, 1889-06-01
THE RUSSIAN POLICE.
Their Black shadow Fails thwart the
Hcnrthstone of Every One.

Their Black Shadow Fails Athwart the
Henrthstone of Every One.
There is probably no country in the world
where the public power occupies a wider
field, plays a more important part, or touches
tho private personal life of the citizen at
moro points than 1t does In Russia. In n
country like England or the United States,
where tho people arc the governing power,
tho functions Of tho police ARE simple md
clearly defined, and are limited, for the most
part, TO the prevention or tho detection of
crime and the maintenance of order in public
places. In Russia, however, where the peo-
pie arc not tho governing power, but hold to
that power tho relation of an infant ward to
q guardian, the police occupy n very different
and much more important position
The theory upon which tho government of
Russia proceeds is that tho citizen not only is
Incapable Of taking part in the management
Of tho affairs Of his country, his province or
his district, but Is incompetent to manage
even tho affairs of his own household and that,
from tho time when he leaves his cradle and
begins the struggle of life down TO the time
when his weary gray head is finally laid
under the sod, he must DO guided, directed,
instructed, restrained, rcprossed, regulated,
fenced in, fenced out, braced up, kept down,
and mndo to do generally what somebody
else thinks Is best for him Tho natural out
come of this p~atornal theory of government
is tho concentration of all administrative
authority In tho hands of q few high officials,
and an enormous extension of tho police
power.
Matters TINT in other countries arc left to
tho discretion of the individual citizen, or to
tho Judgment Of n small group of citizens,
are regulated In Russia by tho minister of the
interior through tho imperial police. II you
-. DID,. - i. A. a IL
paper, you must ask tho permission of tho
minister of the interior. If you wish to open
a Sunday school, or any other sort Of school,
whether In n neglected slum of st. Peters
burg or In n native village In Knmchatka,
you must nsk tho permission of the minister
Of public instruction. II you wish to give n
concert or to get up tableaux for tho benefit
Of an orphan asylum, you must ask permis-
sion of tho nearest representative of tho min
istar of the Interior, then submit your pro
grammo of exercises to a censor for approval
or revision, and finally hand over tho pro
cceds Of tho entertainment TO the police, to
DO ombezzled or given to the orphan asylum,
us 1t may happen.
II you wish to sell newspapers on tho street
you must get permission, DO registered In tho
books OF tho police, and wear a numbered
brass plato MS big as a saucer around your
neck. II you wish to open n drug store, n
printing office, n photograph gallery, or q
book store, you must get permission. If you
are a photographer and desire to change the
location of your place of business you must
get permission. II you arc n student and go
to a public library TO consult Lyell's "Princi-
pies of Geology or Spencer's "Social Statics,' p
you will find that you cannot even look ut
such dangerous and ~incendiary volumes with
out special permission.
II you arc n physician you must get per-
mission before you can practice, and then, If
you do not wish to respond to calls in the
night you must nave permission to refuse TO
go; Furthermore, If you wish to prescribe
what are known in Russia as powerfully
acting medicines you must have special per-
mission or the druggist will not dare to fill
your prescriptions
II you are a peasant and wish to build a
bath house on your premises, you must get
permission If you wish to throsh out your
grain In tho evening by candle light, you
must got permission or bribo the police. II
you wish to go moro than fifteen miles away
from your home, you must get permission
II you are a foreign traveller you must get
permission to como into the empire, permits
sion to go out of 1t, permission to stay in 1t
longer than six months, and must notify the
police every time you change your boarding
place. In short, you cannot live, move or
have your being In the Russian empire with
out permission.-Georgo Kennan in Century.