The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-30
The Practical Results Would BeInsignifcant.
But the Moral Effect of Such Action Would
Be Very Serious Blow at Freedom.
4 Glimpse of the Methods Pursued In
Trying Russian Political Offenders.
Ratification Would Place the Republics Sane
tion Upon the Countless Acts Of Despot-
ism Practiced In the Cars Domain.
Special to the 1ndIanasolis yournas.

revolutionary movements against the Gear. Mr.
Stepniak was very earnest at that time in his
opposition to the ratification by the Senate of
the Russian extraditon treaty with the United
States. and said he intended to to this
country when Congress convened for the pur-
pose of laying before the Senate his objections
to the treaty. A few weeks ago he informed
me that his literary and other engagements
would preclude visit to the United States, and
suggested to him the feasibility of his writing
the objections he entertained against the treaty.
and laying it before the Senate committee
foreign relations, and giving it publication in
the press Knowing something of the extra
ordinary literary abilities of Mr. Stepniak, felt
sure that he could make a strong presentation
of his side of the case and the following. which
I have just received from him, fully meets
pectations and will command not only close
reading butscareful consideration,
ITO the Senate and the People OF the United states
at is the rule with all civilized nations that
nobody can be condemned without being heard
in his defense. The projected extradition treaty
with the Russian government, il ratified by the
American Senate, will be wholesale condemna-
tion to capital punishment and worse. of any
member of the Russian patriotic party-desig-
mated under the awkward name OF Nihiiists-
man or woman, who may happen to SEEK refuge
upon the soil of the United States. AS for
egn exponent of six years standing of the views
and aspirations of the party now IN Judgment
beg leave to say, in the interest of truth. some
words of explanation to the general character
of this party. and the bearing OF the question
now before the Senate
ITO illustrate thing known very little with
thing known very we'll. we may assimilate the
So called Nihilist party with the Irish National
lists. What we. the so-called Russian Ninilists,
want 10 national home rule for our country. We
want to overthrow the Cars despotism. to
break the yoke of the autocratlc bureaucracy,
and to win for our country national represent
R3lu nEZa Ey1nY ana Pni
over the affairs of the state. it is in other Eu-
ropean countries. AS with the Irish National
opinion. The active body of the Nihilst con-
spirators comprises simple Radicals, Land Ma
tionalizers and Social Democrats. Each of these
sections expects various fruits from the estab-
lishment of a national representation. jus: as
the various sections of the Irish home-rulers do;
but this cannot be matter of consideration for
the present AS far as practical politicians,
actual party. we Russian Nihilists are not
more subversive than that
Il will not waste your valuable time upon
quotations from various authentic documents,
such as reports of our political trials, official
manfestoes and reiterated declarations of the
accredited organs of our party. will only
fer those who wish to verify these statements to
Americans who have journeyed through Siberia
and Russia. Some of them have seen or have
been in communication with several hundreds
of more or less prominent members of our party.
and had their views stated from their own
mouths, or their own hands. Now, these
men, writers, are summing up the views of our
y,
] can well dispense wasting your time in dis
proving the many falsities circulated upon our
tendencies by the agents or instruments of the
Russian government. But the Article 3 of the
treaty. excluding the regicide from the list of
political crimes, contains also the following pas
sage:
If it be made to appear that extradition is sought
with view to try punish the person demanded for
an ofense of political character, surrender shall not
take place."
'That clause seems to imply that the Ameri.
oar will nf onfi " f0f
ians making come efforts to change the auto
cratic form of their government. But at closer
examination the thing looks different This
provision of thestreaty provides prac .ically for
nothing at all Only the harmless people who
keep cautiously aloof from political action, in
expectant position and whose actual opposition
is limited to rebelous utterances tgrum blings)
at private houses and private parties flor re-
bellious speech will be allowed in public)-only
those who practically profit by this clause.
According to the Russian laws, they are poiti-
cal offenders, and are actually visited by heavy
penalties Suppose one of them had come to
seek refuge in the United States, the treaty
promises that they will not be surrendered
the Cars vengeance As to the actual rebels
against the Russian autocracy. they all
traditable according to the terms of the treaty.
Regicide and political assassination in general
are certainly not the only form of activity of tho
Russian rebels, or Nihilists They publish and
circulate clandestine papers and pamphlets,
propagating the idea of liberty. and calling the
Russians to the sense of their dignity men
and citizens; they attempted to set up some
organized
uninterrupted series of extensive military
conspiracies among the officials of she army gar
risoned in the capital and in other towns These
conspracies, in which the military and the ci-
william join hands, have for scope open rebellion
against the Cars despotIsm. But they have
not pushed their chivalry towards their very
chivalrous enemies so far as to exempt the per-
SON of the despot from the responsibility
for the misdeeds committed by his orders by
those of his dependents. The fact is that all
these conspiraces accepted and accept the assas-
sination of the Czar essential to the success
of their insurrection, and as comme endable at any
time. Thus all the members of these cons2,ra-
cies, according to the Russian laws, parties
to the regicide whenever committed or attempted
by any member of the said conspiraces
The clandestlne revolutionary publications ap-
prove and Justify the regIcide and likewise
accessories to the crime; authors, compoSitors,
well propagators of these papers. Even
the readers of the regicdal paper. VINO have not
imme ediately turned informers, are, according to
the strict terms of the Russian laws. accessories
to regcide They are punishable with death
whenever the Czar chooses TO apply the full rigor
of the law, for instance in the of the
young student Rosovsky. eighteen years of age.
hanged in Kief, March 5. 1880. Thus the whole
body of actual political offenders is covered by
the treaty, because the matter stands in
Russia they are all connected in one way or
another with regicide.
s'We are not defending the principle of politi-
cal assassination. and we make upon this point
distinction between sovereigns, presidents
and simple mortals. When PresidentiJames A.
Garfield was assassinated. the organ os the Rus
sian revolutionary party lof the so-called Mill
istsl published on its first page in black mourn
ing borders the announcement OF the death of
the President with the following declarations
under it:
Whilst expressing to the American people our
deep sympathy at the death of the President James
A. Garfield the executive committee feels il s duty
protest in the of the Russian revolutionary
party against all of violence similar that just
perpetrated. In q country where the citizens enjoy
the right of freely expressing their opinions, and
where the will of the people not only makes the
but chooses the persons who are to execute them-n
country ire ma fasfa
tons of despoc tendencies indenteal those the
destruction of which we ara devotng our lives in
Russia Despotisrn, whether welded by individuals
by parties 10 equally coadennabs and violence is
justfahe only when opposed violence. (Norod-
naia VOLTA. Oct. %. 1SsIl
.Self-con troll Is one of the highest duties of q
citizen, and the necessary condition of the very
existence Of human societies. But there are