The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-07-19
SUBJECTS OF THE CAR.

Pretenses.
Russia's ambition to own the
banks of from Rurick, who, in
$50, began to rule the Bosporus
may be traced distinctly over the
Novgorod district. The lettering en-
pire that had its seat in Constantinople
was already threatened by the Russians.
The followers of Rurick no sooner be-
held the magnifcence and tested the
luxury of the city of the Greek Caesars,
than they rushed upon it in well organ
lied bands. The Euxine and the Bos-
porus were infested by pirates, who
proved on merchants trading with the
north. These acts of brigandage were
soon followed by more serious assaults.
During the absence of the Emperor Mi
chael from Constantinople, the city was
besieged, and came near being captured
by the Prince of Kief, but was rescued
by the seasonable breaking out of
storm, which dispersed the Russians.
The enterprise was repeated again and
again under the successors of Rurick,
until it was generally believed that the
fate of the city was decreed, and the
prophecy, secretly inscribed on statue
of Bellerophon in the Square of Taurus,
that the Russians in the last days should
become masters of Constantinople, found
credence among the superstitious and
demoralized Byzantines.
This Russian propensity to acquire
more and more of the worlds territory
may not be in accordance with the
wishes of her people, but it is none the
less true. The claims of self-defense and
Christian proteetien put forth by the
sham pretenses to delude the ignorant
and fanatic part of the population. When
we speak of Russia or Russian policy,
we should always take into consideration
what part of the responsibility belongs
to the people, and what part belongs to
their master. Russia, considering the
extent of her territory, is scantily peo-
pied country. Though more than forty
times larger than France, she has but
twice the number of inhabitants. OF the
77,000,0 million subjects of the Car,
about 66,000,000 belong to the rural
classes, 100000 TO the nobility, and
100000 to the priesthood. The town
and military classes may be reckoned
at 100000. Russia has very
limited number of towns exceed
ing $4,000 inhabitants. Outside
of St. Petersburg, Moscow and
Odessa, what we call town life is I'M
known. The middle class, known in
France as the bourgeotsie, does not ex-
ist in this country, though Catherine at
tempted repeatedly to create one in con-
ferring upon it the privileges of NUM-
cipal government. The middle class,
which forms the bones and sinews of
the nations of western Europe and
America, will never flourish here so
long as our paternal government, to
use a mild word, does not give way to
better principles of justice and moral
ity. There are but two classes in the
Cars empire, a wretched nobility and
a still more wretched peasantry.
Socially and politically Russia is
worse off to-day than she was thou
sard years ago. Since the abolition of
slavery in 1861 little or no progress has
been made. The nobility are shorn of
their landed property, and the peasant
ry have not only gained nothing, but
have sunk to a lower level and are COM
paratively less free than before the act
of emancipation. They have only
changed masters.
Except in the acquisition of land,
Russia, as she appears to US to-day, is
no better off than she was before the
emancipation. Her military system,
weighing more heavily every year upon
the people, has lost nothing Of its stern
and intiexible .rigor. Her wealth has
not increased in proportion to the popu-
lation. Her credit is low and her debt
immense. All the resources of the
State are absorbed by the army and the
government The desire of Russia to
have military establishment second to
none in Europe has introduced the
French and German system, by which
every body is compelled to serve a GER
tain number of years. This increases
the general uneasiness, as the peasants
who till the land are in an overwhelming
majority everywhere. The mobiles are
generally selected to officer all the
branches of the service, and yet their in
tiuence out of the army amounts to little
or nothing. Their number is so great
that Count Won Moltke declares in his
correspondence that there Care 5000
Generals in Russia, and that the Gar
has one hundred and eighty of them at
taehed to his person. The number of
officeholders in the civil service is also
formidable, estimated at $4,000.
The Gar, being the supreme pontiff,
or the head of the orthodox church,
rules over the souls as well as over the
bodies of his obedient subjects. "God
and the Gear" is their motto. A word
from the imperial throne, and the whole
land is ready for war. Thus it hap
pens that in every war Russia under