Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-24

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spoa6 20 my sp,esl. bas for The unfortunate
people vhoD tssy wfl1 save from starvation
rAnfsE-srKcxxS FOR TWENTY rKAks-
lBy Leo Hartman tas famous Sihlistl
OF the localities afflicted By famine In
Russia l am personally acquainted oniy
with SarAto6 and s4mara, the hrst of
which was settled by German colonisis.
who own plenty Of land and are among
the weaithiest peasantry. The total
number OF peasants In Russia Is so.
900, 600. 20. GOO. 900 of whom are now snf.
fering intensely from the shortage In
food supplies.
The immediate cause of this great
famine il not to DO found ia the bad
harves. Of last yeer. IL Is we'll
known fact. recognized by the con-
servatives and liberal papers and mag
axines of Russia, that this same famine
has been In existence for twenty con
secutive years. during which time these
same people. now poignantly affected.
have been living IA . state Of chronic
starvation. now forced to a crisis only
by the emptiness OF granaries
The cause of this starvation has been
the taxes extorted from the peasants by
the government These taxes may be
divided into three kinds: Ooiest. provin-
ciai and imperial. which correspond TO
the county. state and national taxes OF
the United States. The local or ooiest
are per capita taxes that 20 TO keep up
the police, roads, schools, granaries.
priests and churches Besides these
the local officials. appointed from St.
Petersburg. have to be bribcd by the
peasants The provincial taxes pay the
salaries of the provincial officials. keep
up the police courts and the provincial
schools and colleges To this class oil
taxes mus. be added the cost OF the
revenue stamps that arc attached 70
every petition addressed either to court
or executive official and to passports.
Then the central government collects a
per capita tax from each peasant of )
rubles year, or the equivalent of 81 so.
These various kinds of taxes, including
bribery. cxtortion and usury. aggregate
from so TO 30 rubles a year to the indi.
viduai. or $50.
Now let us get the value of ruble 70
q Russian peasant. In the central prov.
inces a peasant with a horse can earn
one ruble q day, or so cents, but he
must find for himself and animal. Blu,
the average peasant does not earn more
than $50 year, SO the Importance of a
$40 tax to him can be appreciated at 4
glance.
Michailon. . writer for q Russian
magazine, has recently written OF some
startling examples of this taxing of the
peasantry. He has collected statistic.
from eleven villages in n small area in
the province of Simolcnsk that show
that the unsolicited, but overdue. taxes
for that territory are ten times the
actual valuation of the property. Since
no money could be found among the
peasants the officials rcsorted TO fog
ging in an effort To squeeze it out oil
them. Each inhabitant was subjected
To 300 lashes a year for three years
That, at least, was the average number
of laShcs, and il one man missed his al
lotment his neighbor was required tc
take double dose. At Narva, in the
province of ST. Petersburg. this same
author estimates the total income of the
peasants to be 25o,0 rubles a year II
the time of an average harvest But the
taxes during tho same period amour,
TO $50. 900 rubles.
l. il possible TO trust such Official:
with money from America for the fam
inc stricken? Is the idea not repug
nan. to liberty-loving Americans send
ing money to support and strengthen
and help to continue in power this des
potism? 1t would be like giving money
to the Italian Padroni TO succor the
Italian laborcrs whose blood they
sucked, or like sending money to a
thief to aid his victim. Has not civilt
cation advanced too far to render II
profitable to support this monarchy Of
physical force in which the people have
no voice?
American money should be sent e
Am erican consuls. or the English pas
tors or other foreigners in Russia, but
not to Russian officials Count Tols.oi
is man OF principle. who can we'll be
trusted with the distribution of relief
funds, but must say that I doub, IL
the Russian government will long per
nit him or any other honest Russian to
receive and distribute funds.
Assuming that the car is honest
believe that he retains his crown SO en-
tircly by the suffrancc Of the bought
officials and hirclings by whom he has
surrounded himself that he Is at their
mercy, and they would not brook his
making use OF honest men, even in the
distribution Of charity funds
LEO HARTMAN
It's the wonder and talk Of The town.
Tk. I saIn nf