The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-16

termination Of the revolutionists of the
Empire. The blowing up of the dining
room of the Winter Palace at an hour
when the Imperial household is at
dinner and their miraculous escape
by the accidental delay Of an ex-
pected guest; the attack upon the
life of General Melikof and his equally
miraculous escape through the protec-
tion OF steel breast-plate worn under
his clothing, have been telegraphed to
the world In all their details, and show
the spirit that the mysterious conspira-
tors display towards the Imperial policy
and those who represent it at the head of
the Russian Government. There is much,
no doubt, however, that is sealed book to
uswho live under institutions SO diametri-
cally opposed to the methods under an au-
tocratic system like that under the En-
peror Nicholas.
Ofthe real wrongs of the Russian people
none can doubt who have carefully
studied Russian policy and regarded the
despotic course of the government meth
ods of that country. And yet the brutal
programme of the Nihilists seems to us
who do not feel the iron heel of the stern
military despotism under which they
groan as hardly any less unrighteous and
uncivilized than the system they seek to
overturn
On his accession to power 25 years ago
last Tuesday Alexander, then a man of
81, was perhaps the most enlightened
and liberal Prince in Europe. He had
been carefully and thoroughly educated,
had visited every part of the Russian
Empire and the different States of
Europe, was professedly and sincerely
opposed to the despotic courses of his
late father the Emperor Nicholas, and
seemed to be earnest in his desire to in
augurate reforms into the Empire that
should popularize him with the masses
Of the Russian people. Under the 25
years that he has reigned the material
development Of the Empire has been
constant.
Siberia is elevated from convict colony
into great province, the prosperity of
which is rapidly and certainly develop
ing. Its mines are being proftably worked,
and its rivers explored, and their naviga-
tion improved and extended. Conquests
have been pushed beyond the Caucasus,
and the great highway through Kars IS
held with line of railway pushing hand
in hand with the advancing army of
conquest and occupation. Nearly all of
the rich province of Turkestan in Cen
tral Asia is practicallya part of the en-
pire. and many of the hostile Khanates
also absorbed. Over 10000 miles of tel
egraph have been erected, canals have1
been opened and the navigable rivers
improved and opened to commerce. The
three lines of railroad in existence at the
time he assembled the throne have been
increased to forty-four, and something
over 14,50O miles are now in constant
operation with others projected and
building The humiliation of the Crimean
war has also been efaced by the practical
conquest of Turkey in the late war with
that power, and the resources of
the Empire in spitesOf the enormous
burden of the existing military system
which aflicts Russia in common with all
the other countries of Europe, are larger
than those of any other of the Continenal
powers, except perhaps France.
1t seems to us amazing that a country
like Russia, with vast territory,
fertile soil, a wide diversity of
climate, rapidly increasing popula-
ton, and seemingly all the elements of
greatness and material prosperity, should
groan in this enlightened age under
despotism almost as bitter as that of Pc
ter the Great or Catherine, and the ap-
peals alike of the nobility of Moscow and
Of Poland, of the scholars of her gram
mar schools and universities, and of the
peasantry of the Volga should be disre-
garded till Nihilism has at last been
driven, with arson and assassination, to
undertake to hurl the erstwhile liberal
and popular Alexander from the throne
where he now sits the most merciless |
despot in Europe.