Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-01-18

| habeas corpus is known. There is very
| little for the lawyers to do but bride the
| police. dresser himself has the reputa.
ton OF being scrupulously honest man
but dresser is not omnscient, even if he
| is omnipotent, and his subordinates make
their own reports to him. He listens to
no one else.
When Peter the Great was visiting En-
gland he was shown over the city, and
among other places was taken to Lincoln s
Field linus or Courts. There he saw the
big-wigs, and asked who thoy were. His
escort told him they were all lawyers.
What! all these men lawyers?" he OK
claimed. How do they live, and why are
they tolerated? 1 have only one lawyer in
all my empire, and l think l shall hang
him when get home"
There are courts in Russia for the
prosecution Of civil and criminal causes
between citizens courts like those of any
other country, only more corrupt, if the
reports one hears be true; but crimes
against the crown are tried by military
commissions, at least they ara supposed
TO be-. But in almost all cases, except
those in which publicity is polite, when
1t is necessary to create dramatic sensa-
ton, and awaken the indignation of the
loyal subjects, they are secret, attended
by no reporters and no lawyers solely by
the police. When the police have case
of conspiracy that is perfectly clear, when
the evidence is indisputable, and the crime
is one that will awaken horror in the mind
of every reasonable citizen, the trials are
public, the forms are generally liberal and
tolerant, and the prisoners are allowed to
plead their causes by counsel or person
ally, but most of the Investigations are in
the prison, and neither the evidence nor
the Judgment is known. There have
been but five public trials for many years
including that of the Emperor's assassins
and Vera Sassulic.
In 1856 there were 703, 1854 persons i'm
prisoned in Russia, according to the Off
cial reports. Of these about nine -tenths
were incarcerated by order of the courts.
One-tenth, or 10000 persons, were i'm
prisoned by the police for causes known
only to themselves. On the lst of Jam
ualy last there We're H6.272 persons
known to be in prison. CT .hesa ut least
one seventh We're political offenders,
wi o were held by order of the ro-
lice. without any other trial than S, cret
ex-pare investigation. 1t is estimated
that per cent. Of the prisoners die before
they are tried, and 5 per cent. are sent to
Siberia. The actual numbers. however,
are not known, for the transactions of the
police are not reported
Here is an example of what is called
the administrative system Prof, Ivan
Dityatin occupied the chair of iurispru-
dence in the University of Kharkoff. and
was distinguished for his literary and sci
entitic attainments. He was also for many
years an associate of the late Katkotf in
the editorship Of the Moscow Gasctte. At
the same time he contributed to a monthly
review of liberal tendencies, called Rus.
sian Thought. There appeared an article
over his signature in that review, which
was considerably more advanced in it's
sentiments than the publications of the
country usually contain. and it attracted
good deal Of comment and criticism.