Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-06-08
GOsaIP OF THE PRESS.

/ faVOrabiY Impressed Ny the new cars
literanees ia respect TO the foreign
pOliey with Russia, The crown prince,
however regards his Imperial cousins
actual situation as painful and do
pressing, Alexander Ill, Is practically
q prisoner ia his own palaeel and tho
most alarming symptOm Of the dlsal'
lection prevailing among his subjects 10
the utter untrustWOthiness Of the
higher ilussian officials, brought 70
light by recent investigations Many
state employees, including persons OF
considerable rank and responsibility,
Yielding TO mere peeunlary induce
ments, have joined the Nihilist eon'
spiraey, More than one case Of tfeach'
srOus completely IN the plots which
have agitaiea Russian society during
the past three years has been brought
home 10 individuals belonging to the
late ezaFs household, "a we'll as to OIL
Gers Of the guard,
A scheme to induce cOlored men TO
leave their homes and come to ~
Louis under promise Of homes on the
Greek, Seminole aud Chiekasaw Teserr
yatiOns, provided they reach NJ, Louis
at their own expense, las been dlscoV'
cred by the government, II Ii the Ia
nous Oklahoma movement IN new
guIse, Circulars promising wonderful
things TO the eoloTed people have been
scattered broadcast over tho sonthenl
States, Secretary kIrkwOod, OF Tho In
terror department, urges eolorcd men
to stay where theJ are for The present,
and kaysl "it appears 10 me- ~ II some
body was trying TO use the colored peo'
pie In this project for their own selfish
purpose; and should these poor people
get down into tho Territory and then
find that, like tho would'bo white In
yaders OF that country, they had no
right to DO there, anil that the army
must be used to eject them, there would
DO much distress"
The census bureau IL having conSld'
erable difficulty IN securing statistics
from tho railroad cOmpanies OF the
country for computation. There are
over 1000 railroads In the United States
TO which blank reports have been sent,
and over 400 Of tho companies have
failed TO make any return, From one
to four schedules have been sent these
delinquent corporations, and in some
instances ~ many IN ten letters have
been addressed 10 some OF them with
out obtaining any reply, Tho law on
acted by Congress after empowering The
superintendent Of the census to obtain
a complete statement from every rail
road corporation Of i's condition, bust
ness, otc,, provides that every presi'
dent, treasurer, secretary general agent
or managing director who shall upon
request OF the census bureau OF it,
agents neglect or refuse TO give true nm.
swers to all the questions asked shall
forfeit not less than $500, nor more than
$4,000, TO he recovered in an action OF
debt in any coult Of competent juriSdic'
lion, and shall be guilty Of INSIDE
msanor, and On conviction thereof shall
be imprisoned for not less than one
year. Three special agents have been
sent by General Walker to obtain in
formation from the delinquent roads.
A striking telegram sent to the
London Standard by its correspondent
at st. Petersburg says; 1t would he
difficult to cxaggcrate the gravity nf
the situation in Russia Mt the present
moment. Never before was the need Of
steady hand at the helm so deeply
and so universally felt. 1t required
nothing less than tho tragedy OF the
thirteenth OF March to open mems eyes
to the fact that reform which the revo'
lutionists cndcavorcd to wiring from the
government by deeds of bloodshcd can
not and must not he long delayed by
the majority Of intelligent persons, In
the matter of intelligence the women OF
Russia are much superior TO the men.
II they venture to formulate their de-
sires they could repeat the demands
contained in the last proclamation oil
the famous executive committee. 1t is
to see how much there is in
common between Russian intelligence
and the revolutionary party. The dis
tinction between them Jics not in
the end but in the means. The very
absence of that freedom, which some
demand and all desire, leaves the Rus
sian reformer no choice Tut silence or
sedition. No one who has Travelled
through Russia lately can have failed to
mark the difference between the peas.
ant of the past and the peasant OF the
present. Servile politeness has given
place to an independence, rude and
sometimes brutal. When the old man
bows to the passing stranger the youth
goes on his way with sullcn stare.
The latter has a dangerous knowledge
of his rights and wrongs, which makes
him in many cases willing listener to
the insidious counsels of revolutionary
propagandists. Go where you will,
from the White Sea to the Black Sea,
from the Danube to the Amoor,
the peasants are awaking from the
deathlike slumber of centuries. The
spring.time of national life is dawning:
the trees still look withcred and dead:
the winter snow still whitens the
ground; the chilly sleet rustles through
the branches. But the sap is rising,
and the leaves, blossoms and fruit will
soon spring forth. What sort Of crop
it will be depends mainly on the decl-
sions that must shortly be taken. Mean.
time the emperor lives in retirement at
Gatschina, and sees no one but Prince
Varoutzotf Doahkof. People speak in
official circles of a moral abdication and
shake their heads when they speak OF
the future IT may be, however, that
ere long We shall have manifesto OF
some sort and an indication of the
policy to he pursued. AT present there
is none, and Russia is without II gov.
eminent.
SNAKE VS.. HORSE.
A recent issue of the Pottsville
Miners Journal says: A terrific run
away of horse attached to spring
WAGON and driven nv q man named