Victor Victorious

by Cecil Starr Johns

  *CHAPTER IX*

  The next few weeks were terrible ones for me; days full of anxiety, hardwork, and ceremonial. I discovered that a King needs the strength oftwo men, physically and mentally, in the first few weeks of his reign.

  I had dismissed a great number of officials appointed by my predecessor,for they were incompetent men, owing their positions to rankfavouritism; and for some time Rudarlia was governed by a provisionalCabinet, composed of the great men of the state.

  The hopeless confusion into which Ivan had plunged the finances of thecountry was appalling.

  There had been complete destruction of many valuable assets of wealth,but chiefly the mischief had been done to agriculture, upon which agreat part of the population depended. Taxes had been heaped upon thepeople; first in the shape of a land tax, which had grown into aridiculous size; secondly the market tax, a peculiar piece of villainy,since it mulcted both the buyer and the seller. Ivan, evidently, couldnot be just, even in his injustice, for the poor man, with perhaps agoat for sale, had to pay as much as the large farmer selling wholeherds of cattle.

  One of my first acts was to abolish this iniquitous impositionaltogether; and a very small annual payment for market dues was chargedinstead.

  The money raised in this way was used locally, so that those who paidreceived it back in the improvements of their locality.

  I merely mention this tax as an example of Ivan's financial methods whendealing with agriculture.

  Enormous sums, for Rudarlia, had been raised, of which there was norecord dealing with their expenditure. Presumably, therefore, they haddisappeared into the avaricious maw of Ivan.

  When we examined the debit side of our accounts it was almost moreappalling.

  The army had been paid, not regularly, but in dribblets. As forclothing, ammunition, etc., the stores had been depleted, and nothinghad been replaced. The other services had been run in the same way,without method or supervision. The fraud and thieving practised by manyof the officials must have been terrific.

  It is not my intention to give a long, detailed account of such matters,although they are impressed on my mind.

  * * * * *

  After the first outbreak of popular enthusiasm, there were recurrentbursts of joyful celebration, and devotion to my family.

  As was perhaps only natural, the restoration of the direct line of theStephanovitch dynasty caused a considerable stir throughout Europe; andthe usual diplomatic correspondence took place.

  In Sir George Curtiss and Monsieur Delacroit, the British and FrenchMinisters, I found friends. These two men were ever ready to be ofservice to me personally, and also to Rudarlia. I fancy they understoodthat my feelings were very strongly in favour of the Triple Entente; andit was most probably those same feelings of mine which caused me to beslightly less friendly with the central European powers, or rather theirMinisters.

  I had then--and so far have had no reason to change my views--a verystrong conviction that Germany was the great danger to the world'speace.

  All of them expressed pleasure at having Merlin's son upon the Rudarlianthrone. Even the Bornian Minister pretended that he was overjoyed, andexpressed himself to that effect in beautiful, flowery language;verbiage which I accepted smilingly, and at my own idea of its worth.

  To me, Bornia was our greatest menace, I had imagined this always; andnow, since my conversation with Alexis, I was quite certain of it. So Igave all the time I could spare, from pressing home affairs, to planningout how to get the better of our neighbour in the conflict that Iforesaw.

  Nothing could be done, however, until some kind of order had beenestablished within the kingdom, the chaotic state of which caused acomplete change of government to be necessary.

  Up to now, Rudarlia had been an absolute monarchy, the king's powerbeing autocratic; a curious survival of mediaeval days, and which forcenturies had satisfied Rudarlians; but now a more modern spirit was atwork, and there were indications that a representative form ofgovernment was desirable. But what kind of constitution would best suitthe country? That was the question, and I gave it a great deal ofthought, before asking some of the leading men to give me their ideas inwriting. These, when I received them, proved rather disappointing, forall of them suffered from the same fault: that of not recognising thewhole, as a whole.

  I had suggested to Mr. Smith that he should give me his idea, but herequested me to allow him to stand aside for the present. He told methat he would like to know what his King had thought of doing. He wasinterested to see what Merlin's son would do.

