Evening journal., 1891-01-14
RussoPHoBlAN NIGHTMARE.

RUSSO PHOBlAN NIGHTMARE.
In his lectures and in his writings
George Kennan displays a nightmare Of
Russophobia.
He writes and speaks with exquisite
literary taste. which by Ito manner
rather than by It's matter excites inter-
est in the subject. But the exaggerated
stste Of horror at the cruelty Of the Czar,
Of the sufferlngs Of the people, Of the
expressions Of the government, Of the
frequency with which innocent people
are hurried off to Siberia, is no doubt
cultivated and intensified by what 1t
feeds on.
Mr. KannRn mentions instances Of
cruelty and relates stories Of private
griefs which are eloquent, pathstic and
exciting. His object seems to be to
make the deduction thai the civil
lied people Of Christendom should unite
to overthrow the awful despotism
Of the Gar Like all such specialists Mr.
Kennan exsggerates and generalzes too
much. The stories he tells are doubtless
true, they are certainly intensely
pathetic, but they represent only the
dark side OF political ard social Russia
not the light or the bright side.
Two Presidents have been murdered In
this country Thirty years ago there
were 5000, 600 Of slaves. twenty years
ago there was civil war, followed by
the horrors of the recoustruc-
tion period, during which the
agents Of tho dominant party.
the Infamous carpet-bAggers. promoted
bloodshed by inatilling hatred and sus-
plclon in the breasts Of the ignorant ard
superstitlous people. who had just been
released from slavery, against their for
mer masters, now their friends. Ia the
mining districts Of Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Indiana, in some of the manufactIr
ing towns Of New York, New Jersey and
New England there are ignorance, filth,
slnalor and all the miseries Of abject
poverty. skillful writer with vivid
Imagination and a mind absolutely igac-
rant OF justice and heart false to
every good emotion, might use those facts
TO misrepresent this country as the most
besotted and benighted country on the
face Of the globe.
But that would not be justice or truth
Those things are true Of the United
States, but man who would write or
relate them without presenting the
beauty glory, freedom, prosperity and
gentle peace Of this glorious country
would be regarded as fool or a knave
or both.
Is that not what Mr. Kennan does
for Russian Does he not show that
he has the nightmare9 There are evils
and suifsrings. no doubt, in Russia as ip
every other country, but should the gov.
ernment be overturned and the Gear be-
murdered as a remedy2
The people are not ready for a repub-
lican form OF government, and the Gear
Is as good man aud a far more pro-
gressive and enlightened one than our
present chief executive officer
Serfdom was abolished 10 Russia with
out civil war. Though Gear has been
murdered, the present Gear is the head
Of the church and is loved and revered as
such. he drives in an open carriage
with his wife about st. Petersburg, as
feely and as safely as President HaTri
son drives about Washington
In material prosperity Russia has been
keeping pace with other countries Rail
ways traverse the empire in every
direction and the industrial aud agricul-
tural wealth has been increasing as
rapidly as IN any other countries except
the United States and Australia.
The picturs that Kennan draws Of
Russia is not true 1t Is picture Of in
iividusl, not Of universal suffering, dis
tress, poverty. cruelty aud despair His
statemants are true his differences ar,
not trle. They are the fgments or an
overhea,ed brain, the nightmare Of
mind which has not properly digested
large mass Of facts