Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-05-21
JUsTICN IN RUSSIA.
Collisions Between Juries aud the Imper-
ial Authorities-The Blood Fine.

Twenty years ago, writes ST.
Petersburg correspondent to the New
York san the car reformer substi-
tuted trial by jury for the system of
crown Judges. 1t is the general opin-
ion here that, next to the abolition of
serfdom, the introduction of trial by
jury has served for the moral elevation
of the people far more than any other
reform. The jury system, however,
has not been introduced in all the prov
inces of European Russia A part of
the Caucasus all of Siberia and Central
Asia are still underline jurisdiction of the
crown Judges Trial by the crown judges
is usually called trial byJudge Shemiaka.
Instead of listening to the testimony,
that worthy Judge used to keep his eye
on the caps of the plaintiff and defend
ant in which was kept tangible and I'M
disputed evidence in the shape of cop
per and silver coins The balance of
justice turned in favor of him whose
cap contained the larger bundle. As
The cap evidence cannot be convenient
ly presented before the public, the
crown Judges to this DAY hold court
behind closed doors And yet there are
many Russians, Mr., Katkof1' of the
Moscow FCd0m0Sti, included, who give
preference to the crown Judges. In
justice to the Russians, it must be said
that the jury system is not quite COM
patible with the autocratic regime. The
ear, being the sole legislator, issues
his laws regardless of the views of his
people Then the jurors, the peoples
representatives, are called upon to pass
verdict according to their own con-
Yictions. But the trouble is that there
are many things which, forbidden by
the imperial law, are justified by popu-
lar opinion. Hence come collisions
between the Russian jury and the inn
perial authorities.
In a village stricken with famine the
imperial tax-collectors undertook to
empty the village granary and drive
away the domestic animals. Starvation
stared the villagers in the face, and a
peasant shouted to them:
brothers! Let US take sticks and
drive away the tax-collectors, who
have come to rob us Of our last crust
of bread. The treasury may safely
wait for our taxes and at any rate the
car would not starYe us. To the
stic6sm
And to the stick they bctook them
selves and drove off the tax collectors.
But the next day the leader Of the riot
ers was put in chains and carried away.
On the trial the crown attorney de-
manded that, according to the law, the
defendant should be sent to the Siber-
ian mines for twenty years. But the
Jury brought in a verdict OF not guilty.
The acquitted peasant, however, was
kidnapped 10y gendarmes and disappear
ed forever
This is one of a thousand cases Of coll
lision between iuries and the imperial
authorities. 1t seems to me that the
Jury ystem. though far from being
what It ought to be i'm the interests of
justice is one OF the most powerful
factors which are undermining the au-
tocracY.
There are some special courts here,
such as the merchants court, the
craftsmen court, the church court the
military courts. the land surveying
courts, and others, in which specific OF
lenses are tried.
But there are many subjects OF the
car who quite ignore the law. Over
fifty millions OF peasants dispose OF
All their civil suits in theirown way, by
their own courts II q peasant IS
caught stealing, if he drinks too much,
or beats bis VI lie for no cause, if he in
du4cs in iiiing while taxes are unpaid
i he does not pay his debts, il he Of
lends G priest or somebody else-ln an
such and the like eases the villagers sit
as court Of justice Their yerdicts