Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-03-20
The Russian EInPire-HistOry OF
its internal EcOnOmy-IIs Won
derfmI Rise and PrOgress.- --

Over all who are subject TO military con
troll the Emperor of Russia is supreme,
but his empire is composed OF hundreds OF
little republics in which the people govern
themselves as exclusively as if there were
no General Government. "' l' +."
In geographical extent it comprises one
sixth of all the land on the globe, and its
| inhabitants include four distinct'races, and
nearly a hundred different pGtOiS.
In 1862 the population was six millions,
and to-day it is seventy millions, and in
creases at the rate of five millions year,
the SclavOnic race constituting always the
majority.
The Russian Government consists of five
artments-Council, Legislative, War,
Finances, and Poland. The Senate is the
guardian of the laws. Each province has
a Governor, charged exclusively with the
civil administration. There is superior
court at each chief place, both criminal
and civil, with right of appeal to the
Senate. Smaller districts have courts of
judicature. Each commune decides its
rate of taxation, has its court, prison, de-
pot of arms, granary, and hospital, and the
General Government seldom interVenes in
| its affairs.
| Mobiles have assemblies to discuss their
interests and make reports. They pay no
poll tax, and do not suffer corporal punish
ment for any offeDse. They dispose of their
property as they please, and are judged
only by their peers. 'i3''
1t is the military power which is the true
despotism of Russia, and this, like serfdom,
is of Scandinavian origin. Before enamel
patton there were five classes, mobiles,
priests, bourgeois, merchants and serfs,
| The nobility was created by Peter the
| Great, and subdivided into fourteen classes,
l Of hfnIt ,NNfh hnr
The clergy were divided into regular and
secular. The latter cannot exercise relig-
ious functions unless they are married.
Priests are exempt from poll tax and free
from military service, and cannot be judged
by civil tribunals.
The bourgeois and merchants are divided
into three guilds, to which they belong in
proportion to their wealth. Those who be-
long to the highest must possess $4,000
capital. They have the right to extend
their commerce to other countries, to estab-
lish banks, fit out ships on their own ac-
count, place their children in certain estab-
| lishinents of education, and may enter the
service of the State and acquire the hered-
itary title of nobility. Those who remain
twelve years in this guild receive the title
of Notable Boargeois, which secures political
rights to their children.
Those who enter the second guild must
have capital OF $4,000 and possess the right
to carry on anys species of commerce within
the limits OF the Empire, and engage in
foreign commerce to the value of $4,000.
Their children cannot enter the highest
schools, and they must remain longer
timeIin the guild to acquire the title of No
table B0arge0tsy 9,fl .t4,s.,o t,,of,,-5 r.. .r,l
la the third guild are the small trades
people of cities and villages. They are ex-
empt from corporal punishment and poll-
tax. 10 sat 10 y rH9 grit itttii v5is. s,ii5
Besides these, before the emancipation
act, there were more than a million of free
peasants, who ownedland and serf,but were
liable'to military duty and paid poll- tax.
Every commune is a republic. The Mayor
Is elected by the people, as are also the po=
lice. Several villages form a commune!
The court sits In the chief place, assesses
taxes, tries causes, and infietspuuishments,
without any reference to the central Coy
Several oeohmunes form canton, the
Governor of (which is electedt for three years;
and several cantons form an reimbursement,
as in France; but here all these petty officers
are appointed by the Emperor. ''eoi''
Fifty-five millions of the people are en-
gagged In agriculture. Between the Ural
and Garpathian Mountains there are sixty
five Thousand leagues of land termed black
soil, from Its color, which Is SO rich that it
does not need manure for any species of
eultureg 5l9W dia91Is OG .aluG Y'1naiTss
| srTheperts Of the, Baltic alone give to the
world twenty millions of dollars worth of