New Orleans Republican., 1875-11-21
Hard Times in Europe.

Hard Times in Europe.
There seems to be no longer any room to
doubt that the Russian empire has been
visited this year with one of the worst
calamities which can befall people so ex.
tensively agricultural, and condemned by
their governmental system to SO exclusive
dependence upon their own resources for
the prime necessares of lite The Russian
harvests have failed, not here and there iu
scattered districts of the empire. but from
end to end OF the vast dominions OF Alex-
ander ii. in Europe. There have been pre-
monitions here and there of this great dis.
aster for some time past. and steady rise
in the price OF grain at Odessa has prepared
those who watch such phenomena with the
attention they deserve, for the news which
now reaches US. But hardly for the exten
and gravity of the calamity A carefully
prepared article in the Ailgemeine Zeitung
OF October ~, toreshadowing pretty plainly Y
the putting of new and important Russian
loan upon the markets of the west, gives us
a most impressive picture of the unhappy
condition to which the rural districts of the
Russian empire now ind themselves re-
duced.
From Orel to Keim, from Tambow to Po-
dolsk, comes up one universal wall from the
ruined peasants and farmers. ut is not a
local lamentation like that which reached
all hearts from the great famine of Samaria,"
~,
lutte prostration of nearly the whole grain
growing region of Russia" The districts
which are confronted by vision of famine
steadily approaching with the inexorabe
winter, can look nowhere tor help, since the
peril is universal. Aud the catastrophe is
the more complete that the failure of the
cereals has been accompanied by failure
OF the grass crops. The peasants have
neither fodder for their cattle nor food for
themselves. The price of straw and hay
has gone up in all the afflicted regions to
fabulous figure. The peasants, who
have lost with their grain crops all their
means OF supplying the failure of their
grass. find themselves compelled to part
with their cattle at ruinous prices, and, of
course, in parting with their cattle they
part with the future of their hardly titled
acres. In many regions of Western Russia
these unhappy people are submitting to the
most oppressive conditions in the hope of
finding themselves not completely stripped
OF all their farm stock when the spring
shall give them a new opportunity to re-
trleve the ruined fortunes. In one place in
Podolia, for example, well.to.do farmers
are putting their cattle out to keep for the
winter on the condition that for every woke
of oxen delivered back to them in the
spring the landlord who keeps them during
the winter shall retain two yokes of oxen,
vi course, it does not certainly follow from
this terrible condition of the agriculture
OF Russia, which is the main industry of
the empire, that Russia will entirely disap.
pear from the grain markets as an EXPORT
ing power during the current season. Grain
was exported from Ireland, it will be re-
membered, even during the height of the
dreadful famine of lS17, and the internal
communications of Russia are still 80 in.
adequate that there are doubtless districts
OF Southern Russia particularly from which
It will be more easy to export grain at
Western prices to Western Europe than to
SEND 1t at famine prices into Western and
Northern Russia. But the Russian export
OF grain to Great Britain, for example, must
necessarily fall Oft very greatly under the
stress of such condition of the domestic
supply and demand; and the Russian ex-
port of grain to Great Britain in the
year 1873 amounted in value to no
less than tS,99O,23 or in round numbers
10 S4o,oOoo0 in gold, against an Ameri-
can export OF grain in tie same year
TO- to Great Britain of more than fl6-
D6O, 900 in round numbers, or about
sSO, 100000. 1t is obvious, therefore, that
The disast,- which has befallen Russia has
direct aud serious Importance for this
country. Upon the general resources of
'he Russian empire itself this calamity, as
me Attgemeine Zetinng is at some pains to
show, is already making its mark in O great
alling Oft of the puolic revenues, as we'll
IS In a formidable increase of the prospec-
i've demands upon those revenues, The |
PEASANTS who are simply unable to pay their |
axes this year, will be knocking at the |
ioors OF the public treasury next year for |
elief and for the means to resume their in |
lustry. They must be heard and answered.
he great masses OF the Russian people, |
llready fermenting with all manner of |
TRANCE and mythical notions, dreams and |
ambitions, tinctured all of them with q
ligh tone OF what in the west is known |
md abhorrOd as Communism" can not |
70 eafely left to the maddening in |
iuences of famine and despair. The agri- |
ulture OF the empire must be helped when
,elped, and by whomi The condition of |
he peassntry forblds the hope of any ef-
ective help from associations formed among |
themselves. They are all involved in one |
lisaster, and that q complete and sweeping |
isasteR! Shall they be assisted by private
spital organized in some such form as the |
grioultural Institutions of credit which |
ave done 80 much for Eastern Prussia, or
y the State direotly9 The traditions of |
he Russian government point to the latter
lternative, and this the AHgc,neine Eci.
Ing thinks will be chosen. In other
1ords, the famine of 1875 will
sad to q great Russian loan in
S76. The credit of the empire, as was
nv"u Dut tuo otn0r dAy In London, ie oX-
client, and great loan could probably be
aised in Western Europe by Russia to-day
n more favorable terms than by any other
over. But it is quite another question,
that will be the effect upon Russian credit
ereafter of such loan raised for such q
urpose and disbursed as under the exist
ag administrative system of Russia is quite
ure to be. no more wisely or honestly than
similar loan would be for example by a
,elanO or Belknap in our own country.
With this question we do not, however,
oncern ourselves to-day. Let 1t suffice US
ow to have called the attention of our
esders to . tact of the greatest import,
9th politically and commercially, in the
resent state Of Europe, which has but lust
eRun to appear in its full proportions upon
10 horizon. That this fact must already
ave exerted very decided influence upon
be general policy of the Russian empire
eed scarcely be said Those who have
cen looking In. all directions and under all
tanner Of diplomatic green tables to find
q explanation of the singular forbearanoe
,hich Russia has shown during tho recent
istufbances In tho Ottoman empire, NAV
70 In the prostration Of her agriculture 8
'rong dstsrmining force ON the side Of tenn
erance and patience even to the Turk.-
'ee York World.