New-York tribune., 1884-12-21
RUSSIAN POLITICAL TYPES.

[rRoM An OCCASIONAL coRRGsPoNoENroF THE IRIbUSE'l
ST. PErrRSBURG November 20.
The NihiliSts, who have Drought aoouV such
catastrophes as to change the whole face of public
affairs in Russia are by no means in solidarity with
the foreign Socialists he they German, French. Irish
or American The Nhtist is product eninently
and exclusively Russian. and could only have been
brought into existence by the conditions In when
the educated portion of youth in this country are
forced to live--condtions abnormal and so incom-
prehensible TO people not thoroughly acquainted
with the dssOHs ds cdtcs, that the type in question
il very mperfecly understood, and those who have
tried to illustrate it IN literature have generally
failed From the articles that occasionally appear
IN the American papers tappeara that most vague
and indefinite idea In entertained ~ to the causes
that aaye risr 20 that monsttous rfotest which ~.
aalted in tho eataa,,ophr of the lat ot March, iSSi
. When Alexander 1t, assembled tho throne he suit
rounded humaplf with mon ot the mont liberal eaa
oi mind aud began the long series oi ietntma that
rendered his reign SO glofonst aud ~ audehlN hl-
yanoei Russia on the read of civilization, hnt
small part only of the nation synpathzed with
those reforms and Innovations and the great bulk
of tho Russians. tho National party or Slavono-
phiies strongly opposed the encroachments OF what
they termed 81 the corrupt European civilization
They wanted Russia to preserve what they were
pleased TO call her Individuality and great re-
Car reformer on the road of progress aud almost
compel him to turn back. On the other hand the
ultra Liberal party lif such thing rs party can
be said to exist in an absolute monarchy hurried on
too fast. They dreamed of Constitution AMI fully
believed the late Emperor contemplated the PROJECT
of giving his people some moro liberal form oil gov
crninent than the actual. Then it was that arose
a set of men of acton and energy who clung to the
idea of endowing Russia with constitutional form
of government, free press, better public educa-
tion and in short all the advantages which other
more fortunate civilized countries enjoy. But these
enthusiasts went far, and the most distinguished
and clever of them were obliged to leave the country
and seek refuge abroad. From Geneva from Lon
don, Dresden and other cities these political emf
grants continually showercd upon Russia articles
of an infammatory and revolutionary character:
this dangerous literature surrepttlously intro
duced into the country and did world of mischief
among the unrpc youth of the gymnasiumS and
universities, who taught TO cor slider the best
and most udcious refOrmor rs a tyraDt. The men
who will have to answer before posterity for the
murder of Alexander H., the Llberator of sixty
millions of serfs are Bakourime. Agaro1, Lavrof
and tf quqnt; and also to certain degree llerz"n,
who was Il man of genius, but embittered and rem
dered unjust by persecution. These and other Illus
trous emgrants lit the fire and famed the flame,
not the instruments of their strong will who with
few exceptions may he considered rather as victims
than as criminals. 1t is notorious that the Nihlsts
who have committed and are still committing those
revolving crimes which in their misguided minds
are to result in violently changing the Government
are not personally animated with any degree of
hatred toward their victims. but simply instru-
ments, and most of them are dragged into tho as'O
citation by necessity. Almost all of them have
known misery in Its worst forms, the condition of
poor educated men being much worse than that of
the unletterel peasant iu this country.
The Nihlists can hardly be called q political
party. Their avowable purpose is to improve the
state of the moujiK, to elucatc him enough to make
him feel dissatisfied with the present state of things
1t and stll is the custom for young men and
even girls to go among the people teac hing them
to show ss,tisfaction with the Government. to re-
fuse paying the I" abrok or taxes etc But this
kind of propaganda never succcelel. nor can 1t
succeed. among the com people, who are too
ignorant to understand what is said and read to
them, too suspicious and cunning to accept the adj
vice of the Nhsts aud too sincerely attached to
the Gar to len willing ear to anything that may
he said against him. Consequently this propaganda
was insco though of course there were some
examples of partial success which ended In enlistng
4 few mDuiiks into the service of the "cause'
"A to what is tormed the underground Nihist !
pfes' the one ~ two organs through which thls |
PARTY arrives ~ ASSERT itsel aud aprrai ts doctrines
n cultivated socIeiy nte absolutely beneath al
iutirr, though spnp ten ~ hitrph Neas aau theteNo
uionsfy newspapers could count amohe theit COL |
ahofata mrh iNll ~ talent aud rhnth, Whether |
money 40, forthcoming hH u osei a. he. oi whether
alonlni nen have iethel ~ ~ ,ha eccentric moNoi
nont altogether the apt IN that no aniions alchion
an be given ~ tho present literature ol tho Mill
ala Hat hero o,ine, tao iatal misunderstanding |
which hlls this Empire with misery aud misfortune |
and peoples siberia with political exiles, The line
,annot bc. drawa bolwcon tho Nlhlat anarchists
,nd the Liberal party. between the literature OF the
mo aud that OF tho other, Tho most honest organs
,re saipoctsl OF being tainted with Nihilisn, Of |