  I set to work vigorously, although, I confess, with a great deal oftrepidation. A scheme to turn an absolute monarchy into aconstitutional one, without injury to the various classes, and withoutupsetting the national morale, was one from which anyone might shrink.

  I did not propose to work out details--that would have taken too muchtime, as well as being something that could be better done byothers--but I did wish to think out the main structure. I thereforecompared the different systems of legislature known to the civilisedworld. I collected information from all sources, in the course ofconversations with men of all classes, and I also thought deeply on thenature of the Rudarlian people. This was the most difficult part of thewhole problem; for, of all things, national character is the mostcomplex. Along one road, a nation may be steered as easily as a flock ofsheep; along another, the first few yards will split it into a hundredconflicting elements.

  Rudarlia was mainly an agricultural country, and it has always seemed tome that such are best governed by a system akin to the patriarchal; yet,as a European country, such a system was impossible. Therefore I had toarrange that, although not patriarchal, an element of it should bethere, combined with more up-to-date forms.

  It was with this in my mind that I considered the possibility ofcombining the municipal government with the parliamentary, and to thatend introduced the Mayors, as the lowest class in the parliamentarypyramid.

  In the election of Mayors, every man, barring the mentally deficient,and the habitual criminal, had a vote.

  Mayors, however, did not sit in Parliament, their duty being thecollection of facts relating to the conditions of life and publicaffairs in their districts, and the sending of them in to the classabove them, the Sheriffs.

  Every man who possessed a house, or piece of land, of an annual rentalof five pounds, had the right to vote for a Sheriff. If a man possessedmore than one house or piece of land, he should be entitled to an extravote for each house, etc., with this provision: no man should cast morethan one vote in any one borough.

  For every four thousand votes, there should be one Sheriff; but, in thecase of a borough with more than four thousand voters, the odd votesshould be cast still for one Sheriff, until such time as the number ofvoters exceeded six thousand, when another Sheriff should be voted for,in addition.

  To these Sheriffs was allotted the power of selecting the actual membersof Parliament, the Senators, in the proportion of one Senator to threeSheriffs.

  To the latter, fell the duty of condensing the reports of the Mayors,and forwarding them to the Senate; upon these reports, a committee ofSenators would frame bills, which would then be sent to the Minister inwhose department they were. Of these Ministers, those of Justice,Interior, Agriculture, Education, Public Works and Arts, were elected bythe Senate, while the King would appoint the Ministers of War, Finance,and Foreign Affairs; also the Premier, who would be Chancellor, andPresident of the Council.

  The bills framed by the Senators would be duly discussed, and then sentto the Ministers of the different departments; and it was their duty tointroduce them to the Cabinet, who would discuss, amend, and finallydeliver to the King, for the Royal Assent.

  I made the possession of certain immovable property the basis ofsuffrage; for, to my mind, those men who value the power of voting willbe thrifty and hard-working, in order to purchase or rent land, or aho
use of sufficient value.

  Again, men who possess property are not so prone to encourage looselegislation as the wastrels and thriftless; it would therefore encouragethose qualities, which are the basis of all national welfare. Thepossession of a vote should give a man self-respect and dignity; thecasting of a vote should be a matter of serious thought, in order thatmen of undoubted worth might be elected as Sheriffs.

  With regard to the election of Mayors, that all men, with the twoexceptions I have named, should have the right to vote, was necessaryfor the pyramidical form of government; for, among those without thequalifications of sufficient property, there were, no doubt, many who,by their clear reason, sound judgment, and patriotism, could be ofservice to the state, through the Mayors.

  Sheriffs and Mayors would be paid government officials; Senators andMinisters would be unpaid, except in cases of expense incurred in thestate service.

  I believe that the soundest laws are made by men who give their servicesto the state.

  It has always seemed to me best, that the portfolios of War, and ForeignAffairs, should be in the hands of nobles chosen for their patriotismand probity. Finance, too, should not be a question to be tampered withby lower-class men, for an intellect of the finest understanding,unswerving loyalty to high ideals, and a consummate knowledge of humannature, are essential in one who would conduct worthily the finances,which are undoubtedly the heart's blood of a nation. However great aman may be who has risen from the lower class, it is generally throughbeing possessed of qualities which, admirable though they are, do notlead to the delicate sensitiveness, tact, and polished thoughtnecessary.

