New-York tribune., 1886-07-11
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES 9 TO IL.
UNQUIET RUSSIA.
r,rKOFFS GREAT INFLUENCE IoLo III
.vD HIS REACTIONARY POLICY.

FRoN An o'O ST. PETERSBURG, June 10.
:. i. impossible TO give an adequate 'uoa y.
A. outcry which the account OF H"'
.,oxarder's opening of the bulgarian Na''o"
'.sorblv has created on all Sides EuioP0
"a r,th much difficulty been induced 10 acqo'e'.o
- ,hs personal claim of Prince Aiexanuoi
novern the provinces OF Bulgaria anu ~
prmelia under separate COMMISSIONS ou' n'
.'-.iac,I, prohibited from making any attempt 10
s,se the two countries into single St'tc' w
49,. ago however. encouraged by the 'ac,'
s,-oI of the Sultan ne opened Nationai ou'-
-nr;ar Assembly at Sophia. composed OF De'es"'0'
-, hoth nroyinces and in his opening speeo"
rossad his heartfelt qualification at tue aoeo''
sI;.hmen. of the union of the two Bulzaf'as' 90
svinced bv this meeting OF Nationai -.Sso A.,
.. avamine and decide matters anec''ne
interests of United Bulgaria" Nothing Cou'u .to
been more Ill timed for by thus u''o -,
h,hests of the Great Powers, the fiihoo u"1
Rpssia the lon ged for opportunity oil
..d occpnvinu the bulgarian provinces unoei '''
,,ro,evt of governing them IN tue .sano way ~
Austria rules Bosnia and HerzeaoVin' n.
Tho whole of the Russian press, heaHeu Nv '''
Katkoa's influential and usually moderate ois""
The uoscoc Messenger, urges IN tue s'roiseS'
the Government TO have the courage p""'.9
o,Do,,ce ,ts intention of taking Constahtlhop'o'
"a
,lvo,dar and his deputies into. tue sea- i"'S
...ert that Austrian andgGerman influences are PRIV
1on,irort at Sophia that the places OIL tue "'s-
,,os.J Russan officers in tue bulga' AN amy "
ouietJv being flied by Germans, and tua' Il in"."
more time ls wasted. Bulgaria WILL tnanAS !"
Prince Bismarck prove an insurmodhtao'e o"'i''
IN Russian designs on StambDui.
Tho Mr. Katkof mentioned above is, by the wav'
orc Of the most remarkable men IN Russia iu'r'S
years a 90 public opinion as expressed oS Ine press
was utterly unknown. No expression OF OPINION
concerning the Government was allowed ana tne
nnbl,c discussion OF political ana administrative
oucstions was strictly forbidden IN Russia Now
however thanks to the reforms of the late Emperor
70 the liberty of the press and TO the hnuN vi ,ic
nolitical ideas of Western Europe pnOhc ODlHlOh
has become a power which not even the autocratlc
,oo,arcb of the Empire can afford to despse. Mr.
KatkoH il the unquestionei ana indsputed repre-
sentative of this hitherto dormant power OF the
,eo,le his popularity among all classes IS I'M
bounded ana II is indeed wonderful that IN tins
mag. desnofic country OF the world "a mere news
naner editor. without official or social rank or
wealth. should with Mr. Pobedenotzow and Couh'
To'stoi form the trio from whom alone the monarch
is accustomed TO seek council. tEorongh patrioV'
he abhors everything that ls Germah' ana IL Is
chiefly due TO his influence that the upper Classes
vbo formerly adected to understand nothing but
French now glory in everything Russian. Ills
politics NAV be described as those OF hberal con
seryatiye the national Russian question III MS
opinion overriding all mere party interests having
IN q forn,er letter given YOU brief description OF
Mr. PobeienotzOw, it only remains lot lie 10 auu Il
few lines concerning the third and principal MEM
her of the trio above mentioned Count lolstoi'
President .of the Council of State and Minister OF
the Interior is without exception the most unpop-
rlar man in the Cars dominions. SO universally
ia he detesed that he is credited with having done
more than any official now living 10 render the
Government unpopular. During his tenure OF the
Ministry of Education some years ago he received
letter from the central committee OF the NlhliiSts
alluding to his unpopularty, and adding sarcas-
tcalIv: Your Excellencv has nothing to fear from
Us: we fully acknowledge the value OF the services
which YOU have rendered and still render TO our
cause We promise that your life shall always be
very nrecious 70 u.s." Like his two associates above
mentioned. Count lolstoi IS the very lmpersoniuca-
tion of honesty. This qualification, so exceedingly
rare in Russia IS however unfortunately united 10
a most un welding temperament, and TO mind So
narrow that the Count always gives one the i'm
nresson of wearing pair of moral blinkers. When
once his mind is made up a subject he turns
neither to the right nor to the left. and allows
notbinp on earth TO divert him from what according
10 his idea is the straight path his programme
at the present moment is what may be termed an
essentially protective one and aims at rendering
Russia dependent entirely on her own resources TO
the exclusion of foreign interests and foreign IDEAS
Hence he has inaugurated series OF most oppfes
siye measures directed against the German
colonists in the Baltic provinces, with view OF
driving them ont of the country. hrm supporter
of the autocratc form of government. he IS con-
viaced that it is necessary to restore and maintain
the prestige of the nobility, which in his opinion
constitu tes the backbone of the nation and the
principal bulwark of tine throne.
During the reign of the late Car the mobiles were
systematically oppressed. When trial by Jury AMI
Western modes Of judicial proceedings were hrst
adopted in Russia in 1863, great fear was ex-
pressed as to tue difficulty there would be IN
obtaining judges sufficiently Independent to
administer Justice equitably. The new judges who
were not chosen from the highest social grades
imagined that it was their duty TO give both to
the Government and to the aristOc-acy every proof
of their independence, and in fact rather Overdld
the matter Whenever the lower classes came
into conflict with the arstocracy the judges ID
variaby decided in favor OF the former, no matter
how unjustlv. Already half ruined by the eman-
ciDatiOn of the serfs and unable to obtain redress
from tie tribunals the position of the mobiles was
utterly intolerable when Count IOlstoi succeeded
General lgnatet at the Ministry of the Interior
three years ago. The massacres OF tue Jews had
Just taken place, and everything ripe for a
revolt against the mobiles on the part of the
peasants. WHO hoped thereby TO obtain fresh
distribution of lands. The Minister lost no
time in suDpressing by means of the harshest
measures the germs of this new racquere, and
thereupCn founded a Credit EoncIer Bank for the
nobility, especially designed to aid the landed pro-
prietors in tding over their difficulties. While
following out this line OF policy lie is doing bis
best to withdraw one by one the popular privileges
and concessions which were far to hastily
granted III the early part Of the reign of the late
Emperor. Ot course lie cannot restore serldOm.
Dut he IL gradually restricting the powers Of the
provincial district aud municipal assemblies, limit
lhG The means Of education and the access to the
universities and finally expressing by every
possible means all tendencies toward popular
Iorm OF government. lie bases his views with