The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-11-25
nounced and reiterated and sse.eo.,pss

hounceu ana reiterated ana s,oI Guy pe,u
against Russia.
Cslumny the First The emperor and
all the imperial family are in perpetual
dread of assassination. They are prac-
tically prisoners In the winter palace,
and trenches with dynamite have been
found dug around the winter palace.
They dare not venture forth, except pre-,
coded and followed and surrounded by a
most elaborate military guard.
My answer to this Is that never saw
face more free from worriment than
the emperor's face. The winter palace
around which the trenches are said u
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 levees. He
spends his summer In the palace at Peter
hof, fifteen or twenty miles from st.
Petersburg, his autumns at the palace at
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 en-
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
we not had our Charles Guiteau and
John Wilkes Booth? But" says some
one, did not the Russians kill the ia
Their Of the present emperor" Yes, but
In the time that Russia has had one as
sassination of emperor America has
had two presidents assassinated. But
Is not the emperor an autocratf BY
which you mean, has he not power
without restriction? Yes, but it all de-
ponds upon what use man makes of
his power. Are you an autocrat in your
factory, or ON autocrat in your store, or
an autocrat in your style of business2
1t 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 ship carpenter that he might
help ship carpenters, and mechanic
that he might help mechanics, and put
on poor mems garb that he might sym
pathize with poor men, and who in his
last words said: my Lord, 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 sympathetic as
they were powerful.
To go no further back than Nicholas,
the grandfather of the present emperor.
Nicholas had for the dominant idea of
his administration the emancipation of
the serfs. When it was found that he
premeditated the freedom of the serfs
he received the following letter of threat
from deputation of noblemen: "Your
Imperial Majesty-We learn that the
council and senate Of the empire have
before them for deliberation, with your
ranction, the plan to abolish serfdom
throughout the Russian ci"rire We are
perfectly willing s. - IL ~ your
majesty's decision ~ and 10
Loyalty support .or i @.a ar
in Russia a large u "a iowa
ers of serfs " ho i!fati,2 af :;..''. ;tt
subsistence on the iabur !, those st,;s,
and who consequently Will be left whoi :
penniless and without any resource by
the operation OF emancipation. They
will then undoubtedly resort to desper-
ate measures, and in the extremity of
their despair will put the life OF 20
majesty in jeopardy" The emperor
replied in words that will last as long
as history: Gentlemen, if l should
die because of my devotion to such u
cause, l am willing to meet my fate. T"
When, under an attack Of pneumonia
from exposure to severe weather in the
service of his people, that emperor put
down his mead 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 owl
masters, and this is for you and your
children forever" On the day he was
basely assassinated land / will paren
thetically say that I saw his carriage il
splinters as it looked when he stepped
from it, not to save himself, but to lool
after some poor people in the street whit
had been hurt, and l saw the bed OF
which he died, the mattrass yet crimson
with his life's blood)-on the day he wa
assassinated he had on his table, founf
afterward, free constitution that pro
posed to give the right Of suffrage t,
the people of Russia. If it had not beef
for the assassination he would hav
soon signed that constitution, but tina
horrible violence put things back a
violence always does. What marvel
Gus character of kindness was Alexan
der the Second, the father of the presen
emperor, so that the present emperor
Alexander the Third, inherits his be
nightly. Alexander the Second, hearin,
that a 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 carriage an,
for some time travelled on. only stopping
for food. After awhile the bandage wa
removed, and supposing that he mus
by that time have been almost in Siberi
he found that he was at the door of hi
own home. But this punishment wa