The Owosso Times

CZAR
WILL TAKE
ARMY
COMMAND

Emperor
Is
Expected to Stir
New
Activities.

SENDS MESSAGE TO POINCARE

Ruler of Russia Is Also Head of Church and Will Appeal Strongly to Religious Enthusiasm-Grand Duke Nicholas' Position Is Not Known-
Great Strategist.

Paris, Sept. 8.--Emperor Nicholas, the "Great White Czar of all the Russians" and more in the military sense, as it appeals to his soldiers, the consecrated head of the church, is to take personal command of his armies in the field.

This announcement was made in a message to President Poincare from the emperor himself.

Whether he will succeed his cousin, the Grand Duke Nicholas, is not made clear in the communication, but that the presence of the czar in the field in his dual capacity as emperor and vicar of the deity will stir the army to new life is undoubted.

Grand Duke Strategist.

In command of the Russian armies since the beginning of the war Grand Duke Nicholas has achieved fame, and military critics not only of Russia, but of other nations, have rated him as one of the ablest generals of the warring nations. Although the grand duke's armies have suffered a long series of reverses since the beginning of the great Austro-German offensive movement, in May, their leader has been credited with conspicuous strategic successes during this period, as well as in the earlier part of the war, when he was leading his armies forward victoriously.

His main accomplishments were the extrication of the bulk of his forces from the Austro-German enveloping movements in Galicia, and later in Russian Poland, when he again drew out his armies, this time from the dangerous Warsaw salient.

War Conduct Criticised.

During the last few weeks there has been severe criticism of the conduct of the war by the Russian authorities. The minister of war, General Soukhomlinoff, resigned and the formation of a coalition government has been under discussion. The source of dissatisfaction, however, has been principally the inadequate supply of munitions of war, and so far as the cable dispatches from Russia have shown there has been no criticism of the grand duke in this connection.