The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-05-02
THE RUSSIAN POLICE.
The Almost Unlimited Field Occupied b.
Its REPRESENTATIVE


The Almost Unlimited Field Occupied by
Its Representatives.
There is probably no country in the
world where the public power occupies
q wider field, plays more important
part, or touches the private personal
life Of the citizen ut more points than
it does i'm Russia. In country like
England or tho United States, where
the people are the governing power.
the functions OF the police are simple
and clearly defined, and are limited.
for the most part, to the prevention or
the detection OF crime. and the MAIN
tenance Of order in public places In
Russia, however. where the peopl are
not the governing power, but hol'l to
that power the relation OF an infant
ward to Il guardian, the police occupy
a very different and much more impor-
tant-position.
The theory upon which tho Govern
ment OF Russia proceeds is that Tho
citizen not only is incapable OF taking
part in the management Of the aff, irs
Of his country, his province or his dis
trict, but is incompetent to manage
even the affairs of his own household;
and that, from the 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 be guided, directed, instrut.t-
| cd, restrained, repressed, regulated.
fenced in, fenced out, braced up. kept
down, and made to do generally what
somebody else thinks is best for him.
The natural outcome OF this paternal
theory of government is the concentra.
| ton of all administrative authority in
the hands Of a few high officials.
and an enormous extension of the po.
lice power. Matters that in other
countries are left to the discretion oi
the individual citizen. or to the judg-
ment of a small group of citizens, are
regulated in Russia by the Minister oil
the Interior through the imperial po-
lice. II you are Russian. and wish
to establish a newspaper, you must
ask the permission OF the Minister oil
the Interior. II you wish to open d
Sunday-school, or any other sort Oi
school, whether in a neglected slum ol
st. Petersburg or in a native village in
kamchatlsa, you must ask the permis-
sion OF the Minister OF Public Instruc-
tion. If you wish to give Il concert or
| to get up tableaux for the benefit of an
orphan asylum, you must ask permis-
sion of the i nearest represent.
ative Of the Minister Of the
Interior, then submit your pro.
i gramme of exercises to Il censor foi
approval or revision, and finally hand
over the proceeds of the entertainment
/ to the police, to be embezzled or given
to the orphan asylum, as it may hap
lpen. If you wish to sell newspapers
i on the street. You must get permission,
be registered in the books OF the police,
and wear numbered brass plate as
big as saucer around your neck. II
you wish to open Il drugstore, a print
ing-otliee, a photograph-galler or q
bookstore. you must get permission.
If you are q photographer and dc.
sire to change the location Of your
place OF business, you must get per.
mission. II you are student and sc
to u public library to consult Lyel!'s
principles of Geology" or Spencer's
Social Statics," you will find tha,
you can not even look at such danger
Gus and incendiary volumes without
special permission. Ii you are 4 ply
si.ian, you must get permission before
yon can practice. and then, il you d.
not wish to respond to calls in thu
night, you must have permission to re
fuse to go: furthermore il you wisl
to prescribe what are known in Rus
sia as "powerfully-acting" medicines
you must have special permission, o.
the druggist will not dare to fill YOU
prescriptions. II you are peasan
and wish TO build i bath-house ON YOU
premises, you must get permis
sion. II you wish to thrcsh GU
Your grain in the evening b.
canu!e-light, you must get permission
or bribe the police. II you wish to g
mere than fifteen miles away from
your home, you must get permission
If you are foreign traveller you mus
get permission to como into the En-
! pire, permission to 60 out Of 1t, per
. mission to stay in it longer than 81
months, and must notify the polio
every time you change your boarding
J place. In short. you can not live
, move or have your being in the Russia
/ Empire without permission. .--Georg
kennan, IN Century.