The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-21
THE Revolutionary Movement in Rus.l,

Inc R0V01ut9WUUFy mVVOWe9ut Ia AuU1u0s
No careful observer OF what is going. on In
Russia can avoid the conclusion that the alb
solutist regime there shows u Htppocratic
visaxe. The spasmodic acts OF terrorism by
which government tries to hide Its Internal
weakness; the untia9ging holiness OF the
revolutionary party, IN spite OF the LOSSES 1t
martial, OF number OF It's leaders. and
through the imprisonment or transportation
to Siberia and Saghalien, Of many thousands
OF It's adherents; the quarrel between the
autocrat and his son, who fears the downfall
sisted INA quarrel only outwardly made up
since the return Of the Czarewitch to ST.
Petersburg; the discovery 81 considerable
ramificati0n OF what Ia called the Nlhilist
conspiracy within the army, and the suspi-
cion attaching In this respect even to the
lower ranks OF the police-all these facts,
and many others Of similar nature, are sig
nltlcant signs pointing toward the beginning
of the end" IT 10 merely question Of time.
The country - IN the very midst q the crisis.
The final issue cannot BE- long delayed.
Years ago Prince Dolgorukof. q very mod
crate Liberal, who yet had to seek safety In
exile, wrote In his valuable work La verite
sur Ia Russle'), Russia has, from the time Of
down to our days, been nothing but an i'm
mense pyramid OF oppression. In this vast
ediece slavish subsection and arbitrary force
reign from top 70 botioms and from the bot
able proportions, the official lie. the lie erected
into political iastitution, the bitter and
dreary fruit OF the absence OF all Individual
freedom, Of all publicity, OF all real and seri-
GUS control. This despotlsm, hfdeous In itse!f,
exercises deleterlous moral influence. 1t
dries up the noble and elevated sentiment; II
degrades the soul; It corrupts, perverts and
lowers the character. even more among those
who exercise that despottsm than among Its
Victims"
UNFORTUNATELY, the words written by Prince
DoiRorukoH on the mode OF Russian govern
ment are true to this very hour. What is
Russia" he exclaimed, from political and
administrative point Of vIew2 1t Is an I'M
decorated with . European frontage but fur
nished and administered inside on the Asiattc
pattern. The vast majority OF Russian OIL.
oials, disguised In more or less European cos
Tunes proceed, In the exercise OF their func-
tions, like veritable Tartars. On what basis
does the Russian administration repose2 On
law2 Most assuredly not. No country Ger
tainly Is richer than Russia In laws, ordiE-
ances, and regulations Of every kind. The
Russian Code ID the most voluminous on
earth: It contains fifteen thick volumes Of
more than Thousand pages each; every year
new supplements are published. But this
CODE 30 useful to the prosperity Of the paper
mills, is q dead letter for the country. The
first article Of the first volume: placing the
Emperor, as 1t does. above al laws, trans
forms llthese fifteen thick volumes into the
most voluminous PLEASANTLY"
1t Is known that IN Russia there exists q
variety OF parties-or rather, because the
word ''parties" implies an organized public
change. There Is the revolutionary group OF
Nihiiists, who themselves are divided into q
number Of seots. There are Socialists, who
would prefer proceeding In more peaceful
oonvocation OF National Assembly on the
principle OF universal suffrage. There are
Constitutional Monarchists, who would be
glad to see any system Of parliamentary gov
ernment introduced. In foreign politics there
are those who think Russia, with her 10000, :
0OC inhabitants Of an empire spreading over
an Immense territory In Europe and Asia, is
already large enough, or even overgrown
There are othets-,P Pam Russians, OF the Kat
kOf school; Pan-Slavists, OF the Aksakof,
further extension In the direction OF India, OF
Persia, OF Turkey, OF Hungary, Of the Seam
dsnayian countries, and OF Germany as well
The struggle may yet continue for while,
o. 1t ncy suddenly be brought to eonclu-
sion BY q surprise 10 the imperial palace IT.
cell, II not BY Q surrender On the part Of 2
Monarch whose life Is made utterly miserable
by sever-increasing danger, danger whose
Il Er0rs are augmented hundred-fold
til rough tie suspicion now and then arising
nea rest protectors. and against his own son
and heir. In the very midst OF the most san
ouin vry measures taken By his government.
some signs q vacillation, some indications OF
a sli0 ht concession to public opinion being
discus sed in the secret councils at court are.
howev,,r. already discernible. It is true, no
move than subsequent mall brings
news which dashes the hope from
the hands OF those who had eagerly Grasped
at 1t. Au,s Oeracy dies hard; but die 1t will
and must. II the last representative OF 8
long line of cruel, bloodstained ttyrants is not
utterly bere1't OF the capacity OF reading the
signs Of the tt ines, he will make haste to use
the forthcomin.v twenty fifth anniversary OF
his accession to she throne for grant OF ~
critics on scale corresponding to the de-
mands of those VINO, wktle they are deter
mined foes OF arbitrary rule, yet are willing
to make constitutional experiment Without
dom to perceive what Is the interest OF his
own family, the bitter contest viii be fought
10 the end. Karl Blind 10 the International
Review Tor April,
h a