Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-30
THE LAST TRIAL or RUSSIAN NlHILIsTs
1.-THE International Reyiew.I


In the short midsummer season, With the or.
thodox accompaniment OF noisy bands Of
music and noisier casino, attract considerable
crowds Of doubtful refinement, representatives
of the second hand world OF fashion, when THE
place flares up for a few weeks into a sort OF
hectic, nctitiou5 life. 1t was here that Kvfat-
koVsKy, Goldenoerg, and tEelr friends after
1he failure OF the l4th t2f OF April, met By pre-
openly, In the public gardens, mindful OF tue
TACT that privacy Is nowhere more undIsturDed
t snan 10 throng and that it is safest to talk
meetings and preliminary conferences went on
for some days. until all the leaders, convoked
from dinerent parts OF the empire, were assem-
bled. Then, when the serious business mad to
be attacked it was deemed advisable to adjourn
10 mora secluded spots, and the party used to
saunter s1Dgly, or In small groups, into neigh
boring wood. or to row themselves across the
Ilver and hold their sednc9 In an open mead DIV.
The points to be discussed ana resolved upon
were aE-iIn portant; they were the eX pediency
OF renewed attempts against the Cars life at
no distant perloe, and the urgency OF giving
the party "a stronger, more compact organiza-
ton" Goldenberg says
The first OF thee p 5ints was readily disposed Of
and several others SPOKE In favor of prompt ex
cuton OF the intended re9icde, in order quickly
convince the government. that La -sh tueaslr s
would not put stop to the movement dir.Ute
against it, and that therefore would - AXE
concessions l moreover moved thu sssas.
sinstion OF the governors general OF Odessa, Kief
case NAV IL should not with the rgicide,
when was 10 De cur first Aad principal object"
It Is especially impressive and painfully sig
ni1cant to find these Sanguinary mea Sures
Uountenanceo py young man, Goldenb3rg's
particular friend, whom he expressly mentions
as zone OF the gentlest and most humane OF
men. held In profound esteem by the entire
revolutionary party, although he belonged to
one special faction Of 1t. 1 should remark" he
adds, that he was not very favorably inclined
10 the terrortzing system, and had but lately
Joined It, moved solely by revengeful and
consequence OF q long series OF cruel persecu-
tons, which had impressed him the more deeply
that some of those who had suffered death had
been his associates and friends
Little contradiction. then, was encountered
by the resolution decreein2 further contlnu-
auce Of the "terrorIZlng system" The difficult
ties OF the organization question was much
greater. 1t was, indeed, complicated que5-
tion, at least practically; for in theory all had
long felt the absolute necessity of greater
unity, OF more concerted action. The different
factions OF the social1stic or revolutionary
party, distinguished by various shadings Of
opinion not merely as to the means to be- EN-.
pioyed, but frequently as to the ultimate OBJ
1ects to be pursued, preserved towards each
other an Indifferent, sometimes almost hostiIa
attitude, ana carried on separate propaganda
Dy means OF their several secret organs printed
and disseminated by different centers, which
d1Sclaimed all connection with each other It
was to conciltate these disSenSlons. to merge
all the various fragmentary cliQues into one
vast cooperative organization, tnat SO many
ANauOi0 HCl dt lIpctSh. III WAS HI almost nope.
less task, and though they did achieve a certain
result, and even produced sort OF statute
which. however. was never printed was,
on the whole, very imperfect and makesh,ft
committee" which, from the nature OF the
dutlesit assumed, might be called superior
agent; While the executive committee" clearly
Ought to have taken an Inferior position. On
this Goldenberg with charact eri SCic directnes5
Which at once 0iSclO5e5 the foeblen5SS Of the
organization, renaTkS:
tom and g g ERE s to sn5aa
not really placed upder the control OF the directing
committee The latter was boand to know ali that
was going on IN the tsrroristc laction and indeed
In the eatire 5svolutonsry party iss hands were
to provide the necessary means for VIII stever ul-
dertaking was in hand The executive was to
consist OF persons whose duty it was to take an
follow, however. that the Initiative Of giysa uH-
committee; far from it. The executive also had
the right Of making motions and submitting them
as strict line of demarcston between the two, as
can be seen from the fact that member Of ths d.
tions without the sanction Of the executive. nor
take on himself executive acts. 1t was, moreover,
the first degres to be- invested with gre tier trust,
those of the second with lesser. The duty Of these
agents was to fulfill wha:eysr vas imposed O the a.
tersburg; the members of the executive wherever
their presence and services would be needed"
One OF the prisoners completed this account
at the trial by remarking that "Jhe distin ,tion
between the members OF the organiz alton and
its agents was real ana important. 1t was re.
known, but whom 1t could be hoped to lad
useful and reliable In the sequel, should be at
tracted by every possible means, AID Gried oc-
casi Sl IN small things, with great care
proved OF the general programme OF the party,
and were fit to be trusted with the execution OF
more important misslons"
fC Undo yhn fv%a
ration: ana II 50 many desp crate dee Is were
achieved. or at least attempted, 1t is to be at
triouted not so much 10 the efficiency Of the
association, lacking as 1T was in blind discipline,
tdat main nerve OF every secret society, /. to
the powerful individuality Of some OF It's mem
berS, acting severally or in groups. Golden.
Dergs rather naively worded statement, s'our
sets forth In homely fashion a lesson taught by
the whole history OF Russia; namely, that ''our
people" though able at any m0men to muster
superb array OF personal capacities intel
lectuai and moral, have always been through
lack OF training or some more deep-lying natu-
RAJ bias. sngularly u1apt for Prolonged com
oined action. We are born protestants, every
will to external guidance, there always remains
an tndeStructable nucleus OF reasoning SELF
which rebels and shrinkS from going all lengths
merely because we are told to do SO, even In a
cherished cause, and under approved leadership.
This quality, like every other, has Its good and
evil sides. 1t has at times disastrously asserted
ITSELF In our hfStOry.-aS when enforced by petty
rlValr1es and mutual 1ealousies, 1t retarded by
more than one score OF years the final liberia
ton OF cur land from the Tartar yoke, which
might Lave been thrown OF earlier by the
united action OF cur several princes. Yet on
the other hand, when called into play by honest
MOVIES, 1t contains, perhaps, q safeguard
agalnst mat passive subsection to mere au-
lnOrlty winch makes men follow waving ban.
ner When 1t has ceased to be ANYTHING buf a
rag OF silk or bunting, and stake their ives
ana Souls On WatchTOrd after It has long b,eo
Only the empty she'll OF an idea. However that
may be, this Keynote makes itself Distinctly
neard through the uprOar OF our late trOubIes
IL rings out very clearly In SoovIofr'S decIara.
ZION tnat, should his associate unanimously
dlSapproVe OF his project, he will separate him
and On his own responsibility before the law
and before his conscience. We may be yery
sure that the knot OF underground workers on
the outskirts OF MOSCOW would not have zen
deferred from their undertaking By the mo,t
positive prohibition from their parCy'S hiphe,t
authorities; they would simply have seeded.
and gone on doing what they considered right
and necessary.
One item OF the unwritten statute seems to
nave Deen most consistently carried out,-,hat
OF secrecy. The means employed were tWofold:
nrst, the lavish use Of false papers, most of the
agents being provided with several names and
ance OF the rule to keep every agent "a much
as possible In the dark concerning everything
Out the particular 'jobn imposed on him and
as Tar as feasible, In ignorance even of hts fell.
IoW.cOnSplrat0rS, Who were to be introduced to
him as occasion required, and as the mora
knowing agents saw ut. No agent was. on any
account, to discover himself even to his nearest