The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-17
DEsPOTIsM AND COMMUNISM.

DEsPOTIsM AND COMMUNISM.
The Russians have met with a signal re
verse In their rear the cable announces thu
ssrrest Of several hundred Russian Socialists
Or Nihilists In st. Petersburg, for q conspir
ncy against the government Here Is tn,
greatest danger to the Gar in his present
war: here is that danger to which he referred
when he declared that his return to the CAPT
tall defeated. would be the death-knell Of the
Runanoffs and the end Of the Russian EN-
pire The Turks and Circassians threaten
less ruin TO his dynasty than do the Russians
themselves.
Strange as II may appear, a,itocratic Russia
Ii the most cominunistic country in the
world, communistic and socialistic not merely
III theory but In practice. The commune pre-
wills throughout the empire In all It's ancient
simplicity. The peasants Of Russia own no
property: their 1oeks, their land, their very
household furniture belongs to the village or
commune In which they live never TO the in
divldual.
Communism has prevailed in Russia for
centuries, but 1t Is only Of late years that a
movement has been organized to make the
general government of the State communstic,
lid we'll az that OF the town and village. This
movement. however, though born but short
time ago, has flourished, increased and spread
among the Sclavs with most astonishing
rapidity. despite the earnest and determined
opposition Of the government, and the severe
punishment awarded all sociaIistic conspir-
aturs that could be discovered.
The two great secret societies Of Russia are
the Nihilists and the Propagandists. The Nj
hillsts are pure socialists. They propose the
abolition Of Czarism and absolute government
by popular revolution, and In It's stead and
On its ruins the establishment of State In
which there shall be no individual property,
no religion, no government or laws, nothing
nf,it The agitation In favor of these meas
aiI'es began among the upper classes; princes
III the purest blood devoted themselves to
propagating these ideas among the masses,
until the principles of Nihilism now prevail
In every portion Of this mighty empire. The
Pfupagandsts are another secret organza-
tiun that look forward to O sort of commune
istic federal republic composed Of five States,
representing the five great Scavc races, Rus
SLAMS, Ruthenians Slovacks, Poles, etc,
In 1876 conspiracy of the Nihilists was dis
covered and at the same timeth most alarm
ing proofs of the strength and power of the
organization. A few Of the leaders were dis
covered and number Of persons executed
aud others banished to Siberia. These arrests,
however, were singularly few as compared
with the large number Of persons known TO
belong to the society The manner of It's Or
ganization, in groups Of only four or five per-
sons, and the certain death that awaited all
treachery To the order. defeated the cunning
of the Russian Spies Since 1876 several SINH
lar conspiracies have been discovered, each
Of which showed that the ideas of the Mill
lists have been fast spreading everywhere
over the empire. These Vaccinations and
Conspiraces at home were believed by many
correspondents to be as much the causes of
the present as was the suffering of the Bull
Earian Christians, for which the Gar pre-
tended such intense solcit,ide. The Gar
hoped to crush home troubles by foreign
victory; to give his grand dukes baptism
Ut flre: to win new glories for himself and
race upon the field Of battle: In fact. he went
into the war just as Louis Napoleon In 1869,
when he hoped to crush the Republicans at
home by crushing Germany abroad. It Is to
be seen whether he meets with the same fate
Ms the unfortunate Emperor of France.
That great discomfort with the government
prevails throughout Russia liz universally ad-
mitted. but few persons expected 1t to break
out In socialistic movements such as the cable |
now chronicles. A foreign war generally |
Quiets disturbances at home; In Russia it |
seems TO work differently. and the Nihilists |
take advantage Of the absence of the army |
and the growing discomfort with the govern
ment caused by defeat, to prepare for revo-
hutton. The campaign OF Bulgaria has shown |
them the weakness of the empire, has laid |
The imbecility bare TO the Russians them
selves, and Russia Is threatened In conse-
qnence with communism and rebellion.
1t Is a fact that has often been noticed be-
fore, that the more autocratic, despotic and
tyrannical government Is. the wilder and
more communistic are the counter ideas and
doctrines that prevail among the lower
classes. The mad communism of the Mini
lists of Russia is the direct outgrowth of
CEarism, as much 80 as the excesses of 1898 in
France were the offspring of the Bourbon
rule. There is never communism save where
there Is despotism.
\ 1t is a significant fact to US OF the United
States that the past decade has seen the first
Dutburst Of communism In this country; for
HE first time In the history Of the United
Hates have parties been organized here on So /
anlistic platforms and principles. Such ideas,
iIirlh parties, are abhorrent to republican
M ~ @ aoxsrnment and an insult to our con- |
they are none the less the or ! !
"A |E II