St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-11-28
GEORGE KENNANs TRIUMPH.
No More Punishment of Criminals
Siberia.

The New York Evening Post pub
fishes the following letter from Kieff,
Russia, dated Oct 80:
The Russian government has at
last succumbed to public opinion, and
is going to abolish the Punishment to
Siberia, for SO long a terror to hui
mainly and blot upon civilization.
Such at least is the current report, OF
the truth of which, l believe, there
can be no reasonable doubt. On the
first intimation of this project | tried
to get the opinion of a competent
person on the truth of the news, its
probable reasons and results, and at
last succeeded in interviewing Mr..
s., man widely known in Russia by
his writings on Siberia; one who has
devoted all his life to that country,
living and travelling in it, as well as
writing about it.
DO you believe in the truth of the
newspaper reports about the aboi-
ton of Siberia as a place of Danish
ment ?" l asked him. well, it seems
to me it has a good foundation. In
what will consist the new reform ~
| again inquired las far as l under
stand" replied Mr. S., sit will con-
sist in the fact that political and
other criminals will, instead of being
sent to Siberia, be in the future con-
fined in the central prisons or sent to
more or less remote places in Euro
pean Russia, such as Perm, Archan-
gelsk, etc, thus Kidding Siberia of its
large and dangerous contingent of
criminals, lessening the cost to the
government, and last, but not least,
quoting the just indignat ton of civil
lied nations against the inhumanity
and barbarity of transporting hui
man beings through 5000 miles,
over a dreary, bare, and frozen land J.,
bringing only about one-half of the
original number transported to their
dark destination"
What, in your opinion, are the
reasons for the reform ~
1.-The reasons are many, but the
principal ones, think, are the works
of your American fellow Journalist,
George KEENAN,, and our present vice
minister (secretary) of the interior,
also governor general of kief and
Central Territories, ex-governor gen
eral of Eastern Siberia, Count Igna-
tieff. You need not be astonished at
all, continued Mr. S., seeing that in
fact | was rather astonished at the
probability of such paramount inf1u-
ence attributed to an American jour
nalist. 1T only seems that Russia
is careless of foreign public opinion +;
in reality, the government cares a
great deal more than you think
about what is said and written of
Russia in foreign papers, magazines
and books. Nh. KEENAN, would not
have been permitted to make such a
thorough investigation of the sub
ject if the government had not been
blinded by his former sympathy with
it, and had not expected to find in
him a refuter of all that is said and
written to the discredit of Russia S
trea tment of her criminals. The gov
eminent was greatly put out when
Mr.. KEENAN, began to give an accu-
rate report of the facts in the Centu-
ry magazine, seeing that a refutation
of facts described by its former friend
is impossible. Then the project of
reform was conceived, but it could
not be carried out until Count Igna-
tieff had done his work in the same
direction. The count is compare
lively q young man yet, and, unlike
the past Siberian governors, has ac-
tually investigated the real state of
affairs in Siberia, and his report,
could it only be got, would be very
sensa tional material, which might
have even more force and truth than
Mr.. Remnants. l have spoken with
many Siberian officials, who all agree
that Count Ignatieff was very much
put out by the condition of prisons,
etc, and was determined to put an
end to the existing state of things
That Count Ignatief''s views are
shared by the Gar or his immediate
advisers is evident by the recent pro-
motion of the count to such a prOmi-
nent place
What effect Oh the condition of
criminals will the proposed reform
have?'
well, you may be sure that as
long as Galkin Vrasskoy remains at
the head of prison affairs, a great i'm
provement in their condition will not
be possible Of course it will lessen
IlIS Lei OLE Vi IllS lOHS anu lCIllIJlS
travel to the Siberian destination of
the criminals, but that is all. On the
other hand, it will overcrowd the
prisons, concentrate thousands of
poor wretches in foul dungeons, take
away the comparative freedom which
they enjoyed after they had overcome
the long transportation to Siberia,
where the government, not being
afraid of their escape, gives them
some freedom. However, once the
reform begins, it must go on. Being
in Central Russia, the future prisons
could not be as bad as in far Siberia !;
besides, it will be easier for foreign
journalism to watch our state of af
fairs in the interest of humanity"