The New York herald., 1879-09-18
RUSSIAN REFORM.
Sweeping Out Abuses With the Bosom
of Revolution.
CHANGES OF MINISTRY.
Peasants Full Of Self-HeIp and Ripening
for f-Govemment. aea-
ST. prrrnspuna, August %. 1877,

ST. PErERsBuRa, August 30. 1879.
The summer is fast drawing toward its close in
Russia. and in three, or four weeks the socalled
"wlnter season. will have set in for the public
affairs of the land. During the summer months all
Is more or less at standstill in Russia The bulk
of the population usually migrates to the country
| the leading men in the administration spend their
| vacations abroad. the Russian representatives ut
foreign courts bid temporary farewell to their re-
spectve posts. schools and universities pour their
| inmates over tho country. the dvorniks may
| be the whole day through as well
as night, sleeping soundly at the doors Of
the intrusted to their strict and the
nihilists themselves-who boast of rejecting every
other custom OF modern society-condescend to fol-
low the universal example of relaxation for the sum-
mer time. They have also left the large and
betaken themselves to the distant provinces of the
Empire, amusing themselves after their own fashion
| by spreading sedtious reports among the ignorant
rural population and tanning the grievances of the
people into flame. People reminded Of the pain
of last winter solely by the series Of polt
cal trials at the military courts of Odessa and
Kief and by the trials of members Of
the commissariat department of the Russian army.
The government has been OF late evidently desirous
of squaring accounts How far they have succeeded
in it will bo known better. perhaps. since 200
persons connected with the commssarat are. it is
said, to be brought to trial. They charged with
robbing the poor Russian soldiers during tho last
campaign Of their food and their clothing with CIV
ing them mildewed bread. aud letting them
the Balkans during the hard winter time in their
summer garments.
DIsoRDERED CITY GOVERNMENT.
But now the St. Petersburg public is becoming
again alarmed. Some nights ago the police of tho
capital. headed by General Zuro made tour of in
spection about the city, and found disorder every
where. General Zurof went to different parts Of the
city and found the policemen away from their posts
In consequence Of this he gave orders to arrest all
the police officials. high and low, under his
mand for neglect Of duty. Many sentenced to
Imprisonment for terms varying from three days to
q week. At the same time he issued notice to the
whole police of the capital that all police officers
who should henceforth desert the post
signed to them-though for short time
only-would be summarily dismissed from
the service and replaced by careful men.
The civil authorities their side. adopting
preventive measures in readiness for the return Of
the unruly element OF the population-the students
of the University and the Medical Academy. New
regulations shortly to be issued for the Univer
sity, as pendant to those of the Medical Acad-
emy. These institutions to be deprived Of the
last of their local selfadministraon. and
measures will be taken to prevent the students tax
professors to be in future appointed by the gov
ernment instead of by the Council of Professors,
hitherto The editors Of the papers of the capital
have received confidential circular from the Minis
ter of the Interior in which they are distinctly
Joined not to indulge in any comment upon the new
regulations for the universities which shortly
to be published in the Official Gasette.
COMING CHANGES.
1t would be only logical to suppose from this that.
notwithstanding tho long deliberations of the COM
mission of high officials specially appointed by the
Emperor to consider the best to be adopted
for the pacfcation of the country and the further
of necessary reforms, tho government Is again
resorng to tho old system of lettering the nation
by avoiding all radical changes and introducing new
and restrictions into the old institutions,
without allowing fair play to anything which may
bear a semblance to self-government. Happily, this
not to be the There is some hope of re-
lief from another quarter. Great changes in the i'd
minisration said to be impending which may
give to tho nation many coveted privileges
that is, If the present wishes of the Empe-
ror are carried out. Well informed people of
the opinion that the heavy restrictions which are
about to be imposed the students only tempo
rary measures the object being to prevent too hot
headed young Russians from frustrating the pro-
posed efforts Of the government by any untoward in
reference in home politics at time when by their
earnest endeayors the latter are trying and doing
their utmost to bring about better state of things
The project of the proposed reforms is pretty well
adapted to rouse the national spirit OF the Russans
it remains only to be seen whether the liberal DEM
onstrations applied to these new institutions may
not turn out to be merely new variations OF
OF the first period OF tho present reign
have been much changed by subsequent
restrictions and abuses of the local administrators
that the Russians now quite right in being slow
to credit the solidity of any coming reform. The
Car himself gave the impulse to tho impending
changes, although the project has been worked out
by the Committee Of Ministers who were intrusted
with the task. 1t IL to be accomplished in the fol-
lowing manner: The Ministry Of the Interior
siss present of three different departments, under
Department Of the Posts and the Telegraphs of the
Empire; that of the Zcmstvos provincial admins
tration) and the Municipalities town administra
tion); tho Department of the Police Force and tho
Prisons of the Empire Now. 1t Is affirmed that the
said Ministry will undergo thorough transforma-
tion First of all he post OF tho Minister OF the In
terror is to be totally suppressed, nnd Mr.. Makof
| is to be made Postmaster General and Master of
Telegraph Offices of the Empire. The branch Of the
Ministry which is managing all the business
relative to the "Zemstvos" municipalities, and
superintends the provincial committees for
amining into the matters connected with tho pea
SAINTS" will be Joined hcnceforth to the present
commttee for the organization of the affairs of tho
rural population" which is ss yet forming one OF
the sections OF the State Council and there will be-
| sides be added to this extensive body of special
administrators n fresh contingent from without in
the shape of sixty members appointed by the En-
peror himself and 100 delegates from the "Zemstvos
or the provincial assemblies OF the Empire. each
Zenstvo sending two OF its members to represent 1t
ut the Council of the State.
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF THE EMPIRE.
All these different clements combined will form
kind OF administrative and Legislative House, which
will be designated by the significant term OF DE
partmcnt of Self-A,hninistraton OF the Empire"
under the Grand Duke Constant ne, the actual Pres
dent of the State Council All the matters which
till referred to the two above mentioned depart
ments OF the Ministry of the Interior will hence
| forth be freely discussed In this new department.
The competent delegates of the Zcinstvo will be
suited as to the wants and means OF the provinces
which they representing, and they Will be cx
pected to discuss and explain any measures
which may be proposed by tho Zemstvo. Upon tho
WHOLE the State Council. with this new consulting
and delberative body added to it, will retain it's
present power of discussing the laws to be enacted
| by the country and will. besides. regulate the
| tiona expenses and vote the budget or tho country
| on tho same principles 1t Is done already
| by the Zcmstvo tor each government separately
| The remaining department of the present Ministry
of the Interior comprising the Police Force and tho
Prisons OF the Empire will bo Joined to the third
section of His Majesty own chancery or tho secret