Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-30
An Earthly Paradise.

When Gen. Sheridan said that II he
owned hell ami Texas, he would sell
out Texas and go and live in the other
place, q Texas Journalist good naturedly
responded: Hang q man who Won ;,
! stand up for his own country"
1t will probably surprise good many
people to learn that there is o Russian
who not only dares stand up for Sibe.
ria, but shows that he has some reason
for doing it.
He takes for his text the statement
which has appeared in the English pa.
pers, that "there are at this momen,
millions of Poles being tortured to
death in the quicksilver mines of Sibe.
ria simply because they are Russian
Catholics" He says it Is no easy task
to find odt the real state of things in
Russia. because their language is not
easy to learn, aud the Russians will not
take the trouble to publish u self-de-
tense III any foreign tongue. Siberia,
he says, il indeed y penal COLONY like
those to which England exiles its Grim
inals ut the other sud Of the world, ami
Russians lave often been told stories
Of horrors vi the cham. gang and the
lash ut tue antipodes which rival the
worse stories that have been invented
about the quicksilver mines.
As to the millions of Poles, he says
there has been In the present century
| only q total OF half million exlles, o.
less than III, 600 u year, and the major
ity OF these are Russians. The Poles,
| moreover, were eXlled not because vi
| their religion, but because of their re-
belllon. lmagioary, not real geOgra-
phy, Is studied i'll England, ami they
10 not know tLat Siberia IL the north
| ern huif Ut the AsIatIc Continent, ex-
| ceedlng In Size the whole OF Europe.
1t Is almost unlnlaDltable in the extreme
north, aud exlles are not seen there.
1t Is too far oil, and it would be ruin
Gus to have to Iced them III those dreury
| expahses OF ice and snow. Criminals
are exlled to Siberia IN order to dispose
Of them cheapiy, and this object would
DO defeated NY sehdIng them to the
Arctic circle. Siberia, with few excep-
tlols, means to the exlies the fertile
South, with rich and cultivated soil,
with large manufacturing cities, with
schools and u university. Alter the
| sentence has expired, the eXiles attract
Cd ny the advantages OF the country
Often remaln there. An English trav-
eler, MIR. Barry, says the climate Is as
mild as that vi Italy, the soil Of pro-
dlgious fertility, truit grows wild, game
aDounds, TODD Is exceedingly cheap.
No courtry in the worl1 offers the same
advantages to young man with small
capital. Another EnglishMan, who
has az aAI w r 4 M. R,slt,
thuse from Siberia never remain long
They begin to pine ter home, saying:
luis Is very good, but not like ST.
berla."
oi1eria is not large torture cham.
Der and endless quicksilver mine; it Is
gigantic emls ration field whittier
crimlnaIs are sent for the double pur-
pose OF getting rid of them, and sup
ply lug u sparse province with coionists.
ln looO, tile number sent to Siberia was
2o,OOo out of population Of 81 OOO, :
OOO. In England and Wales, with only
Quarter vi the population, there are
IL, OUO criminal cOnvlctlUns Actually.
Ine Russian couvlcts are pitchforked
Into Siberia ami permitted to 20 where
ever, OK no whatever they like. short Of
| watch Is Kept OF them that large NUN
beers escape, and the country is SO rlcn
| that they can 1--we without work, which
frequently ends III their becoming idle,
good Tor nothlug vagauOnds. The Y lck
| silver mines are reserved for murder.
ers and political criminals OF the worst
Kind, VINO III England would have been
hanged ot-hand; but Capital pHnish-
inenl has been abandoned in Russia.
Tue stories Of the cruelties Inflicted
upon the Poles, are no worse than those
~hich are told of those inflicted upon
The Fenians.
Another EHglish traveller, one Capt.
| Virgins. says that Siberia is an infinite.
ly richer and tner country than Canada
or the northern part OF America gen
orally. The exlles are not nowadays
treated with the severity Of the times
vi Peter, Catherine, Paul or Nicholas.
Since the accession Of the present Czar,
the complaint is growing up that the
punishment Is becoming SO mild as to
iose ITS terrurs. AS rule the Russians
go IRON bad climate to better, and
are III such good company that the dis
grace OF transportation Is slight. Even
The criminals lead quite as comfortable
and more moral lives than the same
Glass in other countries. Society in the
large towns is pleasant and polished.
No country has such u perfect system
VI water com Observation-Disclosures valleys
Of the Mississippi and the Amazon
aloue excepted. There are inland seas,
some not much smaller than Lake Su.
perlor. There is rich black earth =
soil, salt, coal, iron, gold and black
lead. Beef costs five ceuts pound
and game of all kinds can be got in
such abundance that living costs almost
nothing. Corn and hay are SO cheap
that horses can be hired for cent q
mile. Salt costs less than 81 ton and
wheat is Sc or 81 ton.
So that if Siberia is not an earthly
paradise it is because the Russophobia
IN England will not permit, or admit it.
BIscUrT MAKINa.-If, when making
biscuit, the ssleratus is sifted with the
-four instead of dissolvlng it IN water,
the biscuit will be lighter and better.
/ use a moderately heaped teaspooful
| of saleratus to two cups OF sour milk