Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-06-19
From the New York Evening Post.
THE EMANCIPATION OF RUSSIAN
SERFS,

Nothing has sgnalized more the the progress o.
the Slavic race and revealed the secret sympathy
of its greatest representative, the Russian Elm
pire, with whose grand ideas of social and intel
lectua liberty that characterize the foremost ma
tions of the world, than the efforts which are now
making by the Gar of Russia, and with such
seeming success, to emancipaie the serfs.
II The abolition Of serfdom is by no means new
scheme, nor for the first time advocated and urged
by the highest power in the empire. For the last
three centuries imperial edicts. have, infrequently
allevated the condition of the serfs securing them
some old and threatened right adding some
new and desirable privilege, such rs. c. g., an
edict giving them the right tc marry according
to their own inclination or forbidding the farm
ers of the demese lands to dispose arbitrarily of
the labors of the serfs, to compel them into do
mestic service, or to hire them to other masters ,
or regulating rents ; or limiting disc pnary pun.
ishment and securing rights OF legal redress or
or guaranteeing the right of the peasant to such
personal property as he might acquire or pro.
hibiting any sovereign to give or sell crown peas
ants. or to render them liable to any statute for
hus5andry serv:tude.
Without doubt the condition OF the serfs has
been pItiable in the the extreme, and the afnelior
alton of their condition has too often been OBJ
struced by an evasion of the requirements of the
laws the part of the nobility, or by the central.
izing despotism of this that Gar and Czarina;
but nevertheless there has been progress progress
III iibhb uu'ibB ldSI
century.
1t appears more clearly every day that the En-
peror of Russia is in earnest with his reforms
Nicholas their necessity, but though in the
early part of his reign he made some attempts
in the same direction, yet in the end he only
strengthened the position of the mobiles. The bold
ness and radical character of the measures iDau-
gurated By the present Emperor indicate, beyond a
doubt, that he has put his hand tv the plough and
does not intend to look back The obstacles put in his
way have only increased his zeal and determine
tion and when it is remembered that all the COM
munes Of the empire are superintended and di
rected by special governmental branch, having
its boards in each county-the ministry Of the
crown lands-directing more than twenty-five
millions of the people, the power of the Gear,
heartily excited in their behalf seems almost With
out limit.
AS evidence of tho intentions Of the Emperor,
may be instanced (l) the resignation of two or
more Ministers, and the succession to their places
of mertorious persons, inspired by the Emperors
reform ideas. but having not the slightest claims
of hereditary right or relationship; (2) the dis
missa in masses, not only Of officials of the high
est rank but also those in spheres, if they
are net favorable to the innovations /; (3) the Sc.
lection for prefeTment. not of military men and
members Of the aristocracy, but Of whoever is re-
markable for capacity and activity (4) the un-
precedented freedom allowed to the Russian news
papers to speak without restraint of the admins
trative system pursued under the late Emperor,
and to publish and condemn its faults ICY the
entire organization in the shere of public educa.
ton, military and civil (6) the improvements in
the administration of justice, altering the organ
ization and abolishing many imperfections of the
Russian courts, making it possible for parties in
terested to ascertain from free inspection OF the
legal records when and whether their documents
have received proper attention and finally and
especially (7) the detailed and obligatory pro-
gramme of the labors of the committees of the
nobility, already published, in reference to the
emancipation of the peasants. Three successive
periods are fixed for accomplishment Of the latter
measure. In the frst the principles and plan Of
the reform are to be laid down in the second
these principles to be applied to each property
in the third; common code will be compiled for