Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-06-01
warsaw correspondence of the London Times.
interfering Account Of the Condition

Interesting Account OF the Condition of
Poland.
1t will not be uninteresting, nor without its
real use in enabling you 10 understand the ac'
tual position of things here, i'll attempt to give
you some idea of the existing relation between
proprietor and peasant, appointing to my
sketch an outline OF the plan proposed for the
substitution of money payments tor compuls0-
ry labor and Tor the purchase OF the freehold
OF his holding by the peasant.
The Polish peasant is not serf, nor has
seridom existed IN Poland for many years. 1t
was first abolished by the constitution in 1871,
framed by the enlightened Za0iy0ski, ancestor
OF the present Count Andre, who SO worthiy
upholds the traditions of his house Up TO
the right bank OF the Bug it was, indeed, re.
established by the empress Catherine, but to
the westward OF that river, in the portion
which Prussia received in the partition of
1898. it has never existed since its first abOli
ton, 1t was, however, finally abolished
throughout the whole country OH the erection
of Poland into grand duchy in 1907, by the
introduction of the Code Napoleon as the basis
of It's legislation and admlnistra Since
that time the Polish peasant has ceased to be
a portion of the estate (ddScriptaS gleba j lie
has been able to remove from place to place,
and wherever he las been he has been simply
tenant at will. But he has paid his rent not
in money, but in compulsory labor. The la.
Dor of one, two, three or even tour days
week has been paid, by arrangement with the
landlord for his cottage and piece OF land. Ii
he has had horses or oxen and carts, the labor
of these has been received, in certain adjusted
proportions, in lieu OF his own personal labor
The advantage of this system has been that
the landlord has not been obliged to keep
large amount of capital invested Ill agricuitur-
al plant for the cultivation OF the immense SER
face of land, sometimes amounting to many
thousands of acres, which he farms himself ;
hut. though the legal seridom of the peasant
has long been abolished, there still exists what
may call traditional sertdom, sort OF pa
triarchal relation between himself and his
landlord. having much III it that resembles the
old Roman chenteia. When i'll, the doctor of
the estate attends him gratis, he has medicines
also gratis. from the estate dispensary ill bad
years- seed corn or corn for family use is given
him from the landlords granary lie has the
riuht of cole citing fuel from the waste wood
feIled in the forests OF the estate, and often tile
right of pasturage for his cattle and horses.
Though. therefore, he is not free master OF
certain portion of his own time and labor he
has considerable advantages from his stale
nj semi serfdcm. The landlord is also magis'
trate for his own estate, and settles all disputes
hetween his peasants and himself Where the
proprietor is an unjust, cruel man, this power
Is. no doub;, often abused as also where he is
nonresident, and leaves the management ol
the estate, along with his magisterial powers
to his steward. But, on the whole, the worst
that can be SAID of the relation between land
lord and peasant in Poland is that 1t has no.
encouraged a spirit OF enterprise in the latter
it has placed him like his hish counterpart OF
his plot OF potato ground i'll sufficiently cas-,
but dependent position, uniavorable to hl
mental, moral and industrial progress None,
he seldom has in any great amount, but III
rarely suffers from want.
Such is the actual condition of the Polls
peasant But this semiseridom, il must b
remembered, is by no means universal. o
many estates it has been abolished man
years, and in the place of compulsory labor.
fixed money payment substituted. But
will be asked, what is the difficulty in such
substitution 1t is one at which / haze vi,
tualy limited above. 1t would necessitate IN
immediate outlay of large amount Of capits
on the part of the propretors in beasts of bul
den, in agricultural implements, in vehicles {
all descriptions and, with the exception Z
the larger proprietors, the owners of the so