The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-05-23
why We should Sympafhixc with RuS.
ala and not with Turkey.

RUSSIAN AND TURKISH POPULAR ooSr'ssS"hN''
It is a common remark among intelligent
Americans chat they would be glad to see
Russia whip the Turks-"but what assur-
ance is there that the Christians in Turkey
will be any better off under government by
Russia than they are now under govern
ment by Turkey?"
This question can be answered only by an
investigation OF the systems of popular
government which prevail respectively IN
the two countries. 49,.
THE present civil institutions Of Russia
were inaugurated twenty years ago with
the emancipation OF the serfs. Emancipa-
ton itself is the demonstration OF Slav pro-
grcssiveness. The difficulties which had to
be encountered before the great reform
could be undertaken have never been fully
understood in the United States, nor can
they be even outlined in newspaper artl-
Gle. On the one hand were the nobility,
who owned the land, owned the serfs, and
made the laws--the consolidation OF IN
herited property, of traditional preroga-
tive, and OF living power. On the other
were &C, 200, 900 Of human beings-lgnor-
ant, dependent, irascible-who had never
been permitted to cultivate the better M
stincts Of human nature, and who en-
dured existence under the belief that they
were made simply to serve and to hate their
masters They were suddenly to be entrust-
ed with political frecdom-this immense ag-
gregate OF undisciplined individuals, whose
total was greater than the population OF the
United States. An emperor who possessed
the sense Of justice to cmancipate 40, 00O,O00
subjects, and to clothc them almost at once
with political rights in hereditary despot-
ism. is a man of strong intellect and OF
moral courage such as the world has rarely
witnessed. He had to fight the nobility and
their inherent rights; and he had to lear
the passions OF the vast horde to he trans
formed by stroke OF his pen from chattel-
age into independence. Alexander IL. pro-
posed these fundamental principles OF EMAIL
cipation:
l. That the scrfS should receive the civil
rights of the free rural classes.
} That the authority OF the serf-owncr
should be succeeded by sclf.government in
the communicable population OF definite
area of agricultural land-cach member OF
the commune being entitled to portion OF
the land, for whose cultivation he is re-
sponsible, and whose product is his own.
>. That the communal land owned by
seri-owners should be retained to as great
an extent as possible by the communeS'
whose members should pay the former pro-
nrictors an annual sum until the purchase
should be completed.
+. That all peasants, not domestic ser1S.:
should be entitled to their pro rata share OF
the communal land in the commune where
they resided, to be theirs and their descend
ants forever; and that the domestic seris
(house-seryantS) should serve their masters
two years longer, and be thereafter and1or-
ever free.
This programme-tie s,lblimcst reyolu-
ton ever accomplished without bloodshed-
was literally carried out. The chief credit
is due to the Emperor, who IVES faithfully
assisted by the Grand Duke Constantine
and by the Duchess Helena. The mobiles,
finding that the Emperor's mind was fully
made up, ceased to offer any objection, and
generally assisted in speedily accomplishing
the universal change. More than half OF
the arabic land possessed by the nobility
was thus taken from them, at prices fixed by
the Government, and conferred upon serfS,
who were not required, a. individuals, to pay
q farthng for it. The settlement OF transfers
of large estates from noble to a commune
was arranged by an arbiter. The total Of
the amount to be paid was capitalized at
per cent, and the Car paid over at once
four tifths Of the amount. The peasant
farmers have paid the remaining fifth in in
stalments, and the communcs pay per
cent. interest to the Government on the
sum advanced for forty mine years.
The political affairs OF the communes are
managed wholly by themselves, so far as
they relate to matters not absolutely lmpe-
rial.
An imperial house, accustomed to con-
slider the exercise OF despotic power d.
vine right, which forced upon the priv-
IL .A~n ,11s,.n cf,nI, l1rfIn
is not to be rated with the listless, lazy, and
brutal head of harem, who is compelled
to leave his administrative fun ctions to Il
coterie of fanatics more brutal but more
active than himself. A nobility which as
sisted in such revolution, and which en-
tered cordially into civil relations as peers
with their former serfs, is not to be claSsed
with turbaned butchers who run from the
prayers in the mosques to massacre Chris
tians for the glory OF Allah and the
gIut of Moslem passion. A nation
which has known nothing but absolute
despotism, and yet adopted such revolu-
ton, with none of the bloodshed and social
sntipathies which survive emancipation in
the boastfuf American republic, is not to be
likened to the couple Of millions OF robbers
who bold in bondage worse than serfdom
several times their number. ..~..>s..-
In Russia there IS the land system, already
described-what we call county and NUM-
clpal affairs administered by system OF
local self-government; there is an educa-
tional system, including primary schools,
high-schools, colleges, and universities, III
many of which both sexes enjoy the nigh
est advantages on equal terms; there ls Il
judicial system more enlightened than that
of Germany, and military system substan-
TALLY the same as that of all the european
mODarchies. .
In Turkey 31,
There is no land system.
There is no local self-government.
There is no judicial system.
. There is no system OF edtlcatlon except
for the sons of the privileged minority.
The Government, from its nominal dcs-
motto head, the Sultan, down to the ".mean-
est slave' who has anybody beneath him
to maltreat, is government by religious
fanatieism, by armed robbery, and by mas
sacre. e
Various estimates have been made of 1.-the
population OF Turkey-in-Europe, none of
which are admitted to be reliable. Accord
ing to the figures furnished by the Porte
(notoriously untrustworthy) there arc
100000 Mussulmans and 100000 nom
Mussulmans. These 100000 have simply
the right to live, be beaten, and robbed
They have no more share in the administra-
ton of the Government Of Turkey than in
the Government OF the United States. There
is no local self-government OF any kind IN
Turkey. The whole empire. is divided
into vilayets, the vilayets into sand1aks,
the sandjaks into kasas. Over each OF
these divisions Is q pasta, o hey, or an
effendi as Governor or sub-Gogernor; and