Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-17
TIE WEEKLY Union
WE SHOULD PROTEST.

terness of the author of Underground
Russia" towards the Cars Government
There are enough evidences of truth in
the story as published in yesterdays REC
oRD-UNIoN, however, to make the recital
thriIlingly horrible. The hogging to death
of the delicate woman, Madame Sigada,
may or may not be true; that she was
dashed into insensibility, and that she soon
after died, either by her own hand or as
result of the punishment, seems to be es-
tablished.
it must be born in mind that all news
avenues leading out of Siberia are in the
hands of the Russian officials, save only
the cipher and secret communications that
the convicts manage to forward. In the
laain these have been found to be correct. |
Tor the Siberian exile long since learned |
that it is essential that he should be &C
curate in any statements he makes, mis-
representation and exaggeration leading
only TO q withdrawal of sympathy and
seriously Gripping all efforts to ameliorate
tie conditions of exile, besides bringing
upon the unhappy prisoners in case of dis
covery or interception of the message, new
and more severe punishments. 1t is GER
tain, too, that Stepniak, has means of COM
municating with the exiles which the
Russian Government cannot cut of, and
that of all the Russian revolutionists he
receives most dispatches from the prisons
and convict mines. 1t can make no differ
ence whatever in the estimate of the judg-
ment of the civilized world what Madame
Sigida's ofiense may have been. There is
no infraction of prison rules that can be
conceived of, according to Mr.. Kenan, that
viii Justify the fogging Of delicate and
refined woman, or of any woman. That
three of the companions of the lady should
have followed her by suicide, is in itself
strong indictment of the government of
the prisons Ii is well known that the
husband of Madame Karalefskay, though
admitted to be entirely innocent of any
political or other offense, and not in any
degree inflEmed of his wife's political
plotting was sent to a perSal settlement on
the Pacific side, where he now Is. His
wife was one of the group that committed
suicide to escape the same punishment
under which Madame Sigida is said to
have died.
There is nothing really new in this fog
ging of political exiles, and nothing new
in the suicide of the wretched sufferers;
such things have been going on for years
and the civilized world has all along been
aware of it. Yet nations whose people are
horror-stricken at these brutalities, and
who shudder at the bare recital of the
monstrous cruelties practiced upon Russia's
political prisoners, have continued to smile
upon Russia and hold relations with her
of the most cordial character 1t is not
recorded that any one OF the Christian ma
tions has had the courage to rebuke the
Cars Government or demand in the name
of civilization that it cease to punish her
political prisoners with such brutality. It
was by no means uncommon when slavery
existed in the United States for other
peoples to rise up in their wrath and indig-
nation and protest to US that the holding
of human beings in bondage was an offense
to the civilized world. In England,
France and even Germany associations
We're formed for the express purpose of
operating upon public sentiment in this
country with a view to bringing about the
abolition of slavery. "UncIe Toms Cabin
was translated into nearly all tongues, and
everywhere was received as an evidence Of
our shame. There were not mfrequent
propositions to foreign Governments by
their people to intervene in behalf of the
slaves and solicit our Government to con-
slider means for their manumission. There
never was any slavery in America that was
at all comparable in conditions Of hardship
and cruelty to the horrible fate of the po-
litical exiles of Russia; in cur system of
human bondage there never was anything
calculated to so stir the sympathies and
rouse the Indignation OF men as in the con-
ditiou and treatment Of the Siberian
exiles. If slavery in the United States
justified or excused the protests of the Eu
ropean people what should be their frame
of mind in the face OF such recitals as
tn ,se now given to the public to the shame
of Russia? Is there not in her treatment
of political prisoners her torture of wit
nesses, her barbarous punishment Of
women, her bitter injustice in Furnishing
entire households for the ofenses Of one
member, cause sufficient for protests, ac-
companied by such limitations of inten-
ton to refuse recognition to Govern
ment that countenances such outrages, as
will tend to secure reform?
Abstractly we have no right to meddle
in the affairs of other people; under the
code Of international ethics it is no con-
Germ of the United States what manner of
cruelties Russia iDflicts upon her own; but
there is a code of humanity superior to
written law, and accepted rules of inter-
national comfy that justi6es a civilized
people in protesting loudly and vigorously
against inhumanity wherever and by
whonsoever praciiced. In the United
States we have permitted, nay, approved
the formation of associations in behalf of
the Irish tenantry; we have without suf-
fcient warrant connived by silence at the
raising of money aud the collection Of
arms in their behalf, as against nation
with which we are at peace ard that is of
our own blood. We received the rehel
Kossath with open arms, AID from one