Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-02-22
Condition Of Russia.

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fore they say it is perfectly proper that
the autocrat of all the Russias should
be called the Gar, which is a short
form of Cesar. The analogy between
the empire Of the Cars and that Of the
Caesars will be readily conceded as to
two things-the Cars government OF
to-day is hardly an improvement upon
that of the Caesars of ancient times,
and the dissolution which befell the
Roman empire is surely i'll store fol
Russia. In fact, all the Russias have
never been one country i'll either q
political or social aspect, and all
the attempts of the Muscovite states
men to Russianizc the numerous peo-
pies living under the Cars sceptre
have SO far utterly failed.
Finland is now MS foreign TO Russia
~ it was at the time of its forcible an
neXation to the Cars dominions. Its
language, religion, customs, and very
administration are different and quite
distinct from those of Moscow. Fin
land is governed by its own Senate,
which is independent of the Senate of
Russia. The Firms have money, postal
and custom stamps, and official docu-
ments Of their own. and their hatred
to Russian rule is rs strong as ever
Poland, Though officially it does not
exist, is nevertheless perpetual scare
crow for the Cars government. Re
peatedly the population of Poland has
been decimated, repeatedly the streets
of Warsaw have been flooded with Po-
lish blood, and the Siberian mines pack
ed with Polish patriots; and yet the
Poles stand firm. Their watchword is
revenge, and their national song is,
"Yet Poland has not persisted" 1t is
doubtful whether Poland can ever be
restored as an independent State, but
it is yet more doubtful whether the
Poles and Russians can ever he recon-
ciled to one another.
The population of the provinces
which constitute White Russia is Rus
sian only in name, being Of different
race from the Muscovites, and having
its own religion and language. The
White Russians have always lived I'M
der the Polish influence, for the reason,
rs the Poles claim, that the science, art,
and literature of Poland are as yet SUI
perior to those Of Russia.
The memory of their country's IN
is not yet extinct among
the population of the beautiful part of
Russia known us Little Russia. The
Cossacks of the Dneiper have n glori-
Gus, even a heroic, history of their own.
Once it was in their power to destroy
either Poland or the Moscovitc State !; |
being orthodox, they joined with the
latter, and Catholic Poland was DOOM /
ed. But the treacherous Moscovites |
poorly rewarded their alley; the Mus
covite generals were granted the best
land in Little Russia, and the Little
Russians of to-day are strictly forbid
den to use their language in schools, in
public offices, or in literature.
The three Baltic provinces, Kurland,
Esthland, and Livland, are German in
name and fact, and they steadily pro-
pagatc German in name and ideas
among the Russians Of the neighbor-
ing provinces. They scorn everything
Russian, and defy the Russian admin
istration, being sure Of protection from
Germany.
The lands of the Don Cossacks, the
Ural Cossacks, and the Kubun Co.'S
sacks, though they have been under
the Cars rule for centuries, are, in
fact, selfgoverned, and every attempt
to put these countries on the same foot
ing with the rest Of the Russian prov
inces has met with bloody opposition.
True to the traditions of their ances-
tors, the Cossacks love freedom great
deal more than pleases the Car.
The Caucasus, with its 100000
warlike people, belonging to dozen
different tribes, is as yet held by the
Gar on the footing of conquered
country, and large army is constant
ly kept there, which not only consumes
all the taxes collected in the Caucasus,
but also draws annually several mil
lion roubles from Russia.
Turkestan and other Asiatic pro-
vinces recently annexed to Russia are
looked upon even by the Russians
themselves as temporary possessions
which can only be kept under subjec-
ton to the Gar at great and con-
tinual loss of men and money.
Last of all, Siberia, one of the rich
est lands OH the globe, turned by the
Cars dcspotism into purgatory, nay,
into very hell, is that country loyal
and true TO the Gar? II would be
unreasonable that those who live amid
endless tears, fortunes, and bloodshed
should feel anything but repugnance
to the authority in whose name these
horrors are committed.
OF all the Russians, then, only