The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-23

news from whence is terrible. In sew.
| eral districts of Russia, the seed is def
cient and it is impossible for the peas
ants to get the necessary means with
which to buy 1t. --g
The industrial state of Russia is no
better. Several factories are being
worked with much reduced number Of
hands, others are closed altogether. 1t
is the same in St. Petersburg, Moscow,
Odessa, Riga, Revel, etc. Naturally,
under the circumstances, the people
cannot pay their taxes. The poll tax,
the most detestable Of all the imposts,
was abolished not long ago, but the pay
! ment of other taxes is exacted with zeal
and barbarous excesses by the Russian
police. At Meensk, g. G., those who did
not pay were impris oned in a room 30
small that score of persons had to re-
main standing upright several days. de-
prived of sleep, the want of air causing
several fainting fits. In several places
the exacting of the taxes is one of the
causes OF revolts. 1t is also a cause of
removal to those parts of Russia less
thicklv populated. Of old, the govern
ment favored this, but now the peas
ants receive no passports and on arriV-
ing at their destination they are often
prevented for years from forming their
designed colony. And if active in their
idea, they work the abandoned fields
without first getting authority, in a few
years their houses are destroyed and
the are hunted from The place in the
most brutal way, as was done in 1884 to
the inhabitants of a village of some 900
houses on the Don,
The number of agrarIan outrages are
particularly great. In that at Kiev, an
association composed entirely of peas
ants has been found out the aim of
which was to lay waste the estates of all
the large proprietors; the police arrived
too late to lay hold of ANYTHING, In the
district of Woronege, 325 peasants were
accused of demolishing without permis-
sion an embankment which had been
CausY Of dispute during forty years
those of the villagers notincluded in the
process demanded to be treated in the
same way as those accused. AS to the
police, how often they have had to fy
when trying to maintain "order" among
the peasants. During last wear 1872, 900
summonses were issued against the peas
ants for forest ravages, they not being
willing to agree that the forests were
not the property of the communes.
A whole series of strikes, sometimes
very well organized broke out during
last year. At Ivanoiro- Woznesensa
strike took place on September "a. 1885,
in which 5000 workmen took bart and
which was caused bv the lowness of
wages. In manv factories the men
stopped work, but their conduct was so
quiet that the police could not arrest a
single person. This strike was followed
bv many others. At Alexandrovsk the
railroad company wishing to organize
the distribution of the work through
the medium of contractors, the work
men, being unwilling, struck. Eleven
of them were arrested and punished,
wherenpon 200 of their fellows presented
themselves and demanded to share
their fate. AS the authorities would not
consent to this the men held a meeting
and declared themselves disconten ed
at their responsibility. At Kherson
the workmen united to demand the
abolition Of convict work in the dock
yards. At Taganrog strikes have broken
out on account of loWness of wages, as
also at Ribinsk, Tver, etc. The workers
have helped one another with more and
more knowledge.
AS for the government, up to the pres
ent, it has done nothing for the workers.
The only thing which it has decided on
is the factory law, interdlcting night
work this is owing to the PRAYERS of
the factory operatives of St. Petersburg
and Moscow, oppressed by the crisis. 1t
is simply instituted for three years, as
trial. This little done shows clearly
enough the horrible situation of the
Russian people, and at the same time
proves that weary of suffering in silence
thev are finding courage to resist injus-
tiCe.
Society is not totally indiffere Mt, still
less is it opposed to Revolution. One
can Judge by the sums collected for Rev
olutlonary purposes during this year,
amounting to over If, 900 rUubles.
Yet a little patience and the good time
will come again. A NIHILIsT
The Land Question In New York.
= The purchase of a hall on Canal street,
by Iaborers for the people, is creating d
desire to investigate the land question
more thoroughly than ever before. We
are beginning to realize more fully that
the question of the common Inheritance
of the people is the fundamental basis
of future good. We must have the land