  Again, in every assembly of men, there are always those in opposition;perhaps it is necessary, to obtain the best legislation. This being so,it were only human nature to promise to the electors those things whichmight forward their election, regardless of expense, and, once financebecomes a party question, unwise legislation is thrust upon the state,accompanied by an enormous increase in taxation. Personally, I wouldfavour slow and steady development in everything, always reserving,however, sufficient energy to maintain, for some considerable time, highpressure and rapid movement. Therefore, I would sooner see a governmentof sober-minded, level-headed men than one led and directed by morebrilliant and erratic brains, nothing being, to my mind, so injurious asthe clever, plausible man, who has the power of swaying an audience bywords; for, generally, their speech is mere verbiage, used to concealtheir real thoughts and confuse the minds of their hearers.

  In order that the finances of the country should not be controlled byone man, the whole Cabinet should discuss every tax suggested by theMinister; and it should be the privilege of the King to call in not morethan five Senators to discuss with them.

  The Army and Navy should be in the hands of experts, with the sameprovisions as in dealing with Finance.

  Foreign Affairs should be in the hands of the King and Minister; only incases of serious import, such as the sending of an Ultimatum, or greatchange in foreign policy, should full debate be allowed in the Cabinet.

  That was the rough draft I drew up to show to Mr. Smith. I advisedgradual alteration of existing laws; never, however, until better oneswere ready to take their place.

  In my scheme, the elections should take place every five years. TheKing, however, could retain the Ministers appointed by himself for aslong as he thought fit.

  It so happened that my ideas found favour at once with Mr. Smith, andother nobles to whom I showed the draft; and I am glad to say that theyhave been in existence in Rudarlia now for some years, and I think meetwith general approval.

  Naturally, they were altered here and there; but the main idea is thesame as that embodied in my first rough draft.

  I shall never forget the day when a deputation of some of the leadingmen from all the provinces waited upon me to deliver into my hands apetition, couched in the humblest and most loyal terms, begging me togrant Rudarlia an extremely limited constitution.

  We, that is Mr. Smith and the other nobles, had kept to ourselves theplans we had been making, so their petition was looked upon by them as amost daring innovation to propose.

  "Indeed!" said I, having glanced at the paper. "Are you not content thatI should govern you well, and in accordance with past traditions?"

  "It is not your rule, your Majesty, that we fear, it is rather those whomay come after you. Your Sacred Father ruled us well and yet Ivan came.As it is, we, your humble servants, recognising in you the truesuccessor to your father's throne, would wish to profit by yourgraciousness, to ask this great boon, to ensure against possible ills inthe future."

  "You believe, then, that it is wise to 'Make hay, while the sun shines.'But, tell me, have you plans drawn out, for our consideration, of thisproposed constitution?"

  "No, your Majesty, that is further than we dared to go."

  We had had copies made of the draft which I have referred to, and Mr.Smith at this moment handed one to me. I took this as a sign that hewould consider it wise to divulge our secret now; so I handed the draftto the leader of the deputation and said:

  "Gentlemen, although my reign has only just begun, you have approachedme with this petition. If you will withdraw and read this paper, I shallbe pleased to hear your opinion upon it. When you have considered it,return to me here."

  They withdrew, and I returned to my work with Mr. Smith.

  In less than an hour, they were back again, with such expressions ofdelight on their faces that I was well recompensed for any trouble I hadtaken. I had given them so much more than they had ever dreamed of,that they stood confused and stammering before me.

  "Well, gentlemen, you see that, quick as you were with your petition, wehave been still quicker in preparing our answer."

  "God bless your Majesty. It is so much more than we dared hope for,that you find us dazed with your generosity."

  "Then you are satisfied?"

  "Satisfied! More than satisfied, and eternally grateful to yourMajesty. Ah! all Rudarlians will rejoice when this becomes known, andevery man and woman will be bound even more firmly in their devotedloyalty to you."

