The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-05-23

1
whether he is sent to the uttermost
part Of Siberia or to some less re-
| mote region. 1t is, moreover, In the
power of the police to extend or
shorten the term OF exile at their
pleasure. But they are IN little
haste to shorten it. Without any
exaggeration, we may declare that
no man Of the opposition who re-
fuses to renoupco his convictions or
to pretend hypocritically to do 80,
will ever be recalled from exile,
even though he may have commits
ted absolutely no offence.
ADMINISTRATIVE EXILES.
Some of the witnesses in the case
Of Netchaieff, triei in 1871, are to
this Gay in administrative exile.
And what is administrative exile?
A horrible, slow decay, an under
mining of the whole moral and ply
steal constitution of a mar, con-
sum 2tion by slow fire We need not
speak of administrative exile
in Eastern Siberia, among the
wilk YakUt Of the horrible deserts,
in the country where winter lasts
ten months and cold reaches to 40
or so degrees below zero; where no
clothing csn be had but the IN
tanned skins of beasts where bread
is rare delicacy, and almost the
only luxury Is meal of rotten fab;
where there are no human beings to
exchange speech with, for the ato~
rhymes speak an unintelligible glib
berish; where the post comes but
once in the year. In these icy
deserts exile is worse than the gal
legs. Nevertheless, it is inflicted
administratively-that is to say, at
the cole viii and pleasure of the
police, and for offences too trivial
when not purely imaginary to be
cited even before a Russian tri.
bunal.
It is forbidden to administrative
eXiles to give les ons Or occupy
themselves ia any educational func-
ton, or even TO give instruction in
manual arts. They are also forbids
den to hold conferences, to take part
in scientific meetings or to attend
theatrical performances, to serve in
libraries, in printing Offices, in lith-
shops, or even as journeymen
laborers; and always for the same
reason-to obviats the risk Of
propaganda. On the same ground
those who are doctors, chemists or
accoucheurs are forbidden to exer-
else their respective professions.
Finally, because many of them are
men of letters, they are for hidden to
contribute reviews and newspapers.
What means of earning their bread
is left to them? Manual labor, in
some cases. But what does that
mean for educated men who have
never held workmau's tool in their
hands? And even that is not always
permitted.
ALLOWANCES TO TIE CONDEMNED.
Obviously, having thus deprived
the exiles of the means of earning
their living, IL is incumbent upon
the government to maintain them,
like prisoners, at the public cost.
And. in fact, this obligation is re-
cognized in principle, and a monthly
allowance is made to every political
exile-five roubles to those who ara
of noble origin, and three to those
who are not noble. The largest SUM
is equal to about ten shillings, the
smaller to six shillings a month.
Such an allowance as this is q
mockery. And were it not for the
contributions of friends and rela-
tions, which all the exiles share like
brothers, they must all die of STAR
walton. But the friends of the
exiles are Overburdened with other
expenses, and the utmost they
can do for their unfortunate cons
rades amounts to little more than a
few crumbs cast into an abyes of
indulgence. The exiles sink into q
state OF squalid misery, and their
health wastes away for want OF the
commonest necessaIies of life. at
the same time the absence OF books
and newspapers, the want of occu~
patton and Of intellectual interest in
this death-in life dragged Out from
day TO day under the incessant
espionage Of the superintendent,
produces a dull despair and apathy
that wears out the spirit even more
terribly than the physical hsraships
ruin the body. Those who have
suffered it for a few years feel the
effects OF it all their lives, and
maintain that even the misery OF
solitary confinement is preferable TO
this slow consumption prolonged
through years and years, and some.
times through lifetime. Proof of
this lies in the number Of sajcides
that occur among the administrative
exiles.
Such is the future that awaits not
only every revolutionist in Russia,
bnt every member of the opposition
who has once come in contact with
the police. 1t would be easy to Eli
whole pages with examples Of arbi-
trsry Infections of the extreme pen>
atty. Not So ldom the police are
unable to formulate any kind Of
definite accusation, and the charges
written against the names or men
sent to perish in Siberia will be of
this sort: HE belongs to a Danger
GUS family" "hss perverse opinions
"had d brother who was hanged"
We have not as yet complete statis-
tics as to these eXiles. 1t il, how