The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-23
1t is Spreading Almost Ex-
cIusively in Cultured
Circles.
Shocking State of the Peasantry.
The Prison and
Grave
OF Siberia for Those Who Dare to
Seek to Enlighten the Poor
and Hungry.

Teesdale of Hull, England, from La Tri
bune Des Peuples.
The latest number to hand of Narvd
naia VOLTA (the Peoples Will is dated
October, 1885. This delay is a nroot
IN itself of the difficulties in the way OF
preparing and publishing the organ of
the Russian Revolutionary party in the
interior of the country. Owing to this
each Issue constitutes in a sense a mani
festo of the party, giving an account OF
its activity, its work for the pro uganda
of its principles and for bringing them
before the public.
Each number contains a martyrology
of the champions of Russian freedom
list of the victims who have been
(since the publication of the previous
number) deprived bv the absolu tism OF
the czar of life or liberty. The list Is
long and not little monotonous; the
sad fate of the victims is summed up in
these words: "Prison and-grave."
1t is impossible to read the list without
feeling profound hatred for the cow
ardlv and brutal government of the
czar.
The means by which the Russian gov
ernment seeks to extingush the Revo-
lutionarv movement, and indeed any
popular liberal movement, are barbar-
GUS. A whole generation of the noblest
fighters for the development aud raising
of the people is murdered, so that the
party has been obliged to waste the
greater part of its forces in defensive
operations, instead of in attacking the
enemy. But the government is not able,
after all, to boast of its triumphs; if it
IS master of mems bodies it Is not of
their thoughts, nor of the cause Of lib
erty. 1t is able to shut the mouths Of
those who have shown up the rotten
ness IF Holy Russia" but the situation
still remains the same without amelior
alton.
The Russian Revolutionary party is
no imported produce and has no aims
foreign to the people 1t is the product
of general discomfort and expresses sim
ply the feelings of society. Many factors
show that the downfall of despot
ism is not far distant; above all, the
policy itself of the government is that
which brings the end near Financially,
the position grows daily more serious,
expenses increase, credit falls ever it is
useless to dream Of being able to cover
the deficit. The officials are corrupt to
the marrow, and despised by all the
world-pubhc opinion regards them as
the robbers and wasters of the reople.
So the discomfort grows and the circum-
stances themselves work ia favor Of the
Revolutionary party.
The great number Ofarrests, the sue
cessive trials aimed at the press, the re-
volt of the universities, s,-for instance at
Klev, where during the last eighteen
months the suicides have been frequent,
owing to discomfort and Indignation
all this is proof of what is agitating the
public; that is to say, the actual gov
ernment is becoming unbearable and
Castrophe is imminent. 1t Is difficult to
see if the next stage will be social era,
though many believe that the state Of
things in this country will be more ia
vorable to a Social Revolution than in
anv other whatever. Just at present,
Socialism is spreading almost exclu-
sively in Gu. tured circles, which is
proved by the lists of arrests, but it
must not be inferred therefore that the
Revolution finds no adherents among
the people. On the contrary, the Rus.
sian people are not all satisfied with t he
status QUO they wait imD patiently COM
plete change, an overthrow, though the
hopes of many arrange themselves
around the legend of the czar all-pOw-
erful for them. For example, at the
accession of Alexander I'LL, the
opinion was current that the land was
to be hencefOrth the property of the la
borers, the "mouJicks." The coronation
address put an end to this belief, and
shook in general the trust Of the people
in the car, as also has done the ukase
recently set out which rigidly interdlcts
the celebration of the twenty-6fth ami
yersarv of the glorious emancipation"
of the serfs.
/ So long as the government seeks to
prop up the nobility. it is breaking up
its own existence and giving fresh mo-
tiyes for discomfort, which find express
sion in the numerous popular sects,
Several amongst these, such as the
Chtoundlsts, have wholly realistic In
tentlons and concentrate their efforts
with view to the foundation of COM
munes on a Communistic basis. Often
also they refuse the taxes.
In the numerous countries of Russia
there exists shocking misery. In the
district of kazan a peasant was Obliged
to sell his only cow 10 pay the taxes
after which, being deprived of the
means of existence he took his life a.
we'll as that of his three children. But
in no part is the misery so cruel al
among the inhabitants of Siberia, the