Connecticut western news., 1892-11-24
They dare not venture forth, except pre-


 My answer to this is that I never saw 8 face more free from worriment than the emperor's face. The winter palace around which the trenches are said ro have been charged with dynamite, and in which the imperial family are said to be prisoners, has never been the resi- dence of the imperial family one moment since the present emperor has been on the throne. That winter palace has been changed into museum and a picture gallery and place of great leyees. He spends his summer in the palace at Peter hof, fifteen or twenty miles from St. Petersburg, his autu1nns at the palacegat Gratschna and his winters in palace at St. Petersburg, but in quite different part of the city to that occupied by the winter palace. He rides through the streets unattended, except by the em- press at his side and the driver on the box. There is not person in this audi ence more free from fear of harm than he is. His subjects not only admire him, but almost worship him.
 There are cranks in Russia. but have l, we. not had our, Charles Guiteau and John Wilkes Booth? "But," says some one, "did not the Russians kill the fa- ther of the present emperor" Yes, but in the time that Russia has had one as- sassination of emperor America has had two presidents assassinated. t'But - is not the emperor an autocratY By which you-mean, ,-has he not power without restriction?s Yes, but it all de- pends upon what use a man makes of his power. Are you an autocrat in your factory, or an .autocrat in your store, or an autocrat in your style of business? It all depends on what use you make of your power, whether to bless or to op- press, and from the time of Peter the Great-that Russian who was the won der of all time, the emperor who became incognito a ship carpenter that he might help ship carpenters, 7, and 8 mechanic that he might help mechanics, and put on poor mems garb that he might synl- pathize with poor men, and who in his last words said; My Lord, I am dying Oh, help my unbeliefr'-I say, from that time the throne of Russia has, for the most part, been occupied by rulers .as benefcent and kind and sympatheticIas they were powerful. ?"
 To go no further back than Nicholas, the grandfather of the present emperor. Nicholas had for the dominant idea iof his administration the emancipation lof the serfs. When it was found that he premeditated the freedom of the serfs from deputation of noblemen: "Your Imperial Majesty-We learn that the council and senate of the empire have before them for deliberation, with your sanction, the plan to abolish, serfdom |, throughout the Russian empire. We are perfectly willing to abide giby your majesty's decision in this matter and, to | Loyalty support your will, butvthere are in Russia large number of small own CTS of serfs who are dependent for actual subsistence on the labor of those serfs, and who consequently will be left wholly penniless and4without any resource by the operation fofzemancipation. They will then undoubtedly resort to desper- ate measures, and in the extremity of their despair will, put the life of your majesty in jeopardy" The emperor replied in words that will last as long as history: "Gentlemen, If I should die because of my devotion to such cause, I am willing to meet my. fate." When, under an attack of pneumonia from exposure to severe weather in the service of his people, that emperor put down his head .on the pillow of dust, Russia lost as good monarch as was ever crowned.
 Then came Alexander the Second, the father of the present emperor. Amid the mightiest opposition and innumerable protests he, with one stroke of his pen, emancipated twenty million serfs, prac- tically saying: "Go free. Be your own masters, and this is for you and your children forever. On the day he was basely assassinated (and I will paren- l thetically say that I saw his carriage in splinters as it looked when he stepped from it, not to save himself, but to look after some poor peopleain the street who | had been hurt, and I saw the bed on | which he died, the mattrass yet crimson | with his life's blood Jon the day he was assassinated he had on his table, found | afterward, 8 free constitution that pro- posed to give the right of suffrage to | the people of Russia. If it had not been | for the assassination he would have soon signed that constitution, but that horrible violence put things back as violence always does. What a marvel ous character of kindness was Alexan- | der the Second, the father of the present | emperor, so that the present emperor, | Alexander the Third, inherits his be- | nightly. Alexander the Second, hearing that nobleman had formed conspir- acy against his life, had him arrested. ! Then the eyes of the criminal were band aged, and he was put in a carriage and for some time travelled on, only stopping for food. qAfter,awhile the bandage was removed, and supposing that he must by that time have been almost in Siberia he found that he was at the door of his own home. But this punishment was | sufficient. | The same emperor, having heard that a poet had written a poem defamatory of his empress, ordered the poet into his l presence. Expecting great severity, the l poet entered the palace and found the emperor and empress and dukes and duchesses gathered together. "Good morning." said the emperor to the of | fender. "I, hear; you, have written 8 most beautiful poem, and l have sent
 for you that you may read 1t to us and
 we may have the pleasure of hearing it." The man cried out, "Send me to Siberia or do anything with me, but do not make me read this poem in your pres ence." He was compelled to read the l defamatory poem, and then the empress,
 against whom it was aimed, said: II do not think he will write any more verses about us again. Let him go." And so
 he was freed. And now comes in Alex ander the Third, doing the best things l possible for the nation which he loves and which as ardently loves him. But
 what an undertaking to rule one hum
 dred and twelve million people, made
 up of one hundred tribes and races and
 speaking forty different languages. But, | nOtyith standing all tbis tbiOos tbaro