Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-03-30
Assassination Of the Gar.

Mr.. Editor:-It is one Of the strange, to some
inexplicable, facts Of our day, that 30 many men,
for succession Of years. should be willing to sac
rice life itself and to devote themselves to fear
full tortures as well az death, for the one fell
purpose Of assassinating the emperor Of great
empire.
The conspiracies OF which this assassination IL
the final result have been working for many years.
They were rife under the previous reign. II Is a
question often darkly made In Russia whether
Nicholas himself did not die OF poison. They
have all professed one object-to free Russia from
intolerable oppression and from the nnumerable
outrages OF her secret police. 1.-THE Third Circle
Of the Imperial Chancellere," as this all.pervad-
ing secret police is euphoniously called, has filed
with hate, as well as CONSERVATION and dread,
every heart that beat for freedom.
| This persevering, bold daring hate the long
continued selfsacrifice OF life, this endurance Of
torture, and exile, and confscatlon this returning
again and again to the charge in face Of certain
death, must have some sufficient cause. Human
nature is the same in Russia as elsewhere The
nihillsts are composed Of men and women Of in
teigence. some Of them persons OF property and
| position, some atheists, some are devout be-
levers; they are Of various ages, from youth
upward. Some have definite scheme Of REFORM
some are sheer destructionists. But they are so
bound together that no suffering, no torture,
makes them traitors.
This strange organization for the overthrow Of
Russian despotism began to take form under
Alexander |. He was taken off by poison, and
Nicholas succeeded him In 1926. In 1926 the poet
Ryleeff was executed for alleged completely with
nsurrectionary plans. When he came to the
place Of execution he said, 81 knew beforehand
that this enterprise would ruin me, but was
unable longer to behold my country under the
| yoke Of despotism. The seed | have sown will
take root, and, do not doubt it will bring forth
| fruit" character in one OF his books says
''rell me in what country, in what age, has indie
pendence been won without victims? ! shall die
for the country OF my birth. know it, feel IT,
| and II is with joy, o Father that bless my ap-
preaching doom" Fifty-fve years have passed
since these words were uttered, and hundreds
have, like him, suffered with similar aspirations
| after liberty. The rigorous and mercess despot-
ism Of Nicholas swept away the plotters so rap
idly into prisons or into Siberia, that II severity
could cure such an evil not vestige Of 1t would
| have remained. But never was Russia 80 much
the "empire Of discomfort" as at the close Of the
Crimean war in 1855. The Emperor Nicholas
died suddenly by chagrn or poison. He was not
a man to die OF the former, but his imperial will
| could have little force against the latter.
Alexander II. assembled the throne under the
most favorable circumstances, promising happy
prosperous reign. And yet six attempts were
made to assassinate him and one well known
probably many unknown, attempts to poison him |
Those who were engaged in them suffered horri-
BILE deaths, and thousands upon thousands went to
the mines OF Siberia.
What explanation shall we give Of this most
singular fact? There must be some cause for it
that is consistent with the principles of human
nature. 1t is not enough to say they nihilists
atheists! Some were good and noble men and
women. And besides, atheists are not ready 10
die for cause on frivolous reasons The calm
ness, the dignity, the self possession, and occa-
sionally the avowed trust in God, with which the
criminals have died, have filled the world with
wonder We repeat, What is the sufficient ex-
PLANTATION OF all these facts?
The popular explanation is that the late car
was so good He was they say, one of the kind
est, best, nobest and purest of men. He liber-
ated forty millions of serfs, including the semi
serf peasantry. He established courts of justice,
By the liberal party in England few years since,
he was almost worshiped. lie was called 1.-THE
Divine Figure of the North" His advent to the
scenes Of blood and desoaton in Turkey, where
famine and pestilence still hold possession of
some portions of his track was welcomed with
peans Of praise On this side Of the Atlantic,
oratory exhausts her resources in his praise, and
the nations ought now to be draped in mourning
We submit to all persons Of unbiased judgment
| and common sense that this view Of his character
gives satisfactory reason why Russia is still
the " despotism moderated by assassination and
" the empire Of discomfort We think the writ
ers engaged in the spotheosis OF the late emperor
fall ~ si,v duo consideration following six
points
Frst.-The miitdrism Of his government 1t
began with the promise of a reduced army and
less oppressive taxation. While he pursued this
course no car was so popular and beloved. But
In process of time other counses prevailed The
army was rearmed with all the improvements,
the imperial guard was increased to 10000 men
The CONSUMPTION laws were changed, the army on
peace footing has been brought up to the enor-
nous number of $50, 600 men. In war the reserves
increase it to $50 OOO and in few years the pres
ent system of growth will bring 1t to 1000, 600
This force, with all the best arms and ammunition
OF the present day has increased taxation beyond
endurance, while it has taken the strong young
muscle from the peasant villages This crushing
weight of taxation and the forced military service
have been chief points Of attack against gov
eminent secure from foreign aggression No one
will claim that the government of the car can
justify itself before the world for such enormous
military preparations
Second-A far more exasperating cause OF dis
content and of tiercest hatred has been the en-
perors secret police. This permeates the empire
1t is everywhere Its seizures are not subject to
any examination. man, or even woman, may
may be seized at midnight lodged in a filthy
prison, and finally transported to Siberia, with
no trial but that which this secret police may in
stitute. Vera Sasalitch, a young woman of
eighteen, preparing to be a teacher, was thus
seized, imprisoned, transported from prison to
prison and kept six years in the hands OF this po-
lice ,cittout trial, before she found chance to
shoot the chief OF the police. And even then she
did it for tortures inflicted upon another The
indescribable brutalities of this police the hun
dreds Of thousands that have suffer unto death
In prisons, in forced marches without suitable
food clothing, in the mines Of Siberia, In con-
Nict coionics, III tpiucinlCs anu III lhliuts Ill
these have brought down bitter curses upon the
head of the car. Thousands in the madness of |
their sufferings, have committed suicide and |
thousands have longed for chance to lake the |
life of the ear. No one thing has contributed to
such intense hatred Of the government as this Sc
cret police The safeguards Of life and honor be-
ing PROSTATE before it, life itself is undervaued,
and is often thrown away in fruitless and wicked |
attempts at revenge.
1hird.-The notorious crueties and brutalities |
OF the Russian police prisons and of the Siberian
mines have produced an evaporation OF feeling |
because exercised upon the defenseless Many |
horrible instances continually come TO light Less |
than a year ago nihilist who had been i'm
prisoned for months without trial had been |
subjected to such sufferngs that he gladly seized
the opportunity of drenching himself. bound as
he was, with the petroleum of his lamp, and thus
with unconqnerable will burning himself to |
death. Needless and brutal torture inflicted upon
prisoners and continued for many years as a part
OF the police administration cannot be justified |
1t must finally incite TO revenge. That the czar,
though very kind to his friends, was very cruel |
to his enemies seems to he proved by admitted |
facts aside from these general aspects OF his gov
eminent Forbes, the great war correspondent
and admirer of the czar. and who entered Plevna
with him, was shocked that amid thousands dying
OF starvation non-combatants, old men, women and |
children, the emperor and his staff INDUCED In
riotous feast of three days, before morsel OF |
food was given the only relief being that those
who were adjudged near unto death were thrown
into the trenches with the dead and covered up |
Had the testimony not been given by one OF the |
cars own admirers, II would have been thought |