Press. The
Temps accused Vladan of secret understandings with Goluchowsky and
Kallay, before forming it. The Courier de Soir thought that "such a
policy is the result of the Triple Alliance and is an offence to the
balance of Europe." Serbia apparently was to be used as the
determining weight on the European scales. La Souverainte went
farther and said boldly: "The moment has come when Tsar Nicholas
should show the same firmness of character as his father showed to
the Battenburg and Coburg in Bulgaria!" The Nova Vremya declared
"that the new Government clearly meant to bring Serbia into economic
dependence on Austria-Hungary."

And most of the newspapers of Europe announced the fact that the
Tsar had granted an audience to Prince Petar Karageorgevitch and had
conversed with him on the critical state of Serbia. Vladan then
recommended to Alexander the rash plan of inviting General von der
Golte to xmdertake the reform of the Serb Army as he had done that
of Turkey. The plan pleased von der Goltz, but was dropped in
consequence of the violent anti-Serb campaign which it aroused in
the French Press. The Serb Minister in Paris, Garashanin, tried to
buy some of the French papers, but had to report to his Government
that this was impossible so long as Serbia was hostile to Russia.

France was paying the Russian piper--but it was the piper that
called the tune. The Russo-French policy of ringing in the Central
Powers was already aimed at.

The wretched Alexander, not knowing whom to trust, nor where to
turn, then begged his exiled father to return from Austria and take
command of the army. Milan did so and Russia was more than ever
furious.

Warnings were now frequently received that Russia was planning the
deaths of both Milan and Alexander. One such warning was sent by the
Berlin Foreign Office.

In May 1898 Nikola Pashitch, who had been working an
anti-Obrenovitch propaganda in Bulgaria, was again in Serbia, and
led the Radical party in the general elections. The Government,
however, won by a large majority.

His work in Bulgaria seems to have been effective for in June the
Serb Minister to Sofia sent in a very important report to his
Government:

1. That Russia was determined that Milan should leave Serbia.

2. That Prince Ferdinand was willing to support Russia in this way
by any means--even bad ones.

3. That the Princes of Montenegro and Bulgaria were co-operating.

Shortly afterwards Ferdinand of Bulgar