Wichita eagle., 1888-05-13
LAND IN RUSSIA.
DEMAND OF THE PEASANTRY FOR
THE DIVISION OF PROPERTY.

l
| Curious Illustrations of the Credulity OF
the Russian neutrality-suspicious. Ru-
mors That Worked Like Lsaven-Start-
Ing for the Promised Land"
The 50 called peasant question can be
ignored no longer by the Russian govern
| 1nent. It demands immediate solution, and
! any delay may terminate in some fatal blow
or other. A few facts gathered from various
sources will speak for themselves.
There are certain districts in the govern
| r1ents of Ekaterinoslaf and Poltaya where
| the wretched condition of the peasantry is
beyond description. The land with which
| they were furnished by their pomiestchiks,
| or proprietors, soon after the liberation CT
| the serfs, was as a matter Of course not OF
the best kind This, coupled with the facts of
/ its being of the minimum quantity and the
| heavy taxes imposed by the government,
/ will show what a sweet life awaited the
| peasantry. Nobody apparently seemed &c
! care a lot about their welfore At certain
| seasons they were bound to pay their taxes,
! and if for some reason or other a peasant
| failed to comply with the law he was liable
| to be deprived of his last horse or COW. It
was no rare occurrence that a whole year 5
i hard labor would scarcely enable a peasant
| family to store away sufficient grain for their
| own use.
There is a saying that misery likes to
| dwell in air castles. This saying has never
| proven more truthful than at the time when
certain rumors were afioat that Il enormous
tracts of land in possession Of the pomiest-
chiks would be divided among the peasantry.
How these rumors originated is mystery.
| Be it as it may, certain it is that these ru-
mors worked like heaven. The prospect Of
becoming possessors of land was discussed
everywhere-in the tavern, at home, in the
field. If you saw two or three peasants en-
gagged in conversation you could rest assured
that the land question was the main topic of
it. 1t was rulnored that it was the earnest
will Of his majesty the car himself to see
his children situated more comfortably than
they were; that had be the power Of doing
the things that pleased him the land held by
the proprietors would have been transferred
long ago to the peasautry; that this question
was twice brought up by the car in senate;
that he made strong speech in favor of his
| beloved children bnt that he was compelled
TO desist for fear of losing his head. Further
/
car was sent to all the pomiestchiks COM
handing them to vacate their properties and
divide their land among the peasantry. 1t
was curious sight to see on Sunday morn
ing a crowd Of peasants surrounding the
tavern and discussing their favorable situa-
ton. The future, of course, was pictured
in the brightest colors. Indeed, is there any
thing more fascinating to a Russian peasant
than the thought of owning lands
AS the rumors continued stirring the minds
the attention Of the government was called
to the necessity of suppressing them. Procla-
nations to the effect that no such thing as
division of the nomiestchiks land viii ever
occur in Russia, and that liberal reward
will be offered for the conviction of all per-
sons disseminating false rurnors We're issued
by the governor generals OF the affected dis
tricts. Such steps did not seem, however, to
remedy the evil The peasant was as firm as
a rock in his determination to stand up for
the truth to the very last. Nothing could
persuade him TO the contrary know fact
of a starshina, or village official, having been
beaten nearly to death because he attempted
to reason with the excited crowd and explain
to them the contents of the proclamation
The cars will must be carried out" was all
that could be heard from the crowd.
In the government of Ekaterinoslaf gro
mazda, or community, called on their proprie-
tor and in the name of the car and justice
demanded of him the ukase, the keys of his
stables, his cattle, his lands, etc. Upon being
told that no such thing as an ukase was in
existence, the enraged crowd began to play
havoc with his furniture and old family pic
lures, and would probably have treated the
proprietor himself in a like manner had it
not been for the happy thought that occurred
to his wife. In & lew persuasive words she
assured the crowd that no further attempt
Of depriving them Of their rights would be
made by her husband. She asked them, how
ever, as a special favor, the privilege of re-
naming few days longer in the hose,
which was unanimously granted.
similar occurrence took place in another
village. There, however, the affair was con-
Quoted in a more diplomatic manner. A few
elderly peasants chosen as delegates, called
on the proprietor and stated to him their OBJ
ject. you have the ukase; your estate be-
longs to us and don't you try to cheat US out
of it this time The result in both cases was
the same, squadron of Cossacks and two
wagon loads of ''roggi" decided the land
question. Many of the leaders were i'm
prisoned and many were exilcd.
Such occurrences are, however, things
of the past. The peasant has learned
since the absurdity of such expectations.
But as it was no longer possible to put up
with such a life other means to fight the evil
began to suggest themselves to the PEASANTS
mind. Many are leaving for 'Amur," or
Amurskaia, a land Of which they have not
the least conception Indeed, the exodus for
that unknown land keeps on increasing every
day. party is now in Petersburg, friend
less and penniless. They manage to get
along on what few kopecks or bread the
women gather up. None of them evidently
mas the slightest idea of what the promised
land has in store for them. at can be no
worse than we had, consequently we COM
nitted no folly by leaving" was all they had
To reply to our questions.-St. Petersburg
Cor. Philadelphia Times.
Two Sermons Week.
Says Clergyman who is on the editorial
staff Of a religious paper: Large churches
which are looking for pastor now demand