, 1876-01-22
THE LAND OF THE CIaa.
Some Results of The Emancipation of Serfs
TN Russia.

IN htlss'a.
A writer in the Cologne Cc-sttc gives An
account of the results Of the emancipation Of
serfs in Bussia, so far as they have manifest
ed themselves after fourteen years experience
of the new relation, established between the
the pessantry and their former masters. " IL
one travels, " he says, through the govern
ments OF Russia proper, from the Volga dis
trict to he extreme south, visiting the vii
lages and Observing the family life uf the
peasants, one : driven To the sad conclusion
that the condition of the Russian peaSantrY
has not oaly not improved, but has in seve-
raj Respects, both moral and material, become
unqueStDnably worse II is suf-
ticieut 70 visit any village to become con-
WINGED hat the prosperity Of the peasants
has diminished to such degree that great
number It them have been reduced to abso-
lutte poverty. Their moral condition Is even
more lauentable, and drunkenness has be-
come far more prevalent Than il Was before
the emancipation. The results are listIess
indiiferen;e, unwiIlinguess TO work, and an
increasing discomfort which mauiiests itself
in brutal destruction and incendialism In
southwestern governments, especially in
those OF Peusa, knrsk, and Verona, II day
rarely passes hut the sky is Redeemed by the
tlamrs o: burned village. The reason Of
this s'ae Of things" continues The writer,
" Is not . be found IN any peculiarities of the
Russian peasants character, though it fire.
quently prompts him 10 misuse his liberty,
tut chitiy III the unfayorable position III
which he has been placed by the new system
of administration, which makes him depend
ent on lie commune aud on Il number Of Of
ficials rhom he Is obliged to pay out of his
own pocket. The TuTal commune has uu-
limited power over both the person and the
property Of the peasant, % that be has III re-
aliiy ouly changed his master, and his pres
dependence on the commune Is not much bet
ter than his former state Of serfage.
He Is bound to pay fixed sum to his former
master az redemption money for the house in
which he lives and the land on which it
stands. This, 10 II certain extent, restricts
his freedom If action, but it ia rendered quite
illu>ory by the circumstances that the land
which be cultiv2tes for himself aud family,
and for which he must pay, is not his own,
but the property Of the commune, which NAV
dispose Oi II at pleasure Thus Ivan, after
devuting al his care 10 the cultivation Of
pirce Of land allotted 10 him, may fiji it in
tho following year transferred by the COM
Tnuue 10 another peasant, while he himself
gets III e1chnase q frld which Is perhaps not
well situated or negligentiy cultivated.
Nor j. this all. The commune Is responsible
for the payments due from the PEASANTS, and
II any Of these fall into arrear thrOugn the
iSufficiency of the means of the poorer mem
bers. tho-. " hO are better off have to make
up the deficiency. failing which the com
mune soiZss their hJTsas and cows Another
restriction on the personal liberty OF the peas
an in Russia Is the right Of the commune to
refu-e him a pass when be wishes 10 seek s,r-
vice away from bis village. The grant OF
these passes often depends upon the arbitrary
Will Of a clerk, who refuses IT from motives
OF personal hostility or requires a bribr before
he viii give IT. Il very frequently happens
tha, peasants Who receive passes for 81. /
Petersburg or Moscow are called back for |
some trifiing reason, and if they refuse to |
return they are taken back by the police like
common criminals. without even being given |
the opportunity Of winding up their business
IN the town Such are the circumstance !
without the slightest security for The product /
IF ones labor, and IN constant fear Of what /
the next day may bring forth-in which not
hundreds of thousands but millions Of people |
live in Rn--ia-