  "God grant it; but you must realise, and make others understand, thatsuch change takes time to carry out. Therefore try and curb impatience,believing that our best endeavours will always be for Rudarlia."

  It took months of hard work by able-minded men to work out the detailsof our scheme, and as many more to perfect the machinery.

  In the meantime, I set to work upon the army, and other matters thatwere of great importance.

  In order to expedite matters, I immediately appointed those Ministerswhom I should have the power to appoint under the new constitution.

  Mr. Smith, or Prince Zeula, as I shall now call him, was Chancellor, andPresident of the Council.

  On the plea of age, General von Vorkovitch begged to be excused from theWar Ministry. He, however, volunteered his services when required, tohelp with the reorganisation of the entire force, which I was determinedto undertake. It was necessary on account of the slackness that hadcrept in under Ivan's rule.

  I appointed Count Belen to the office. He, although not in the army,had a profound acquaintance with the military services of the greatnations. Prince Kleber, who was the greatest noble of our maritimeprovince, was given the navy to organise.

  In Count von Maark I found a shrewd, able, and consummate financier, yeta most honourable man.

  Prince von Venoff was our first Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was atactful and polished man, with great understanding of foreign nations,and their different characteristics. He had travelled extensively, andmade many important friends among the diplomatic bodies of most of theEuropean countries.

  I also appointed men recommended by Zeula to fill the posts which wouldbe senatorial in selection: Baron von Casile to the Interior, CountStorfar and Baron von Klintor receiving the portfolios of Justice andAgriculture, respectively.

  They were all extremely able men, who were full
of eagerness and zeal inthe public service.

  The scheme I had mentioned to Zeula, with regard to the farmers who hadsuffered through injustice, was carried out successfully.

  I issued an order, granting free pardon to those who had taken tobrigandage through the same reason.

  We established small land banks through the country; a very importantmove, almost a necessity, so dry had Ivan drained it. I advanced themoney, and thanked God and my stepfather for the power to do so.Indeed, without my vast fortune, I do not know how we should havemanaged except by a crippling loan.

  In order to encourage the farmers, a small bounty was placed on variousfood-stuffs; for the quantity of foreign corn imported would have madeit impossible for them to have grown it with any profit.

  Upon all this imported food we placed a small duty in order to accustomthe people to the idea, for it was our intention, once agriculture wason a footing in any way commensurate with the needs of Rudarlia, toincrease the duty upon such foodstuffs imported, chiefly for the sake ofrevenue.

  I also encouraged breeding horses and cattle, setting the example bystarting stud farms on my own lands.

  Every day the Ministers would come to me, and we would spend long hoursin discussing ways and means.

  With regard to the taxation, Count von Maark and the Cabinet settled thenecessary changes; the only tax that I interfered with being the incometax, and that, I insisted, should be levied upon every one, even if onlyto the extent of one penny in the pound.

  There was so much to be done in the interests of the army that at firstI was staggered; but, as it was futile to sit and weep, we very soonbegan to make headway.

  I will say one thing for my predecessor, he had kept up the militarycollege founded by my father, and the officers were well trained; butthe weapons and stores, alas, were conspicuous by their badness or theirabsence.

  We rearmed the troops; and little by little accumulated supplies ofammunition. We reclothed the men, we built barracks, we institutedgovernment factories for supplying the army and our small navy withnecessities.

  The only branch that was apparently neglected was the artillery, butthat was with an object. There, we only showed four batteries of modernguns, two of field, and two of horse artillery. In reality, we hadfifteen of horse, and twenty of field artillery; they were keptsecretly.

  The four batteries mentioned were used for practice, but we kept the oldguns also.

  I remember causing Count Belen considerable astonishment when I insistedupon the out-of-date artillery being kept, although we had such splendidmodern guns at our command.

  "Count," I said, "you know as well as I do that our enemy is Bornia, isit not so?"

  "I am afraid she is."

  "Personally, I am convinced that before long we shall be forced tofight."

  "That is so, your Majesty."

