St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-03-25
A Nihilist on the Cars Assassination.

John Baker, as the Polish Nihilist
"W. c. Ky" now located in Brook |
lyn, calls himself, in newspaper inter !
view concerning the Cars assassina- |
ton, said that three weeks ago the Car |
received information that committee |
of the leaders of the secret revOlutiOna- |
ry party in Russia desired Il confer |
ence with him for the purpose of |
giving him information as to the condi- |
tion of affairs in his own Empire, and |
laying before him proofs and PROPOSE !
tions. Their desire was acceded to |
and the committee laid before the Car !
evidences of the most convincing char |
acter of the atrocities aud Togueries of
officials, the wrongs of the people and
the real state of affairs. The Car was |
astOnished at what he learned, and de !
manded to know what remedy the !
committee had in view. They de-
declared that a constitution was the
only possible cure for the evils that
were eating out the heart of Russias
prosperity but the Car replied: NO
constitution during my lifetime" The
committee demanded the withdrawal
of state support from the Greek Church.
This the Gar would not hear to as he
was the head of the Greek Church.
The first of the Romanofs was Michael
FeodOvich, who was the son of the
then patriarch of Russia, the Supreme
Pentitf of the Greek Church, holding
the position toward the Greek CathO-
| lies that the Pope does in the Roman
church. Peter the Great, when he had
difficulty with the Patriarch Neon,
solved it easily by abolishing the pa
triarchate and assuming the tiara him
self. He went a step further than
Henry VIII. of England, though he
adopted his method. Ever since that
time the Gar has maintained the dual
headship of political and religious Rus
sia. 1t is taught as one of the doctrines
of the church that 'to the Emperor is
due alteration, worship and love beyond
the love which is given to father or
mother" Moreover, it is laid down by
the church that "no man can enter
heaven at any time who disobeys the
Emperor and his angel officials"
As to the present state of affairs, Mr..
Baker said:
Every Car before lie ascends the
throne is a Liberal. Alexander was
Liberal even Nicholas was IA Liberal.
The new Car was Liberal. Let us
see if the Liberalism is genuine. If he
lives up to his promises to the RevOlu-
tionists we shall have constitution.
If he does not, without the least doubt
in the world lie will suffer his fathers
fate.
The American people have been
taught to believe that the emancipation
of the Serfs in Russia was something
equivalent to the negro emancipation
| Of I ln iS nj IN
the credit of the late Car that he
emancipated 23,OOO,OOO serfs. He did
T nothing of the kind. The serf to-day
, is as completely a slave as he ever was.
He has changed his master, that is all.
Before emancipation he was the thraIl
of the noble. To-day he is equally at
, the mercy of the head man of the com
mune. The infamies practiced under
such a system are almost too shocking
, for a newspaper to uarrate. But let
me tell you that during the last five
} decades that not more than two-thirds
: of the people of Russia are the children
l of their reputed fathers. Let me tell
; you that every official, no matter what
2 his rank, is in this respect seigneur,
= and that the husband of pretty
2 woman, the father of virtuous maiden,
is compelled to surrender her on de-
mand to any petty Officeholder under
8 penalty of being sent to Siberia. There
is no remedy. To whom can the out
| ragged victim appeal for vengeance
= To nobody. All this was laid before
the Car in detail three weeks ago, and
r his reply was: "NO constitution durin Q
= my lifetime"
= | ask the American people to be fair
5 and reserve little of the odium which
o attaches to Nihilism for the causes tina
D have called it into existense. | ask 9
y little pity for the thousands and thou
e sands who have been sent to Siberia
for committing no crime at all. Since
i 1880 no less than 100000 people have
been sent to Siberia, including Poles
T. for political offences. One-fourth ot
= these were sent to the mines, to the
salt mines, and | defy any apOlogist -Oi
Il the system to point out half dozen
q who have outlived six years of theii
a sentence.
. As there is scarcely a family of birth
: that has not its representatives in 81
IBERIA as in Russia when a man dlsap-
g pears nobody ventures to inquire aftc
G him as we do here as all classes liy,
in more dreadful slavery than ever
i vengeance against the Gar VINO as
d sumes responsibility for these crimes il
is only natural.
a We cannot hope for a republic yet
do not ask it. But the Cars death Ina
a taught his successor that if he is al
is obstacle to the expansion aud deliver
e ance of Russia he will die. 1t ha
= taught the wretched peasantry, upOl
i. whose ignorance despotism is founded
III 1. 4. l.
5 against the penalty of tyranny. If tn
n new Gar is wise he will understand
% that constitution which is worth shed
i ding Russian blood to gain for Bulgari'
le is worth shedding despotic blood to vii
n for Russia.
y