The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-03
The NihiliStS.

The visit to this country of the celebrated
Russian Nihilist Leo Hartmann calls active
attention to the agitation in Russia which is
really very interesting subject of study
and observation to the philosopher and stu
dent of history. The situation in that coun-
try is in many respects strikingly analogous
to the conditions in France prior to the out
break of the great revolution of 1889. Rus
sia is ruled by a bureaucracy caste of
mobiles and officials of which the Gear is the
head, but which in it's organized selfish
ness and greed is stronger than the
Gar himself. Even if he should
try to relieve the common people
from the expressions under which they suf-
fer, he would find himself thwarted and his
efforts baffied by the latent opposition and
determined apathy of the agents upon whom
he must rely for his benefcent work. The
late Emperor by the extreme exercise of his
authority gave freedom to the serfs, but this
freedom is rather nominal than real, as it is
accompanied by fixture to the land, an en-
forced communal system and other restric-
tions utterly incompatible with freedom as
we understand it. The recent publication
OF portion of the report of Russian mill
tary officer, though it was suppressed as far
as possible 10y the government, gives
gloomy picture of the condition of the COM
mon people of that country. Like French
men OF the eighteenth century they are sub
ject to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment
without legal warrant. No habeas corpus
or trial by jury relieves them from official
tyranny. They are locked up in crowded
and noisome jails, starved, frozen, cruelty
beaten and tortured, with no means of res
cue save by gratifying the greed or lust of
the horde of officials who infest every COM
munity, by gifts of money or other conces-
sions. Neither age nor sex gives immunity
Parents must see their children, hus-
bands their wives, and brothers their sis
tiers subjected TO the cruel caprices
OF their petty tyrants, and, worst
of all, there is to them no ray of light
for the future. Their children and chill
dren's children are to fare no better than
themselves as things go now. They are to
grow up ignorant and oppressed, fortunate
If they can pass life of peaceful labor and
privation free from active aggression. Is it
any wonder then that despair leads to des-
perate acts? There is no peaceful and law
full means of redressing grievances. They
cannot even oppose their oppressors in open
light; for the bureaucracy is backed by
great army against which the unorganized
wrath of people would dash itself in vain.
1t is impossible to withhold sympathy
from these poor people. 1t is bitter lot to
which they are born. Every instinct of the
race revolts against assassina-
ton as political method, and in such
land as ours where lawful redress is proyid-
ed for all grievances there is no possible ex-
cuse for such thing. But the fact that
every other avenue to relief is closed against
the Russian common people and that there
is something of heroism in men risking and
sacrificing their own lives to amelorate the
of those who are to survive them
may mitigate the harshness of our censure
OF their conduct, while it may not wholly
excuse them. Let us hope that the Russian
governing class may consider the lessons of
history and grant relief while yet there is
time. There is something frightful in the
wild uprising of a people made savage by
long suffering. A mob is the cruellest and
most capricious and unreasonable of tyrants.
The nineteenth century shrinks from seeing
IN Russia such bloody carnival as the
eighteenth century saw in France.