The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-06-13
The White anu Red Terror.

mat gloom Is the CHARACTERISTIC
aspect of Russian affairs. A kind
of night rests upon the empire.
Nobody feels that he is well in
formed OF actual events, and a
mutual terror Of the government,
on the ore hand, and of the Nihi-
lists, upon the other, envelopes the
land. In this situation an. article
upon the Russian revolutionary
party by Prince KropotkIn, one of
that party, liz the current number
of the Fortnightly Review, is of
singular interest and importance.
The author was himself ."for sever
al years a public official, naiveIy
believing in the good intentions
of his government" and be is evi-
IDENTIFY entirely familiar with the
subjet.
The general statement of Prince
Kropotkin is that the despotism is
so absolute that no legal and
normal protest, remonstrance, ,argu-
ment, or movement of modifica-
tion or reform is practicable.
From 1861 to 1870, every form of
lawful effort for relief was tried,
and was utterly abortiye. From
tina moment that Alexander II.
surrendered wholly to the reac-
tionary party, the country has
been mined with secret societies.
The press is gagged. There is 30
public opinion. The system OF
education is designeI to perpetu-
ate and deep ignoran,e, and the
mass of the people long lay inert
under the sullocating weight Of
despotic supremacy. The reform
movement began by the attempt
to fuse the intelligent leaders and
the Indifferent multitude, and this
work was done, the Prince says,
with heroic self-sacriiice unparal-
leled in history. During all this
time the life of the Gar was as
secure as that of any man, and
the societies themselves prevented
attempts upon it. But to main
tain its hold upon the Emperor the
reactionary party kept him in
constant alarm, and the reaction
harrassed the opposition with in
cessant prosecution and punish
ments. Every act and word of the
popular party was distorted and
maligned. The noted case of
the Vera Zassoulitch was simply
that of a woman who fred at the
chief Of the St. Petersburg police
in order that. upon her trial, the
infamies of the treatment of pris-
cners might be revealed. She
said that she was glad he was not
killed, as she did not desire his
death, but there was no other wav
to unveil the system. She was
acquitted, says the Prince, by
public opinion. But she would
have been seized by the govern
ment at the very door of the
court if the people had not rescued
her.
Since that time the Russian
revolutionists have taken to de-
Tending themselves. No man was
safe against spies, and they
said: "In other countries men
have courage enough to. defend
themselves. An Englishman or
American would not permit such
proceedings, and why should we?
Let us have at least as much cour-
age as this. OF course we shall
sacrifice ourselves: but we will try
to make such misdeeds impossi
ble." Yet until 1879, he says, the
person of the Gar remained in
yiolable. 1t was only when the
"White Terror was established
that the idea OF attacking abso-
iutism in the person of the Gar
became popular in the revolution
ary party. But the party is not a
mereconspiracy for massacre. fthas
distinct and declared purposes, and
the Gar would be as safe to-
morrow as any man in the
xuorld sc bo rvo,,ld ooncon+ to coll