Show Duke uke Vladimir 2 lad in Causes Czar chokis 7 uch ey His Grasping Ambition and arid Constant Hostility to the Throne Make Him a Man to be Feared and Dreaded Alexander III II Distrusted Him B Bj fly Van Vait Calava Republican Special Service Serice Washington D. D C. C Jul July JulAt 27 At At At nearly every CI C court of ot the old ohl world orM there Is Isa Isa Isa a prince of or the tho blood around whom the malcontents gather and nl who Is popularly regarded as harboring sentiments sentiments sentiments senti senti- ments of or Jealousy and will ill wU i-wU toward the tue reigning sovereign In France grance durIng durIng during dur dur- ing the thc reign of or Napoleon III II it was tras the tho emperors emperor's cousin Prince Jerome Napoleon nicknamed PIon who filled this role and whose salons at the Palais Royal Roal were the rendezvous of or the thc Imp Imperial governments government's most merciless merciless merciless merci merci- less critics As long as Queen Isabella was on the throne of or Spain her brother- brother law in-law the late duke of Montpensier lost no opportunity of or undermining her position Indeed he lie actually promo promoted tel the revolution which whim drove her into exile in the expectation of being choSen chosen chosen cho cho- sen to succeed h hIn her In Russia Alexander II I. I the present czars czar's grandfather suffered cruelly at atlie atthe atthe the lie hands of or his brilliant but utterly unscrupulous brother the late Grand Duke Dulc Constantine Constantino On two occasions documents In the thc writing of th the tho grand luk duke duk proving his complicity In revolutionary revo movements were placed In Inthe Inthe inthe the emperors emperor's hands Summoning his brother to his presence Alexander cast the lie papers In the Uw fire fre exclaiming I Iha ha have hanot not read them Then with wih th the winning smile smie that liat used sometimes to tol l lighten up UI his stern face he lie folded Constantine Constantino In his arms and said saki sid Never ver will wi I believe that thou lend thyself to aught against me I ii I r. r of ur Vladimir iid hr Tola Today under tinder uller Nicholas II I th the tue opposition to 10 the reigning monarch Is represented represented rep rep- rP resented by the czars czar's uncle the Grand Duke Vladimir Ills his Ils hostile hostle attitude which encourages disloyalty to the thc emperor em eat- and the const constant nt fear of his In Intrigues In- In trl have greatly Increased the anxieties mix mix- and difficulties that now itow weigh weight so heavily on the time shoulders of tho the auto auto- crat crot Russia RUla at the present moment Is confronted by what Is perhaps the tue greatest crisis In lit hl hot her history Nicholas is aware o of Vladimir's Vladimirs grasping ambi tion lon He lie realizes that his own misfortunes tunes tune will wi constitute his uncles uncle's opportunity unity and that lie he has quite Quie as much to fear from Vladimir today tolay as he had at the time of his accession and ind later lator on when ihen he was so dangerously ill II with wih typhoid fever Nicholas' Nicholas father tho Ito late Alexander III II completely distrusted distrust distrust- ed this particular brother of his In lit his ukase decreeing the order of succession succession suc sac cession to the throne ho Inserted a 0 clause barring an any prince of the house of or Romanoff whose wife wie if IC ifa ifa a n foreigner had bath hal refused at her hel marriage marriage mar mar- to become a n convert to the thc national national na na- na- na church of Russia The Tue reigning czar is not only tho the temporal autocrat of the Muscovite empire but also the supreme pontiff o of Its Is church being consecrated as such stick at the coronation It I would naturally Impair tho the eccle authority of or the sovereign were he ito to be married maried to a B wife vito who vho In the tito eyes of or tho orthodox Is la a n heretic and antl were he ho to permit his children to be brought up by such a mother That this titis provision In the law of or succession was aimed at Vladimir is 18 apparent from Crom the fact that he Is the only grand duke whose consort a n Lutheran princess of has hns always refused to Join the Russian church Or mil I A tle 1 No The relations between Vladimir and pleasant pleas pleas- his Imperial brother were never ant Tho The grand ranc duchess too was disliked disliked lis- lis dis dis- liked by the lat late czar who resented her gambling propensities anti and her disposition this dis position to play playa a political l rol role rolp It I was said that he lie regarded her as an ag agent nt of or Prince Bismarck It I is certain that sho she and antl her husband several se times thames re received received re- re a a command to tra travel l r which means means a qualified form of temporary tem tern banishment from court It I was however r. r in the lie tw autumn of lS In the thelast thelast the last weeks week of oC Alexanders Alexander's reign that his distrust of oC the grand duko W was S most strongly shown It I Is well weil known that he retained his itis lucidity to the end In Indeed Indel In- In del deed leed his mental faculties became keener keen keen- er em- during the closing days las la's of his hla life than ever er before As s soon Roon as he lie realized re re- re- re oUzel that his recovery was Improbable able he summoned General Count commanding tho the Seventh arid and Dul Elgh h army corps with wih headquarters at nt Odessa to the i Imperial estate In the Crimea There the czar and the general perfected military mili mil mil- tar tary arrangements to prevent pre Vladimir from making any attempt to secure possession of U the te e throne on Alexanders Alexander's death b by means of or a n coup COUI dc tie main To 0 what extent Vladimir haiti had hat au any such Rueh ambitious designs Is known to but buta butu a u fow rw That ills hits brother was convinced of their th lr existence and had hal actual knowledge o of thorn them is demonstrated by bythe bytho bytho tho the measures which he caused Count to adopt There would have ha been no ito Jo possible object or 01 reason for tor military action acton if It I there had hadnot hadnot hal not been reason to fear somo vital danger danger dan dan- lan lan- ger of this hits kind A few days before the thc end the dying czar crar telegraphed for his law in the tho prince of or Wales ales whom he lie knew to be he a u man of or excellent counsel and a useful friend to have on tho ho spot at a 0 critical momen moment mo mo- men mont ment t The prince although ho lie had seen comparatively comparative little of Alexander since the latter's later's accession to the Russian Rus Itus- sian Ian throne left heft London within a few rew hours of receiving the he summons and traveled straight across Europe by special cial cal train without stopping anywhere until he reach reached cd He lie lc arrived a u few tots hours too late into to see Alexander alive but hut was In time to assist In the proclamation of the Nicholas Niche Nicho Icho- Icho las Ins as us emperor o of Russia The prince of or Wales Vales now HOW King ICing Edward f remained with wih his nephew for nearly two tivo months Its acting as the young czars czar's supporter und and mentor lie le did lid not return to England until ho lie had seen een Nicholas saCe safely on the tIme married manlet throne and firmly established |