The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-14
RUSSIA AND THE sERHs.


short residence at this capital the state OF parties
Russia Nothing be more contradictory than the
statements made TO roregne on the condition ana effect
tersburg that public opinion does not exist or at all
events that is too puny child TO be noticed too
pricious To be coaxed and more especially Ear too
ssunripe,' TO be considered the term by which. its
supposed infancy Is designated. Now, this word
unripe appears 70 have anain ,s1 the dignity Of
ticians. If ask when will Russia obtain those
institutions Of which for some time public
rumor speaks or II inquire whom will Russia adopt
more liberal commercial policy for her own benefit and
that of other countries the invarable answer is sOh
watchword Of party Interested in keeping Russia sun
ripe', for its own purposes. ~ Is the officials OF the
government or they are here styled, .the bureau
Gratis that appear 10 keep young Russia IN leading
strings and TO the attempts she makes use
her little legs with the care and anxiety Of fond and
dotinp parent This s0lcitude s easily accounted for
when we consider how many hopes centered in this
child how fractions and rabellious Il has been
tines and there is no doubt that ths child gettingver
tired Of the nursery and OF parenta CONTROL and Is eager
TO show what IL can do Of ITSELF a7 si'i1" "a
But before we can fully understand and appreciate the
state Of public feeling in Russia, even with the assistance
Of 81 Petersburg politicians, must pass short re-
view the principal episodes or the regnof the present
sovereign We all know what the reign OF the 'sEeyer
TO be forgotten Nicholas was; and we well imagine
the reaction which must have taken place when tho
heavy giant hand of the yrant removed and the
suffering Russian people breathcd more freely The EN-
peror Alexander made peace with the Allies disgraced
and severely punished some OF his fathers minister's
generals and civil officers for saring and notorious
and reforming pulling down and putting up men
and institutions with the assistance OF com
mttees into which all the honesty and intelligence then
available was draughted st. Petersburg became one
huge parliament in permanent session the affairs OF
the nation But there was thus early no adequate
lust representation OF oil classes of the community.
Liberalism in those days meant to the knife to tho
landed propretors who 1t assumed would be
to einancpatng the serls II then that the line
drawn between servants of the gentry
or nobility The bureaucrats made political capital
out Of the old misdongs of the serfhoders.
urxo SaInn oc tlarkU yyh thA Ia had
undergone were most heartrending. Crimes
were brought to hight for which hanging
or the knout would have but slight expiatiOn The
landed propreors bloodthrsty INSCRIPTIONS slave
drivers and such should be extermnated Credit
given for but few exceptions to the general rule This
was the state OF feeling st. Petersburg when the abo
of the Serf Emancipation Committee commenced by
der of the Emperor. The landed proprietors were
tanly consulted form to the manner and terms OF
emancipation, but the measure as a whole is to be
tibued TO the officers Of the crown headed as they were,
and still are by the Grand Duke Constantine, who de-
clared at the imperial council table that he spat upon
the mobiles" M. M .,s NJ.
