grapple with the situation. No doubt the worst of the featurcsNof the situation have been kept from him." Mr. White said it was not un likely tho ndviscrs or the emporer would try to follow out tho policy of the emperor Nicholas I, who had tho ringleaders of tho insurrection of eighty years ago shot, hanged or sent to Siberia. Ho did not believe, however, that important changes in Russia could long be delayed. A SKETCH of Russia's reigning house is given by a writer in tho New York World in this way: "Tho reigning family of Russia dates back to 1G13, when Michael Fcdorovltz, the first of the house of the Romanoffs, ascended tho throne. For a span of seven centuries the Russians had been under tho rule of the Iturlc dynasty. Fcodor I, tho last of tho Rurics, was assassinated, and that gavo tho Romanoffs tho chanco they had long sought. Michael Fedorovitz reignod until his death in Ki82 and was succeeded . by Ivan and Peter I, who camo to be known in history as Peter tho Great. Seven years later Peter became tho solo sovereign. At the Urn of his death in 1752 tho Russian court was divided into two power ful parties. Tho one demanded that the crown should go to Peter, the son of Alexis, brother of Potor tho Great, who had been put to death by his own brothor'a decree. The other faction called for tho crowning of Catherine, tho widow of Potor tho Great. Tho latter finally triumphed, but her roign was a brief one, for she died within two years. Before her death she nominated Peter, tho son of Alexis, to be her successor. In 1730 he was deposed and the crown given to Anno of Courland, daughter of Peter the Great and Cath erine Poter II was in fact the last of the Roman offs, for o malo lino became extinct with his death, but tho name waa preserved through tho accession of Anno of Courland, who was the mothor of tho unfortunate Peter III. PETER III was dethroned and assassinated in 17G2 and was succeeded by his widow Cath erine II. She reigned until 1796. On her death in that year she was succeeded by Paul, who be canio a maniac and wa3 assassinated in 1801. Aloxander I was crowned and his reign continued until his death In 1852. The next in the lino of accession was Nicholas I. For three years he ruled over tho Russians and say one of the storm iest of all periods of tho country's history. He was succeoded by Alexander II in 1855. The reign of Aloxander II was full of vicissitudes. The Nihil ists had becomo emboldened by centuries of mis rulo and tyranny, and throughout his reign they wore plotting his death. In 1880 a dynamite bomb was exploded under tho royal dining-room and tho only reason tho czar and all tno royal family were not killed was because they happened to be a few minutes later than usual for dinner A year later Alexander II was assassinated. A Nihil ist throw a bomb under his carriage, tearing him to pieces His successor, Alexander III, was marked by tho Nihilists several times for assassination, but all of their plots failed. Many of them were sent to tho mines of Siberia for lifo and others nut ma atlLi n!ie m'Tes,eut1czar carao to the throne In 1894. Nicholas II is tho eldest son of Alexander III. He was born in 18G8. Just twenty-six days after ho was crowned czar of all the Russians he wedded Princess Allx of Hesse. Only a few months ago a son and heir was born to the reign ing family amid great popular rejoicing. RUSSIA has already been tho sccno of two great revolutions. A writer in the New York World says: -Tho first popular uprising occured in 1730 when Peter H was dethroned and Cafh crlne was placed on the throne. Again mmo thoro was a revolution that grow oat of ?, I ninny of tho reigning house8 o?Roma?olta thrt threatened to terminate their rule In thS L , uprising Peter III was forced to abdicatf throno and tho revolutionists crown,? S ho II in his place. Her rei-n Z hnrlur , CatllGrino than that of tho ruler who S w leSS Stonny the throne and muS J ft? The Commoner. constant state of semi-revolution, and in 1774 ,tho Cossacks entered into an open rebellion which lasted a year before the ruler succeeded in bringing them into subjection. History tells of many revo lutions among tho nations of tho world. The first about which there is anything like definite record was the fall of the Roman empire, and the estab lishment of tho republic on its ruins by Julius Caesar in 47 13. C. Tho next great revolution was in 331 13. C, when tho Macedonian Empire sup planted tho Persian on the defeat of Darius Codo manus by Alexander the Great. For more than two hundred years tho world lived in compara tive peace, but in 53G B. C. there came tho third historic revolution in which tho great Assyrian Empire was destroyed and in its wake came the nation of the Modes and Persians, which was the work of Cyrus the Great. In 800 A. D. the 3pirit of revolution swept over Europe and the Empire of tho Western Franks began under Charlemagne. In the centuries that havo followed not a nation on die globe has escaped a revolution. Portugal was shaken by one in 1640 and England experi enced her lirst serious one in 1775 when tho American colonies revolted and in 1776 camo tho Declaration of Independence. England had ex perienced another revolution in 1688 that waa fraught wifli consequences nearly as great as those resulting from the revolt of her American colonies. In that great popular uprising there was such a demand for reforming that the crown could not resist it with the backing of armies." GOVERNOR R. M. LaFollette was on Jan. 25 elected to represent Wisconsin in the United States senate. At tho republican caucus held on the evening of Jan. 24, Governor LaFollette was chosen, receiving 65 votes. Senator Quarles re ceived 26 votes, while 16 votes were scattered among other candidates. It is interesting to re call the fact that the republican national conven tion for 1904 refused to take the LaFollette dele gation and formally declared the LaFollette repub licans to bo irregular. They also sought to make it appear that Governor LaFollette wa3 not in fact the republican nominee for governor. The courts upheld LaFollette's claim. The governor was re-elected and now he has been elevated to