Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-07
THENARODNAYIA VOLTA.

1 Not the least important of the agents used
 by the Nihilists in their fight against Russian l despotism are the secret publications, which
 in spite of the utmost vigilance of the Govern ment, continue to be issued and widely cir
 culated. Itis supposed that they are even printed in Russia right under the noses of
 those whom they attack. These publications
 contain the boldest and most incendiary arti-
 cles, and keep their readers well informed
 concerning the acts of the Government and
 the progress of the Nihilists. A recent num- | Der of the 'tNarodnayia Volta" (The Will of | the Nation) is good specimen of these pub
 iications, and it's contents reveal vividly the grievances and aims of the Nihilists. The 1 index to this paper runs as follows: ''The
 problems of the party; our martyrs; on
 whose side is morality? From the executive
 committee-biographica notice of Valerian
 Ossinsky; correspondence from the interior i;
 two words about governor -generalships on
 the path of peaceful development recent
 disturbance in the University of St. Peters
 burg chronicle of prosecutions Mirsky's trial miscellaneous items" The leading arti- ele opens by stating that the problem of the
 Socialist revolutionary party is the subversion of the present form of government, and the subiection of the authority of the State to the people The article continues as follows: From the standpoint of the present regime our peasant is regarded as something worse than nothing He is looked upon as a beast of the field-as sheep existing for the sole purpose of feeding his shepherd and clothing him with his fleece. This is the principle of our Government. The peasant must eat, | I.. L,,k Ao der that he should not die Of hunger, and that Le should be able to pay in a certain yearly sum to the imperial treasury, serve his time in the ranks as soldier, etc. In regard to his mental capacities, little more, perhaps, is required from him in this respect than from horse He must have sense enough to do what he is told, and to recognize his master. Anything more than this is superfuous and even pernicious. For some time the Govern ment has centered all it's hopes in the nobili- ty. It has discovered, however, that these hopes were i'll founded, and is now enooura gipg and seeking support from the bourgeoisie, or middle classes. This latter class will in time if allowed to gain in ascendency, prove
 far more dangerous to the masses and to the Socialistic principle than the nobles ever were.
 This evil must be averted, and all the efforts
 of the Socialistic party must be directed against the Government in order to effect direct and speedy transfer Of the State power to the hands of the lower order while there is vet time and the bourgeoisie class is weak and unorgenized. The transfer of the State power to the hands of the people at the pres
 ent time would give our history quite another
 direction. We will suppose, for instance,
 that our Government, from whatsoever cause whether from 8 general revolution, e1haus tion, or moral pressure brought to bear on it by all classes of society-is compelled to i- quidate it's affairs. Representative assembly (assemblee constituante) is formed indepen- Al. 4f AI,oH o-,k. In this assembly 90 per cent. of the deputies represent the peasants, and, if our party aots cleyerly our body. What would such an sembly do for the country? It is highly l probable that 1t would create a complete change in all our economic and State rela tions. Once let the Government be deposed, and the nation will arrange itself far better,
 may be, than we could hope.
 The article headed s'On Whose Side. is l Morality ?" commences by representing the
 Russian press with trying to propitiate the
 Government by taking every opportunity of
 throwing dirt on the Nihilist party. "When- ever a fire occurs or 8 robbery is committed, l the Russian press" says the writer, 'hastens to declare that it is the work of the Revolu-
 tionists. Profting by our position, owing to which we cannot openly de- fend ourselves, the Russian press endeavors to hold us up before the eyes of l society,as sanguinary and merciless monsters" | The author then proceeds to prove that the Socialistic and Revolutionary party in Russia l is far more moral than the Government and
 it's adherents, and in justice it must be said
 makes out pretty good case for his side. l 1.-Two Words about -Generalships" I is devoted to condemnation of the action of General Todleben, Governor General of Odessa, who has, according to the writer of 1 the article, conferred on MT. Panutin, chief | of his chancery, the power of exiling and of l infiicting capital punishment. The article I concludes by saying 'sWhy should not Todleben, if he thought fit, grant the same power to every political officer? And if he did so, would it not be 'lawful?' Apparently it 1 would. Oh, unfortunate Russian law, unfor- tunate Russian citizens!" The article "On
 the Path of Peaceful Development" denoun- ees the power recently granted to governors of provinces to veto the election of justices of the peace-a power which, the writer
 states, deals 8 fatal blow to the judicial re- forms introduced during the present reign. eve rejoice" concludes the writer, ''that the Government, by this new act of it's distrust and suspicion, arms still more against it en- frightened Russian society"
 A list of executions for political offences in the year ending August, 1879, is given. The executive committee warns it's adherents that MT. s. M., proprietor of snaithy on the Vastly Ostroff, is in the pay of the third
 section, or secret police. A description of MT. s. M. person, dress, etc., is also given. Correspondence from the interior contains an account of the arbitrary proceedings of the local authorities and the lamentable condition of the peasantry. The Chronicle of Perse- cution" gives detailed list of searches, ar- rests and seizures made throughout the coun- try within the last few months, for suspected complicity with the Revolutionary party. The writer states that out of the whole number
 arrested during the present year, 163 persons remain imprisoned and untried at the pres ent time in the house of detention at St. Petersburg. Money subscriptions are ac. knowledgsd from various parts of the coun- try, and notice is given that portraits of So--
 1oyief and other victims of the cause may be purchased at moderate prices. Back numbers of revolutionary publications are also adver- tised for sale.
 If the Czar could put stop to the circula-
 ton of such papers as the Narodnayia Volta among the discontented throughout his do-
 minion, the oppressive measures of the Govern
 ment would be great deal more likely to suc-
 ceed than they are now. But he cannot, and
 wherever there are Nihilists these publica
 tions go and fan the flame that is advancing
 toward the Russian throne. In them able
 writers, thoroughly in earnest and ready to die for the cause they advocate, teach the