The Labor enquirer., 1886-03-06
Sketch Of the Life and Work Of
Another Of the Russian
Martyrs.
He Believed That There Should
be no Title to Land Save
That OF Use.
An Associate Of Herzan in the Manage
ment Of the Free Russian Press.
His Property (onfiscated.


He was friend of Alexander Herzer
from boyhood. In 1890 / knew Ogaref
as Russian subject. Hecame to Lon
don with Russian foreign passport, but
at once Joined Herzen in editing the
journals Of the Russian free press and
never thought of returning to Russia
though the Russian consul notified him
that If he did not return he would be
deprived of his titles and expelled from
the ranks of the nobility. He wrote
much for periodicals s.nd his social and
political articles were published separ-
ately in book form. He was we'll
known Russian writer and poet, and
though he labored much and hard, he
died, as he lived, in poverty.
REMARKS. -
Ogareff was one of the noblemen, but
not in the aristosratic sense or meaning
of the word-no! Alongside with those
for whom history records the mission Of
making history Ogaref was one of the
few who cannot do it without directing
her forward and forward. -
In attacking his opponents he used
the coolest language possible, but accom-
panied itwith the strongest and deepest
logic; in persuading them he showed
the most powerful knowledge of the past
and the real social ald political condi-
tions of the present; to the future he
looked hopefully. T.
Hand in hand and heart in heart with
Herzen he labored for the abolishment
ofserfdom in Russis. and while Herzen
dealt rather with the political side of the
question, Ogareff turned his attention to
the social condition Of the serfs; while
Herzen labored for the liberation of the
serfs with land Ogareff insisted upon
having the land in Gonsnon and not in
dividually.
When I spoke in my last remarks to
Father Agapius' article about Herzen l
endeavored to sketch out in short the
issue that was before the Russian people
then. I did not go into details, and
though I have no doubt that the most
of THE ENQUIRER readers are aware of
the characteristic feature of the Russian
peasantry, especially of their views upon
the ownership of land, methinks, how
ever, that should have spoken of it for
the minority's sake.
Since Russians know themselves as
such they know Of only one kind of
ownership, or rathsr, no-ownership of
land, i. g., they know themselves only
as cultlvators of thu soil and no more.
The land has always been the commu-
nity's property, and each member culti-
Yates one time one parcel of land, an
other time, another; Just as the mir, or
assembly decides. If peasant dies his
children don't divide their fathers land.
because he had none; nor must chill
dren wait upon their father's death with
a view of getting land. The community
gives each married adult separate par
eel, no matter whether their parents are
alive or dead. This order of things did
not change even during the time of serf-
doul. The lash of the slave-driver could
break their bones, throwing blood sew
eral feet high; the blows of the tyranni-
cal officials could create electric sparks
sufficient to knock out the teeth and
ewes of any human being; but the idea
of using land only in common could by
no means be withdrawn from the heads
of Russian peasantrv.
The liberation ef the serfs with land
had thus been proposed in many ways
and the government, as well as the
bourgoise and nobility, were somewhat
inclined to create an individual owner
ship of land among the proposed liber-
ated serfs. -.t....
Many refcrmers, who, by the way,
have existed in al! times, even thought
it a great reform. In common owner
ship of land they saw lack of security
of individual happiness, and because the
rest of so-called civilized Europe held
land as individual property thev be-
lieved in aping Europe.
Ogaref, as well as other Socialists,
could see but a blessing in the old GUS
tom of the freedom of the soil, and for
that purpose turned all his attention
upon that subject ..-. I
Inorder to show it clearly to the pub
lie, especially to the intelligent Russian
people, who have always been fond Of
aping Europe as the folks are here in re-
gard to the land of the queen, Ogare6
contributed in the Kolokol many able
historical articles which, if translated
would greatly help our able agitators
upon the land qllestion-Henry George
and Judge James Mcguire so far, O
course, as it does not touch the taxing
scheme
0garef7s works have brought good re
suits. All attempts of the government
despotic as it still is. could not INTRODUCES
individual ownership of land among the
peasantry. Even in those province,
where the peasants were supplied with
separate deeds these documents art