The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-03-15

IN general terms his Intention 81 upholdIng
The glory Of the Empire as Vt had been up.
held by Peter, Catherine, Alexander, aud
Nicholas; and almost bis second set was TO
sign the treaty by which Bessarablo
was ceded aud the Crimean war in'
eIorously brought to an end. HOW
ever, this immediate failure to make
his performance accord with his prom
ise was no fault Of his. The defeat that he
sanctioned was bequesthcd TO him ana could
not have been avoided. Peace being estab.
lished, he set himself seriously 10 the TASK OF
Introducing into his empire nuch-nepded
internal reforms. The army was cut down
TO the lowest limits compatible with the Dig
niiy and safety Of The state; vigorous efforts
we're made TO reestabIish the shattered
finances OF the nation and to promote COM
mercial prosperity, and an earnest purpose
was manifested to raise Russia out OF It's
slough OF primitive barbarism and to bring
IL abreast OF the civilization OF the nineteenth
century.
THE EMANCIPATION OF TIE sEEFs.
The greatest OF all the reforms that Alex
ander effected was his emancipation OF the
serfs. HIS great ukase OF March 2-Feb-
ruary 10, 1861, set twenty-three millions
free. NomiDaIly. this emancipation pr0cla-
nation was issued with the unanimous con.
sent OF The Russian nobility; in point OF
fact, very large majority OF the no.
bill,y opposed it,, rightly percelyng in
it great abatement OF their personal
powers. In issuing it the Gar reached
the climax OF his reform movement.
The ilI.will that it excited was so In
tense and lasting that GREATER he found
his hands more or less tied. The supple
meDlary ukase OF February, 1864, by which
the Polish serfs were freed, was based upon
very different motive, being intended
solely as q political move which would, ana
did, weaken the influence OF the Polish no.
bility. The two other important attempts
at reform subsequently made--to secure
popular education and to found ELECTIVE
provincial ssemblies-proved practically
abortiye. In name the public schools eX-
ist, but they are so wretchedly managed
that they fail to accomplish any useful pur-
pose. The provincial assemblies. upon
which the Radicals Of the Empire founded
high hopes Of eventually securing ma
tiona assembly and regular representative
form Of government, have proved evils
ralher than blessings. Being perverted 10
bad purposes, they have become for the most
part frt sh sources Of oppression; In the one
or two cases when they have endeayorcd TO
abate local grievances they have been
promptly suppressed by the Imperial Coz
eminent. However, it is probable that IN
both these directions the Gar was honest
in his intention TO do good; that he failed
was due 10 the force OF adverse clrclm-
stances. Another good measure that has
come to very little Is his Introduction OF
trial by jury. jury trials undoubtedly 90
on in Rus,ia-but woe to the jury that finds
against the case as 1t is presented by the
judge
MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS OF TWENTY YEARS.
But in one important respect the reign Of
The Car has been emincntIy successful.
When he succeeded TO the crown the army
was a dl>prted mob, and small mob ot
that he leaves il one OF the strongest and
best.discplined OF the armies OF Europe.
Under bis orders general system OF mill.
tary CONSUMPTION was introduced. the
actual strength Of the army was greatly
increased, and its effectiveness vastly eX-
tended by lis admirable organization. The
simDe proof of this J. found IN
what the army has accomplished du-
ring the concluding twenty wears OF the
quarter century Of the Cars reign. Twenty
years ago began anew the advance into Asia
that was only suspended during the Crimean
war, and that has constituted the hereditary
aggressive policy Of Russia from prehistoric
times. In November, 1866, the advance
reached BOkhara; in a year and half that
Khanate was conquer ed and Samarcand was
occupied by Russian troops. In 1873 khiva,
the adjoining khanate, was annexed, and in
1873 the third Kbanate, Khokand, became
part Of the Empire. This brought the Rus.
sian lines on the south fairly to the frontiers
OF Afgbanlstan, and so led directly to Lord
Beaconstield's invention, as precau-
tionary measure. OF the famous Indian
scientific frontier-that, in turn, led sdi-
recty to the AngIO-Afghan war. In the
East the Russian lines were pushed forward
with equal yigOr and almost equal success.
Twenty years ago the advance rested on
the OXus; now ii IS far advanced into that
debatabe region known as Little Bucharia,
or Chinese Turkistan, far down on the east
ern slope Of the Continental Divide. FL
naIly. the army that Alexander created
wiped out the stain OF the defeat on the
Crimea by the conquest OF Turkey two
years ago. At the gates OF Constantinople
the Treaty OF San StefanO was dictated TO
the Sultan, and Bessarabia was regained.
Had tue Gar died then be would have died
a hero. Unfortunately for his own glory,
he has lived two years longer than his time,
lust long enough to lose by diplomacy al
most all that he gained by war.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS ON THE CzAR's LIFE.
This last, and successful, attempt to as
sassinate Alexander is the sixth that has
been made. Fourteen years ago, April
1928, 1865, he was fired at In 81. Peters
burg, Just a. he was entering his carriage,
by an eX-student, KarakesOf. The pistol
was Knocked in the air by a workman
named Komissarof, native OF KOsiroma-
for which useful attention he was promptly
ennobed. Again, at Paris, June els, 1867,
he was shot at by Pole, BereZOwsk-to
whom in grateful remembrance OF this at
tempt at regicde testimonial OF respect in
the shape OF revolver was the other day
presented by certain OF the reddest OF
the Paris Reds. On this occasion the
Car was driving with his two sons and
the Emperor Napoleon. BereZowski,
although thus firing into a flock OF
soyereIgns, missed clean He was about
to shoot again when his pistol burst in his
hand. In April, 1870, a third attempt was
made, this time in st. Petersburg, by
Nihiist named Soloiew. The shot missed
and Solojew shortly thereafter was tried
and executed. Then came, in the following
December, the blowing up OF the railway
track near Moscow at the moment OF the
passage Of what was believed to be the In.
peral tIain-a failure because goods train
bad by accident come up the line in add
vance OF the Especial ~ bringing the Car.
Finally, just year and a month ago, came
the famous, but still unsuccessful, attempt
to murder the Emperor by blowing up the
Winter Palace. But this time the Nihilists