the senate. THE selection of Governor LaFollette is re garded as significant, when compared with tho selection of other senators. A writer in the Omaha World-Herald says: "Republican leaders have very generally professed to be In sympathy with Mr. Roosevelt's fight against railroad re bates; and yet republican legislatures have gone right along electing to the senate men who are confessedly, under obligation to the railroads.' Montana has elected Tom Carter; Indiana has re elected Senator Beveridge and has chosen Con gressman Hemmenway to succeed Senator Fair banks; Michigan has re-elected Senate-? Clapn Massachusetts has re-elected Senator Lodge and has chosen W. Murray Crane to succeed the late Senator Hoar; New York has re-elected Depew Pennsylvania has elected former Attorney Gen- NoJth n-EnS1? haS ?eCted Gerge Borland; North Dakota has re-elected Senator McCumber- Connecticut has chosen former Governor BulSy' Maine has re-elected Senator Hale. Not one of these gentlemen is in the least obnoxious to the corporation element. It is safe to sav that Tinn yelt could not depend upon one o them were nt to engage in a serious contest with the rVesenta tives of special interests, but the nrn, ww , SSVbsse-SSKS with 3oy by every democrat, by everv nonnut? i am.. upon wIlom the peopV'Lt,! AN effort is being made to lino i,n lican members in the honS i Pi- th repub" Hepburn interstate onWce h U Th. wi ?' th correspondent for the CMcago Record mSS0 der date of Jan. 23, says- -DisSfnn?fald' un" the Hepburn bill is rapidly spreading t ?0l wlth as inspection 1c .ds totteKSif?8110 favorable to the shipping IntweaSi ni if8 ??' 80 claim, it win be taken up by "toeiZ?111 merce committee Wedne-rinv i iner8tate corn reported before the .end o ttft ro?ably Wil1 bo supporters of the Cooper-Quaries WU Vh, measure will be substituted for i? 1 P GdIct theIr democratic representatives' tr! unan .. VOLUME' 5, NUMBER 3 imously to support the railroad rate bill intro duced by Congressman Davey of Louisiana, uhich has been agreed on by the minority membors of the interstate commerce committee. It givps the commission power to fix a reasonable rate, which shall go into effect after twenty days' notice ana continue until set aside by a competent court." THE first life insurance policy of which tho details are on record, according to a writer in "World's Work" resulted in a law suit. Wm. Gybbon3 insured' himself on June 15, 1583, for 383 against dying in 12 months; he did die on May 18 of the next year and the disgusted underwrit ers (the company of those day3) contested pay ment on the' 'plea that he had lived 12 months of 28 days each! NEWSPAPER dispatches reported that tho chaplain of the lower house of congress, ia a prayer, used this language: ."There is so much bad in the best of U3 and so muchgood in the worst of us, it hardly behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us." GOVERNOR HOCH of Kansas, in an interview with a newspaper reporter, says that ho would like to know whether "a stolen prayer reaches the throne." Referring to the sentence quoted from the chaplain'3 prayer, Governor Hoch said: "I printed that in my paper at Marion sev eral years ago. I am glad the house chaplain knows a good thing when he sees it." AN Associated Press dispatch under date of London, Jan. 25, say3 that an official "in a position to speak from the highest authority," ventures the following opinion: "Every word about tho czar's being kept ignorant of the revo lution is true. The present movement is not an industrial uprising, and not even a political in surrection. Its real character is an attempt by the dukes to get the throne for Vladimir and de pose the czar. Vladimir permitted the strike to grow. Vladimir kept the petitioners from tho emperor. Vladimir ordered Sunday's massacre, the object being to foment discord among the people. At the proper moment he will say to the army, which he commands. 'See what a weakling occu pies the Russian throne. Depose him. You and I will save Russia.' The czar knows le3s than American newspaper readers. Vladimir is corn batted by the czarina, who knows the inside facts. She is doing all she can to save the throne for her baby. All depends on tho army. The law can not change its mandate." ACCORDING to a Belgrade correspondent, the publication of the story of Queen Nathalie's intrigue to avenge herself on S'ervia, followed by the sudden withdrawal by the po3tal authorities of all the new coronation stamps, is the sole topic of conversation throughout the Balkin states. Tho London News says: "In order to celebrate King Peter's coronation, the Servian government decided to issue a series of large postal labels bearing the new monarch's portrait, beside that of his ances tor Karageorge. The engraving was unfortunately entrusted to a Frenchman named Mouchon, a per son it is alleged, very friendly toward Queen Nathalie, and he very skillfully introduced into tho design for the new postage stamp3 the ghastly leatures of the Queen's murdered son, King Alex ander. A vast number of the coronation stamps were issued to the public before it became known to the authorities that the new Issue wa3 regarded by many of King Peter's superstitious subjects as a heavenly sign" that tho now monarch's reign was to be "brief and bloody." IT IS explained by the London News that if ono of the new 3taraps be held upside down tho unmistakable death mask of King Alexander may be seen, formed by a portion of King Peter's head with that of his ancestor, Karageorge. Tho nos trils of the two heads together from the eyes of the murdered monarch, the moustacnes make tho eyebrows and the eyebrow and eye of Karageorge vS lns A1,exander's nose and mouth. Tho "death masic stamps" as the new issue has become known-have undoubtedly made a great impression m tne army and among the uneducated classes. 1 learn on the best authority," concludes the cor respondent, "that tho government is making des perate efforts to buy up as many of the dangerous 17, as Possible and is even sending agents amoad to Franco, Germany and England to secure pf mA , any cost' from speculators and foreign stamp dealers." I ... B -4mU, ta,1..