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Show THE CZAR'S STATEMENT. In relieving the jrrand Juke of his command of the Russian armies the czar says-: "At the beginning of the war i was unavoidably prevented from following fol-lowing Che inclination of my soul to put myself at the head of the army.'' When the war started it was reported report-ed repeatedly from Petrograd that the czar would take command in the field and there was considerable surprise when it was announced that the command com-mand had been assigned to Grand Duke Nicholas. Now the czar declares that he was "unavoidably prevented'" from placing himself at the head of his troops. It looks very much as If a mysterious and fascinating history has beeu in the making back of the Russian Rus-sian lines from the very outbreak of the war. The world will ask how it was that the most autocratic ruler in the world could be "unavoidably prevented" pre-vented" front following the "incli nation na-tion of his soul" to lead his troops. The czar's statement may mean mucn or little. H may mean merely that he was dissuaded from taking command com-mand because of the danger of assassination. assas-sination. On the other baud, it may mean that the powerful clique of grand dukes would not permit him to assume as-sume the position of generalissimo. In any event it seems likeby that after the war we shall hear some interesting Petrograd court gossip about the czar during the first year of hostilities. |