Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-27
TO BE ExlLED.
A Letter from Mary Tsebrikeove to the
Monarch of Russia.
rBy telegraph to the pisp..ch.,

tBy telegraph to the Dispstch.l
KANSAS CRY, Mo-, March 2S.-In the As
ISOLATED Press dispatches from st. Peters
burg and London have recently appeared
items with regard to a well-known Russian
lady named Mary Tsebrikeoye, who Is
about TO be exiled to Siberia for having
written personal letter concerning Rus
sian affairs to His Imperial Majesty Tsar. =.
MIR. George Kennan to-day furnished
some additional particulars in regard to
this lady and what she has done. She is
Russian lady more than forty years of age,
who has long been known ~ her own cOun-
try as an able and talented writer upon
social and political subjects. She was until
recently. If | mistake not, one Of the edI-
tors OF the well-known Liberal magazine
the Northern Messenger, published in st.
Petersburg. She has never been a reyolu-
ZIONIST. still less Terrorist" and her
opinions with regard to the state OF affairs
in the great empire of the North are
those of the most intelligent and
thoughtful Russians. l have been for
some time in correspondence with her,
but as letters coming out Of the Russien
empire, aud especially oil letters addressed
to me, are liable to be opened by the
agents of Tsar's government, Madame
Tsebrkeove did not dare to write me about
her intention to send letter 10 Jsar and
| had no intimatlon of 1t until ! read
telegram from st. Petersburg. The last
letter that had received from her before
that time was written in Paris, and in 1t
she said that she was about 10 do
something that would probably lead
to her arrest and exile a. soon AZ
she should return to her native
country, but she did not describe definite
~ the act that she had in contemplation,
and | could only guess at its nature.
Just before leaving Paris for st. Peters
burg. however she mailed me copy Of
the letter that she intended to send 10 the
Tsar, and with it personal letter explain
ing 10 me her motives and purposes. These
two letters now lie before me. The me-
mortal to the Tssr contains about 1000
words, and is frank, earnest. hut tempe
rate, and a perfectly respectful petition
for liberty, justice. and redress or
wrongs. 1t does not menace the En-
peror with the fate Of Peter the III. and
Alexander the ii. unless he mOdihes his
present reactlonary policy. 1t does not
contain so much rs a suggestion OF assas-
sination. and | cannot find in it anything
that even remotely resembles threat. lt
seems TO me TO be calm. reasonable re-
view Of the existing state of things in
Russia. coupled with an earnest appeal for
a more liberal andprogressiye policy IN tie
administration of the affairs of the
empire. The address is too long,
of course, for use in such CON-
munication as this. but | hope
soon to print it in full, and in the
mean time | quote its concluding para
graphs. They are as follows Russia
paid dearly for the policy of Nicholas |.
| The bitter lesson of the Crlmean war COM
PEELED Alexander II. at the end Of the fifth
and beginning of the sixth decade of the
present century TO change his policy. Is
| il possible that another such bitter lesson
! is necessary il order to make manifest the
| decay of the existing imperial lnstitutiOns,
and is salvation TO be buried only TO return
| to the reforms OF your father and in
| the further extension and Development OF
them? Freedom of speech, theinyiOlability
of personal rights. freedom of assembly
| open courts, ample opportunities for edu.
cation suited to all capacities the proven
| ton Of administration, license, and q ma
| tional assembly in which all classes shat
| be represented by delegates of their OWL
| choOsing-these are the only things tina
will save the State. The measure of en-
durance is filed to Overlooking. 1t MAJ
| be that revolution which shall overthrow
the monarchy is far distant. but loca
! disorders are probable and the distric
rulers appointed by you and thrown a
an additional burden upon the shoulder
| Of the Rural Commune Will do more I,
| incite such disasters than will all the eft
forts of our reyolutionists. The natioI
will grow up to bloodshed. You are al
autocratic 1sar. restrained only by law
which you yourself make and alter, CT by
officials who DO not execute those laws
but whom you yourself appoint. Ont
word from you and there viii b.
change in Russia which would
leave bright page in history. If yoJ
chose to leave instead dark page you
will not have tho curses Of posterity. bu
they will be hoard by. your children, anC
what a terrible inheritance you are thu
transmitting 20 them. Your Majesty is on
OF the mightiest monarchs of the world
am only working unit in hundred mil
lion, whose fate you hold IN your hands
but nevertheless | feel that it is my mora
right and my duty to say 10 you what
have said. MARY IsEBRIKFoyr."