Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-13
A CHILD OF ISRAEL
Cries Aloud Against the Defenders of the
Cruel Czar of Giant Russia.

Cries Aloud Against the Defenders of the
Cruel Czar of Giant Russia.
To the Editor of The Dispatch:
Among the many articles of interest and
useful information which make The Dis
PATCH q widely circulated and favorite Jour
nal there appeared in its issue of Sunday,
May 81, one headed "The Future of Russia" J"
In it an able and well-informed writer de-
scribes to us the substance of an interview
he had with one, as he says, well-known
Russian-American gallant soldier and
author, Colonel Armand, who expressed
himself in the most enthusiastic terms of
the present political, penal and economic
institutions and laws of Russia, and pre-
dicted for that country the most flattering
future. With all due respect to the many
abilities of the distinguished Colonel, and
with the kind permission of the always
courteous, impartial and unprejudiced Dis
PATCH, beg to differ essentially and rad
ically with the views and ideas of the.
Colonel.
The Colonel tells me that Russia is getting
liberaliZed; that it possesses q legislative
body representing the people as directly
utive as in America. Well, how se-
ductive 1t looks in print, how sweet it seems
to a superficial! observer, or to one not thor
oughly acquainted with the true state of
affairs! But how this sweet theorizing is at
variance with the true, cold facts. To say
of country in which the press is hampered
and muzzled to the utmost by merciless
censorship, where to hint in the remotest
degree anything derogatory of the cruel
methods of the Czar is all mans life or
liberty is worth, where tens of millions are
where the flower of the country. its brilliant
youth, is very often deprived of liberty and
even life for discussing matters taught in
free country-to say Of such a country that
it is liberalizing, ETC., is the most sublime
optimism ever heard of. 1t is vastly more
deluding and misleading than the Colonel's
opinion of the numerous newspaper and
magazine articles in regard to the true de-
plorab1e state of affairs in the Cars do
main. 1t would be curious to know what
this "by the grace of God, Czar-autocrat of
all the Russias''-head of Church and State
in one-would have said had he been in
formed of what greatness Colonel Armand
moroseness he would have been forced to
smile at the information conveyed to the
world that the "Senate," !" or whatever legisla-
tive body does business under that name to
dependently of him, and that it directly rep
resents the people, who are taxed to the ut
most limit for the sake of tremendous pack
of drones and parasites in the royal family
and of many corrupt officials in the army
and beaurocracy.
Progressing to the Rear
The Colonel hastens to tell US that nations
reach the same point through different
means. 1 wonder what devout re-
ligious people would say to the as
sertion that in order to reach heaven
one has to take the road that leads to
eternal suffering. Russia's progress toward
liberty and perfect civilization under
the methods and ways of Alexander Ills
governing can be compared to the progress
the schoolboy made on his way to school on
on a certain slippery morning, who claimed
to have made one step forward and two steps
backward, but with the difference that in
Alexander Ills ways the two steps are
easily noticed, while the one forward re-
mains only for extremely far and keen
sighted people to see SO well as to predict
that Russia's future is the future of Europe.
But let US hope for the sake of long suffering
humanity, for the sake of the memories OF
the brave pioneers of liberty and constitu-
tional government all the world over that
the Colonel overreaches himself in his far
and that as prophet he will
prove a failure
But the most painful. and deplorable pas
sage fin this interview is the one in which
the Colonel volunteers to deny nearly in toto