The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-03-23
TT. occupies the throne vaca-

ted by his father through Nihilistic vengeance,
and NihiIism is not dead, but on the contrary
shakes its finger Of gloomy menace at the
new Emperor with the same mysterious and
terrible silence which has been directed
against the institution OF the CZardOm like 8
decree Of fate A sorroWing people and
sympathizing world are asking what is the
terrible mystery which is crumbling into
ashes that power which has Withstood trium-
phantly the shock of two militant hemis-
pheres. What Nihilism is will for time be
mystery but many speculations have been
offered to account for it. The one most
generally received being that 1t has resulted
under the fostering influence of the old Rus
sian party. Another that it is true Social
site movement Of the middle classes, and 8
few that it is purely an agitation Of foreign
emmissariss, for the purpose Of striking at
military despotism in its weakest point, or
where there is the least social organization to
prevent their operation. Such thing IN
America would be instantly crushed, even 1t
there were neither government nor army.
Which of the three it is, no one is certain
but we are inclined to believe that it is both
European and Russian in its organization,
and that if it originally was faction for the
purpose of cour5 intrigue and party cabal, it
has long since escaped from the hands Of its
organizers, and now represents niuor sec
ton OF the popular impulse in connection
with the general organization Of the Social
lists. How great its numerical power is also
unknown, though that it has received large
accessions since the close Of the Turkish war
there is no doubt. The trial, its failure, and
the mysterious disappearance Of the defen-
dant, Vera Sassulich, who escaped the police
in q most remarkable manner after her ar
rest had been ordered, and who did not ap-
pear again until sne reached Geneva, and all
the time under the protection of this power,
whatever 1t is, that spirited her away, all show
an organization the most compact, discip.
lined and jealous in the world. Geneva is
The center Of all the Socialism, Communism
and Agrarianism in the world, and it would
astonish the average American citizen if he
knew how great the Influence welded by this
council over the working men of the cities of
An erica, and to what degree Of strength its
various branches have grown It's growth has
been almost entirely since 1848, and although
the policy of Metternich and the standing ar
mics of Europe have labored to destroy it,
it has grown with vigor that shows the i'm
portant place it will soon assume in the con-
troll Of the destlnies of the world. The Rus
sian phase Of it is destructive because agrari-
al communism is already and always has been
an active factor Of the Russian system Most
of its members have been drawn from the al
ways disaffected Poles and the specifically
educated Russians of the higher classes, and
the system which has made itself the only
vehicle Of public opinion and public life is
helpless now to crush hidden enemy which
an honest public sentiment and habit Of
self government by the masses would render
an impossibility.
There are three questions to consider in
viewing the future possibilities Of this revolu-
ton (for in its present phase it is reVolution)
on the government OF Russia. We do not
regard the danger Of disruption Of the En-
pire as imminent, because whatever power
controls the machinery Of government il
Russia will be followed through sheer in
ability Of its various parts to act on their own
account.
Nihilism is an organized power, but
whether it has sufficient internal cohesion to
exist as power after it has succeeded in de-
stroying the present, is q matter Of specula-
tion only If it has it will seize power and
become the governing factor itself; if 1t has
not, it will simply destroy all power, and the
Russian system will crumble into its original
elements, and all tnat is necessary for this is
to remove the despotic headship without sub
stituting another equally despotic as its sub
stitute; for it is not probable, though we ad-
nit it is barely possible. that the slight bond
of national sympathy would be sufficient to
hold the vast mass together, through spon-
taneous popular movement. The Russian
system like the ancient Roman, is purely
artificial, and the people have little more
cohesion than those Rome conquered, which
all reverted to normal condition Of segrega-
ted communities the moment the hand Of mill
tary power was removed.
There is faint hope Of stable government
for Russia in 9 purely representative system,
which is an existence without Q personality
because Of excessive division Of power, Gap
preciably,) and yet with sufficient power del