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Royal Murder. Despite the Dictator-King's democratic remarks, he has appointed Leader of The White Hand General Zivkovitch his Prime Minister. How likely it is that this ruthless militarist will promote democracy appears from his dark record. He was the spruce young lieutenant charged with the personal safety of King Alexander Obrenovitch and Queen Draga, in 1903, when they were foully murdered in the royal bedroom of the old palace at Belgrade.
The present Alexander Karageorgevitch is no kinsman of the murdered Alexander Obrenovitch. For a century past the Karageorgevitches and the Obrenovitches have been snatching from each other the throne. On the night of the murder, the Dictator-King of today was a mere student prince in St. Petersburg, and shortly after ward a page to his Tsaric majesty Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias. Presumably he did not know that Lieutenant Petar Zivkovitch was about to unlock, stealthily, a palace back door in Belgrade, and admit the assassin of Alexander Obrenovitch and Queen Draga. As a Karageorgevitch, however, Dictator-King Alexander can scarcely fail to see in this deed the hand of Divine (Greek Orthodox) Providence. So great indeed is his faith that, upon ascending the throne, he did not hesitate to make General Zivko vitch commander of the royal guard, a post which the general retains today. However, a new palace has been built, and Alexander Karageorgevitch does not sleep in the same royal bed as did murdered Alexander Obrenovitch.
Dictature Consolidated. Throughout the week there were signs that King Alexander and General Zivkovitch are rapidly consolidating their dictature, slowly relaxing their censorship, reorganizing the various ministries of State, ruthlessly suppressing all political opposition.
Telephone censorship was sufficiently relaxed so that one U. S. correspondent actually shouted to his Vienna office from Belgrade certain confirmative details respecting General Zivkovitch's role in the royal murders of 1903. Also the German newspapers Berliner Tageblatt and Vossische Zeitung, which were barred from Jugoslavia for criticizing the dictatorship, are now admitted freely.
As to reorganization of the government, correspondents were regaled with hair-raising disclosures of former graft, plus assurances that wholesale padding of ministerial payrolls has ceased. There are said to have been some 500 government employes in the capital who never had a desk or a chair, and appeared at their offices only on payday. This state of affairs was said to have existed for decades, and through the prime ministry of Monsignor Anton Koroshetz (TIME, Jan. 14), who is now Minister of Transports and Railways.
Technically all political parties have now been suppressed, by royal decree, but in fact the authorities have concentrated on dispersing the Croat Peasant party, which has demanded for Croatia-Dalmatia local autonomy and the status of a dominion (similar to Canada) under the Crown at Belgrade. It was the leader of this party, Stefan Raditch, who was assassinated in the parliamentary chamber last summer. The assassin, Deputy Punica Ratchitch, an ardent supporter of General Zivkovitch, has not yet been brought to trial.