Daily Republican., 1879-07-02
AMy.teriou, Newspaper.

| Mysterious Newspaper.
For some time past the columns 0
the daily and weekly press have bser
filed with news from Russia. In tina
vast, half mystic empire, an irresponsi
bic despot finds himself face to fac,
with q revolution that has for It's OBJ
ject no only the overturning of his
throne, the driving Of his dynasty from
power, but also the annihi!ation of al
laws Of property, the marriage reation,
religion--in short, the Russian Nihilists
aim at anarchy, pure and simple. They
make no secret Of their real intentions
and their mad plans can only be ac'
counted for on the grounds that they
are the reaction from the grinding des'
potism under which they and their an
cestors have groaned. The Gear meets
the radical opposition to his rule with
represt've meas ures ofthe sternest sort,
Arrests of suspected persons are made
by the thousand.
Those apprshended, If they receive
any trial at all, get short aud secret
ones, and find themselves on the road
to Siberia without much preliminary
ceremony. Notwithstanding his thou
sands of iron hands, welded by the
strong arms and directed by the cum
ming heads of powerful and apparent
ly omni-present secret police, the EN-
bers of the widespread, deep.rooted
spdition are industriously and success
fully famed by an intense revolution
ary newspaper, called the "semla
Sch hwaboda," or, 'Land and Liberty" "
Again and again has the Emperor OF
all the Russias declared 1t to be death
or exile to print, publish, or edit this
newspaper. Yet the mighty potentate
finds it on the table among his State
documents every morning, at st, Peters.
burg or in Livadia, in his sumptuous
barouche, or a palatial railway car, the
"5-mla" pursues him like an inexor,
able fate.
II contains the orders for the assas-
81. alton Of his chief Of police, and they
are doue to death in spite of all pre-
cautions. A few months ago, very
tempting reward of so, 600 roubles was
offered Tor any information whatever in
rsgard to the manner OF preparing and
issuing this revolutionary journal. A
Pole tempted by the large reward be,
trayed the localities of two Nlhilist
printing presses in st. Petersburg
Thes. were eagerly s.ized by the police
who were bitterly disappointed in hnd
ing nothing whatever to connect the
presses with the ipsidious irritating
''Semla." What startled the authori,
ties far more than the exposed presses
which gave them no clue, was that the
informer was found murdered three
days after the presses were seized On
his bloody breast was . Ilacard bear
ing the ominous inscription, death to
Traitors"
Then it occurred to the advisers Of
the Gar to appoint commission OF ex-
perts to closely examine the Typography
of the "Srmla,' for the purpose OF de-
tectiug who made the type for the puz-
zlirg revolutionary journal. This in
vestigating committee, composed OF con
servative master printers OF st. Peters
burg. were considerably startled by
the discovery that the type of the dread
ed "Semla" came from the imperial
foundry in ST. Petersburg and Gov
ernment printing Office in the Customs
Department. This information only
served to deepen the mystery surround
ing the issuing Of paper that the
Car would give one of his fairest pro
yinces to permanently suppress. What
ever the Emperor himself and his de-
voted friends may have thought OF this
not Ieassuring information, observers
outside of Russia find no difficulty
in reaching tn. conclusion that the
Nihi,ists had powerful members among
those whom tn. Gar trusted.
Even irresponsible despots are com
PEELED to place confidence in many peo-
pie. After the tracing of its type, the
"Semlan became more defiant and i'm
pud-nt than ever before. II adver.
tises its price. six roubl-s per copy ;
styles itself semi monthly, and naive,
ly remarks that it can always be founa
at all well known resorts. SO 1t can,
in a certain sense. Without money
and without price the bankers OF St.
Petersburg and Moscow find it in their
mornings mall the grocer, the butcher,
and the baker suddenly see it OH their
co nters. 1t falls thickly on the tables
of taverus and restaurants; wherever
men are found to read in Russia, there
the "oemla' Is to be read.
The late attemp. on the life of the
Gear has entirely changed the tone of
the mysterious organ OF anarchy. BE
fore that event transpired, it spoke
respectfully of Russia's ruler, denoun-
ing his advisers, and, above all else,
espionage of his police department and
those that exercised so remorselessly
Now the daring sheet menaces the
Car himself, in no dubious language.
The sweeping measures at present in
force throughout out Russia, to crush
Nihilism by brute force only stimu-
late d energy, virulence and ubiquity
of the .Se0iu. 1t causes the Gar more
uneasiness than all the conspiracies
unlolded to him by his industrious po-
lice spies.