  "I do not believe that anything would induce her to stop herpreparations, preparations that are being conducted secretly."

  "I am afraid that it is extremely unlikely."

  "Very well, I am determined that Rudarlia shall be victorious, and Iconsider it essential that they shall underestimate our forces."

  "But why retain the obsolete weapons, your Majesty?"

  "Can the men fire with them?"

  "Yes, and well, too, considering."

  "They will shoot all the better with good guns; as for the obsoleteones, why, I intend some day to make a present of them to Bornia."

  "A present?"

  "Certainly, and in such a way that they will not fear the gift."

  He paused a little and then said:

  "I must wait your Majesty's pleasure; I do not understand. But may Iask whether you intend to fortify Karena, Soctia, and other places?"

  "It is my intention."

  "But your Majesty forgets, perhaps, the size of heavy artillery; how cansuch pieces enter the country without being detected?"

  "Prince Alexis supplied me with the way; I had the will before. Youhave no doubt heard that there are minerals to be found around Karena,and other places of like importance."

  "I have heard of them."

  "Good! I have surveyors seeking them now. When they have found them itwill be in places of supreme importance from the military point ofview."

  "Aha!"

  "You begin to understand? Well, once these surveyors--and you woulddoubtless find friends among them--discover these very sensibly placedminerals, mining and other work will be commenced; of course they willnot allow inquisitive strangers in, but they will admit enormous piecesof machinery. Again, in order to deceive, we shall make a show of somesplendid weapons, I think on the southern forts round Karena."

  "And your Majesty's mines will be to the north and west, with perhapssome near Poiska, and Orvlov."

  "Exactly, Count!"

  "God bless your Majesty," was all he said, but I could see him grinningto himself in huge content.

  Apropos of the mines, I had a letter from Alexis as soon as the publicknew of them. It ran something like this:

  MY COUSIN,

  I hear on excellent authority that you have taken advantage of ourlittle conversation, in regard to the mineral wealth of Rudarlia. I amgrateful that one so virtuous as yourself should have profited by mypoor brains. Pray remember me when the dividends are paid.

  ALEXIS REX.

  I did not take the trouble to answer this piece of impertinence, atwhich I was not surprised; rather, in fact, was I gratified that myestimate of Alexis was so correct. I knew, too, that further letterswould come from him, as soon as his money was spent. I hoped that bythen Rudarlia would be in a condition that would enable me to give anegative answer to his blackmailing; if not, well, I could afford a fewthousands more if it was necessary.

  So determined was I to perfect our fighting force, that I engaged aretired English army surgeon to superintend, and place on a properfooting, our army medical corps. This was a branch that had beencompletely neglected, but now, run on British lines, it becameabsolutely splendid and our doctors were magnificent.

  I laid in a large quantity of medical stores.

  Great attention was paid to the transport and commissariat departments;but quietly, so as not to attract attention.

  Little by little, our army was approaching along the road to perfection.The troops themselves had always been good, so there was splendidmaterial to work on. They used many cartridges, and their shootingimproved enormously, as did their discipline. They were loyal to a man,these Rudarlian troops, always to their country, and gradually to me. Ithink the good fellows learnt to love me when they saw that nothing wasspared to render them more comfortable, and that I, personally, wasalways ready and anxious to assist them.

  I made it a point to inspect one regiment each week after lunching withthe officers; that is, of course, unless more urgent affairs detainedme. But, whenever I took a meal with the officers, I insisted that noextra expense should be incurred.

  Whenever possible we had manoeuvres on a small scale, now in oneprovince, now in another. Upon one occasion, wishing to test thenon-coms., I ordered different companies to act as they would if leftwithout officers. The confusion was so great that it was decided, infuture, always to try this in all regiments. It was an order to whichthe troops took very kindly; I fancy they looked upon it as rather ajoke. They made great strides in individuality, however.

  I have omitted mention of machine guns, as I never look upon them asartillery, but as adjuncts to rifle fire, and in the case of pom-poms,as cavalry supports.

  Our supply of these weapons was in proportion to our needs.

  Ten picked officers were sent to France for instruction in aviation.