Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-08-18

Maiden, thy kne:l is heard IN Tie town-
God speed the wedding Of Jamie and thee!
A. Il. PILLsRURY.
-lFrom the April number Of LiPpincotts
Magazine. - esses a4sg ssv &sr IA, MI
->>D'---s - Z
From Western Rural.
Free nussla. .''-Thc Rural
a systcsaa Of RsssNl0.'
Beyond the bare outlines OF geo.
graphy and history, Russia is com
parat,vcly an unknown country. 1t
iras-tithcrto failed TO inspire the sym
pathetic interest which il tho best
incentive to the requirement. Of in.
tcra:,tivnal knowledge. The aver
.,ge, uMtravcled American can form 4
falr idecof the political. social, and
religious life ot most European coun.
,riuE but when Russia il brought in.
to discussion, hc finds his array OF
facts mcagrc, and his conception ut.
,crly at iault. Ignorance, however,
ot q county which, it is proplleeied,
will QUO day divide with tho United
States the government Of the world,
is not likely, in this reading age, to
last long. Russia is being rapidly
opened up to public inspection by
hook making travellers. Since
George Augustus Sala, with the idea
ot doing" "A country that has never
been orthodoxy "donc," made his
Journey Due North" host OF
writer's have followed in the same
field, last but not least anon. whom
~ William Hepworth Dixon, the En-
glish critic and author who did us
IN "Frec Amcrica." Ono OF the
side dishes OF the feast this gentleman
sets before us, is his exhaustive dc.
scrlptian OF the rural system OF Rus
sia, and the condition Ot the peasant
ry under it. According to him, no
vliyarcllial country III tho world
presents SO paradoxical a rural sys.
tenn. The peasants OF l;ussiau vll.
liayc exercise extraordinary and ire
sponsiblc powers. They frame their
own rules, vote their own taxes,
elect their own elders whom they do
not pay. and have an,I'ors,y to fine,
punish, cxpcl, and scMl unpopular
sncn TO Siberia. Their law is oral,
the character OF their privileges has
not received the seal OF their Empc.
ror. and yet their jurisdiction over
all matters pertaining to thmselscs
remains umquestioned. The suffrage
il universal, the vote by ballot. a
village parliament is holden once
year, when every member OF the
commune has right to be heard
The subjects OF contention, over
whicl, the ficrccst battles are fought,
are such at roads, taxes. conscripts,
wood. rights, watcr-riglts, whisky
licenses, the choice OF lots, aud the
deposition or election of eldest. No
measured is passed without Instant
adjournment TO the nearest whisky.
saloon.
Ii ono OF the Villagers has been
elected to the office OF elder, he is
expected to make tho whole COM
munc drunk. II a member has VIC
lated one OF the oral rules. he can cs-
cape punishment by the payment OF
a SUM OF mo ,cy, wl,lcl, j. always
spent in l,qnor. Those citizcnt OF
.aperia IL imper.o, Of republics with
III a despot,sm, have many opportu-
mites OF enjeving a drinking bout
withc ut the draw back OF having to
,my Tor it themselves No pacscnt
vt a village can leave his home with
out the general leave and . passport
from the elder, who can order him
hack without giving reasons for the
act; so IL Is usual when the commune
~ feels more than ordinarily thirsty.
10 collect the names Of the absent ees,
and send TO each notice OF recall,
signed Ly the elder, who, it the truth
must be told, usually afiixcs his mark.
-rhc recipients Of these notices, II
their business demands fMrtlicr ab-
scncc, and they can afford further
outlay, informally pay whatever is
considered reasonable by their fc!-
low-citizcns, and formally apply for
an extension uf leave which is al-
ways granted; those who are too
l,oor to purchase this privilege, must
either return with all possible ccleri-
ty, or, their passports being null and
void, sustain arrest and imprison-
ment at the hands Of the authorities
nf tho town or village in which they
happen to bc.
This village system, a thing apart
not only from the outer world, but
it'rom the ncigboring town-a democ-
1scy within an oligarchy-a paradox
in governmental relations known only
10 Russia--has its pleasant aspects.
Unc Of its chief virtues, to which a
sninistcr ofwar and u minister Of
1inmncc arc kccmly alive, is political.
Through this virtue the government
IS enable to9raisc troOps and taxes in
an expeditions and cheap fashion,
since it has not to deal with fifty
million pcascnts, but with the titty
thousand elders, or mayors callcd
in Russian starostfs). who represent
them. So, too, the minister of jas
ticc may think with comfort of the
fifty thousand iAntcllft,l, urpaid eyes
that arc always Oh such peasants rs
are suspected Of falling into evil
ways. sas.a .J .
The rural population find a bond
.of social. Miiun in the soil. A nan
and his wife are considered u unit, q
amt is regarded as house, and
each house has claim to y fair Iii.
vision Of the land, the whole Of which
is partc.l into rs many lots rs there
are married. couples III the village. -
AS each man is u land holder, abjcct
poverty Is unknown. Everybody has
II cabin. a field, and u COW; some
t:mcs a horse and cart. Even when