Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1889-01-23

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on. There ID no
~ thought. A maj
system.- ~ thu
despotism Is called. As long o. he keep
he opinions y himself he is safe. 6u
but In Paris. or London. or anywhers
else. they are liable TO DO reported
by n OF tho thousands Of spies
and from that day he il . marded man
Nib I ~ Ia a hysterfcal remonstranc
ags. this condition Of affairs. It il simply
n re, "a al to submit.
The word nihilism has lost its meaning.
At least II does not mean now It once
lid. Iho word was first used by st. Angus
tine IN his writings. and was invented to
iescribe u policy that meant the destruc-
lion Of kinga-aut Cesa-. nut nihil. either
Cesar or nothing Ivan Turehenen. the
novelist. borrowed the term to baptize the
radical party OF Russia. n IL has stuck to
them ever since. 1t is now applied to all
classes who oppose the Government. from
the insane fanatic who throws . bomb at
the Gear to the state nan who secs the
evils Of the present system and conscien-
ttously warns the Government that It cannot
always exist m II Ia.
80 ~ WuOtC OO0y VI PpO vt0 ~ 4e0o6kh VA
ARE opposed to the present condition OF the
empire arc nihilists. and they are wrongly
named. This body ID divided into several
classes. or parties. First. there are the
Constituencies. reasoning and loyal
men. and they are many. who believe that
the proper cure for the evils that exist in
Russia-the late Gear was one Of them-is
the adoption OF a constitution; Q change
from an absolute ~despotism to y liberal
monarchy. like Germany or England. They
AI(n tAAk Ahtz IL. 49,. 1R-wk al -
Russia: that the spirit Of the age requires
i. n that II. sooner or later. must come.
They differ widely as TO the proper method
to bring about what they all desire. The
late Gear. had he been allowed TO live q few
months mo tbs, longer ,H;s ;n would !, have given Il; he s1 PEG,
was the more lamented. Tho present Gear
is opposed to his fathers plan. He might
have felt differently had the last bomb not
been thrown.
The plan Of the late csar was to provide a
consultive assembly to frame laws.
Next comes the liberal party. the Rebuff
THE LIBERAL PLATFORM.
l.. general amnesty for all political Of
d who have committed no crime but
resistance and remonstrance to the present
state Of affairs,
z. Freedom Of speech.
3 Freedom OF the press.
4 Freedom OF public meeting and public
discussion OF political affairs. such as exists
In England.
8. The right to petition the Gear. and the
consideration OF such petition by him..
g. The abolition OF the secret police and
star chamber trials. and the privilege OF
meeting accusers face to face.
q. Open trials for all offenses. by juries
subject to the challenge of the accused.
8. The election Of a iaw-making body by
the people. with free electoral agitation and
y free ballot.
In other words tho liberal party want q
condition OF political affairs similar to that
which exists In Great Britain. 1t Is difficult
to learn or even estimate the extent OF this
party. The liberal party will tell you that II
these questions were submitted to the poo
pie they would be almost unanimously
adopted; that scarcely any one wants the
present despotism to continue. but to advo-
cate such measures Is considered q crime
that no less han fifteen years In the gov
eminent mines OF Siberia will atone for.
and that means q slow death. with the most
Intense suffering md privation. It Is worse
than . similar period spent In the prisons
The third political element IL known rs
the Radical party. who arc revolutionists.
They demand the same liberties asked for
by the Liberals. but they advocate the over |
throw OF the present Government BY force.
empire. in every city and village. In every |
school and factory. seeking to arouse the
people to violence. Occasionally insurrec-
lions occur. but the masses are lethArgio.
arc without arms or ammunition. q cam
not obtain them. for the sale Of weapons 10
sion OF the police is necessary to own a CUR.
The crime OF being y Radical. when detected,
IL punished BY Punishment to Siberia. or
imprisonment in a dungeon for life. often by
death on the gallows.
The nihilists proper. or the terrorists. as
they are designated in Russia. are radicals
who believe in immediate action. who hit a
when they see 1t. and resist police au-
thortty with q revolver or o bomb. The
terrorists believe In blowing up the palaces
n the Government buildings with dyna-
mite. They advocate the assassination OF
the Gear and his officials. the revenRing of
wrongs with wrOngs. the murder OF officials
who pursue them, and In their secret assoc
Citations they try and condemn to death the
police. the ministers. and the Gear himself,
A radical who has been accused. sentenced.
and escapes Is usually q terrorist. Lib
erals join their ranks after they have
suffered from the injustice OF the Gov
ernment. The terrorist party Is composed
In . large part OF wronged men. suffering
for vengeance. the sons OF those who have
been condemned for opinions sAke. while
the remainder are fanatics who believe.
or pretend to believe. that all law IL oppres-
sion.
These are the nihiiists proper. They are
without exception against all laws and ad-
yocate the destruction OF the state. One
canno find u nihilist who believes In any
thing | am speaking OF the terrorists
when I use that term. They are all athe-
lists, and deny divine as we'll as human au-
thority. They are all f~ree-loyers. and want
the marriage relation abolished. They are
communists. socialists. and want a common
division of property every Saturday night.
and oftencr II necessary. They believe
LA a. $40 -
and that the incomes OF all men should be
equal. They would destroy the church. the
home. and change all the conditions OF
civilized existence. In other words. they
are lupatics. fitted for nothing but destruc- |
ton n murder. Their creed IL confined
to Q single REORGANIZATION.
The number OF the terrorist party In Rus
Ella II very small. The police do not permit
them to exist there. 4 few may be found
In every city. and fugitives are scattered
through the small towns. living like out !
laws on forged or torn passports. They are
hunted~down like wolves. and arc discov-
cred a. certainly as they show their inten- |
hOnS. They sometimes hold meetings In
secluded places. but the police system Is so
thorough that they cannot assemble often
without detection. In Geneva and Zurich
and Switzerland the most OF them are gath |
erod-exiles who dare not show their faces
at home or cross the borders OF q state with
which Russia has an e~xtradition treaty.
Some OF them are In London and some In
New York. They are watched In all these
places- The Russian police keep them con-
under surveillance wherever they
and the moment they reach y country !
whore they may be arrested they are
clspped into prison.
Some OF these nihilistic exiles are men OF
ability and education. Some are even mon
of genius. Stepniak would command lead
ership anywhere. He IL a man Of 50 or 40
years. has a thorough education, and his
numerous and voluminous books testify to
his literary ability and Tearing. He il the
editor OF . revolutionary paper In London, I
and Is intellectually. perhaps. the foremost
man in the terrorist circle.
~DraRomanoff. one OF the leading men in
the Geneva colony. Ia also q scholar and
writer OF ability. He was u professor In
the University Of Kiev. and fed to escape
punishment for the publication Of seditious
pamphlets.
~JOukowski. another man Of ability. Ia n