have made careful inquiries into the temper or the
sorfholdng class at that PERIOD and the perusai Of
several works OF authority has confirmed in the i'm
preston that the imperial government committed great
in treating tho landed propretos with contempt
and Indifference at the emancipation. First il served
the purpose or the Tsar Boris Godunof 10 establish SORT
dom, with the view OF acquiring the adhesion of his
sors down to Alexander H. to confirm the privileges thus
granted in return for the political rights which we're alb
dicated in favor Of powerful autocracy That IS the ar
propretOrs:-"I am sole lord and master at Moscow;
you may rule uncontrolled your estates" This was
certainly great privilege although on looking back II
is plain that il was poor recompense for the time hat
lowed right or popular council and deberaon which
The people were forced TO give up serfdom was main
tanned in the country because there serfdom al the
court Of the autocra whose power was necessarily based
on slavery. Secondly, Ia the reign Of Nicholas i was
crime punishable by exile and hard labor IN the
Of Siberia to mention such reform az the eman
cpation OF the scrfs The government OF Nicholas bad
established no distinction between the autocrac power
united and both, Il was then feared might be over
wheled ia general rising OF tho epsavsd masses
prosecuted In stealth and silence, however the Empe
ror Nicholas employed his ministers IN preparing the
bc woh ~ Ts
his successor Obliged 20 take up the question In all
haste for the landed propretos themselves began to Pc
on Tor removal OF the curse OF slavery The mobiles
the Northwestern old Polish provinces fore
most Ia their representations the subject and there
ware but few proprietors in RussA proper lthe smaller
with lands excepted that did not desire earnestly and
honestly to restore freedom to the rural classes
ment who that their position in the State
would be the landed propctors obtained the credit
against their natural sdversaries and preached the ne
cessy OF making the SORTS propreors Of the land they
occupied az well as masters Of their own actions The
nobies the other hand, rcpres that II would DO
unjust to deprive them Of such large portions OF their
property and that the State would suffer by establishing
proprietary class Of education-for the Emperor
Nicholas had almost forbidden the education Of the
peasant-of no cnergy-becsase energy had been
Of little use TO the serf, whose property was un
stncts would at once put them in antagonism with
the landed proprctors whose estates would be thrown
out of cultivation from the want OF labor. They urged
these and many other reasons against making the
proprctors Of land but they urged in vain for
partly under the influence OF the seductive doctrines OF
socialism hen novelty In Russia) partly from dcsire
reward the for their centuries Of oppression
but chiefly from motives OF political seIfpreservaton,
the officials carried tho day. and the Russian boor got
land as well as liberty II would be tedious TO recapitu
late the terms Of emancipation which must be still fresh
10 the memories Of most OF your readers Suffice to say
that each male ser obtained allotment Of land In add
ton TO his cottugc and garden, OF which the maximum
md minimum extent calculated according 20 the
fertility otherwise OF each district The allotmens
ranged between two and half and thirty The
peasanry obtained the perpetual usufruct OF such
lands for small payment or fee TO the expropretor
regulated By officers OF the government and can still
acquire the freehold Of by contract and arrangement
through the mediation Of special officers named arbcrs
of the peace" The landed proprietor in this
ceives the value Of the land ceded in bonds
bearing five and six per cent interest in erminable
nucs, the pessantry reimbursing the State by pay.
OF per cent the advances made during period
forty nine years The rent Of the lau capitalized
a value which varied according the district and
optional both with the landed proprietor and the peasant
and purchase the land with the ass Of the
government deduction OF twenty per cent Of the
annual capitalized payment is made from the amount
paid by the government in the shape Of annuity and is
levied by the proprietor himself from the peasants
Either IN Kind or ~ money MANY propr m, rs now now
ound u difficult 20 exact and are therefore obliged TO be
satisfied with the eighty per cent Of the capitalized value
which the state secures 20 them As rule, the land
was estimated the emancipation at than It's real
value SO that even with the oss OF twenty per cent
not recoverable from the peasant and further loss OF
wenty per cent the realization OF the redemp
ion bonds, the proprietor stil gets a compen-
,ation that Is about equal TO the selling price
IF his land the present state OF the
market, which is however, exceedingly low The Polish
proprietors the northwest provinces 10 the
arbitrary valuation OF the land q, the time of framing
he act and insisted upon the appointment OF commits
sions determine the value OF the They hoped
10 influence the commissions but these converted
INTO weapons aganst the lords OF the soil by General
Afouravie who sent Russian officials to do the work.
and issued ordinance giving the proprietors only
eighty per cent OF the rent capitalized without
The option, in Russia, Of recovering the remain
Ing twenty per cent from the peasant Later those
proprietors were forced by imperial ukase TO sell
any land that the peasants might wish 10 purchase
with the Assistance Of government There was
very general apprehension, l am told, last winter
among the landed proprctors Of Russia proper, that
the obnoxious ordinance subvesive Of the rights
Of property would be applied TO them but the imperial
government denied any such intention UP TO the 1st
p3h Of June 1865 the peasants had purchased reehods