The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-09-26
NIHILISM.
It's Origin and Objects.


In recent issue of the Chicago
Tribune we find the report of an in
terview with real live Nihilist-
A. w. Stiflel, an expatriated Russian
from Odessa, seeking new home for
himself and others of his countrymen.
The interview is one of more than or
binary interest as defining the exact
purpose which the so-called Nihilists
have in view, and for the attainment of
which they willingly suffer imprison-
ment,s Punishment, and even death.
Mr.. Stiffel, when questioned as to the
origin and objects of Nihilism, replied
as follows:
"The students were in the habit of
discussing politics. At the colleges, to
which both young men and women are
equally admitted, there are numerous
debating classes, and their tendency is
to inspire desire for more independ-
ence of thought and more personal
freedom. They saw that in England,
Germany, and in fact all Europe, not
even excepting Turkey, the people had
more freedom than in Russia.
They also saw that Government was
hedged in with constitutional limita-
tons. Nihilism is not the proper name.
The members of the society are not
Nihiists they are simply revolution
aires. Some years ago a crazy political
economist advocated communion that
would be productive of only anarchy,
and to his system the name of Nihilism
was applied. But can assure You that
| tho r,orfu haor,v,or %ha 14ac ~
believe in anarchy. All that is required
is constitutional form of government
by which the people cannot be de-
prived of their inherent rights"
This concise statement confirms what
has frequently been asserted before by
those competent to know, namely, that
the object of the revolutionary party OF
young Russia is to obtain constitution
al form of government in which the
voice of the people may be heard
through their representatives in Parlia-
ment, in the place of an absolute form
of government based upon the brute
force of the police and the army. In
this respect the Russian Government
presents an anomaly which is almost
without parallel in the history of ma
tons. Russia went to war with Turkey
to free the Sclavic provinces from a
despotism no more absolute than her
own. She spent millions of money and
sacrificed thousands of lives to give a
foreign people civil rights which she
will not give her own. Having defeat
ed the Turk, she demanded in the Con-
gress of Berlin that Bulgaria, Roumania,
Roumelia, and Servia should have a
constitutional form of government.
She kept her troops in theoe provinces
months after the treaty was signed, so
that there should be no interference
with the new political organization.
The people elected their rulers, chose
their representatives, adopted their con-
situations, and put in operation the en-
tire machinery of the representative
government, aided by the Russian mill
tary officers and in the presence OF
Russian troops. This accomplished
these very troops were ordered home
and retraced their steps across the
Danube and the Pruth to arrest, i'm.
prison and harass the Russian people
who asked for no more than the Gov.
eminent had just done in the Sclavic
provinces for people not so capable
of directing affairs as they. 1t gave the
Bulgarian, without his asking for it, the
right to be represented in his Govern
ment and to have voice in the man
agement of affairs, and hurries the Rus
sian over the bleak steppes of Siberis
to an underground imprisonment, where
| he is never heard of again.