The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-21
ONE HUNDED MILLION.
The Great Number Of Peasants in the
Russian Empire.
Although the Poorest People in the World
They Should Be the Richest-Vast Re-
sources Now Lying Dormant.
Correspondence OF THE MORNING CALI.

First the famine and now the cholera
have brought TO tbs attention of the world
one OF the least known and at the same
time one of the strongest elements OF its
population. The Russian peasants are
typical of the one-seventh of the world
which they own The great Russian en-
pire is packed full of undeYeloped resources.
The Gar himself has no idea of the wealth
of his country. Millions upon millions OF
acres of II have never been touched by the
plow, aud hundreds upon hundreds of
thousands of its square miles have never
been prospected. 1t has gold regions as
rich as any in the world which have never
been worked with modern mining ma
chinery. and its vast iron and copper re-
giOns produce the finest metals of this kiud
known to man. Its oil regions have for
long time been competing with those OF the
United States and Russian oil has largely
driven US out OF the markets of Asia.
1t has all sorts Of precious stones, and as
TO its agricultural possibilities these are far
greater than those of any other country
In the world. There are millions of
square miles Of wheat lands in Siberia and
touched by the pillow, and Of the vast grain
regions of European Russia only small
part is under cultivation. Such lands as
are cultivated are farmed after the rudest
Russia is the greatest graln-1xDorting
country of the world. SURPRISING even the
United States IN this regard.
The bulk of this great wealth of Russia
is now lying dormant Like the sleeping
princess in the fairy tale, il only waits the
kiss Of capital and labor TO bring il into
life, and no one can tell how soon these
giants Of material progress will grid up their
Joins and moisten their lips to kiss the Sleep
ing maiden. Russia has in her own terrific
Ties the labor necessary Tor the work, and X
this was used Alright there would be no land
so rich upon the face of the earth to-day.
Admiral Porter once told me that at fair
estimate every man and woman in country
was worth $500 as one of the elements of
that country'S wealth. At this rate the
peasantry of Russia are worth $50, 600, 600. 600
to Russia. and when once walked up to their
possibilities they will make the Russian
empire jump as though it had on the seven
league boots OF modern progress As it is,
however, the peasantry of Russia are more
asleep than Russia's material resources. /
an Impressed every day more and more as
i 60 among them of their wonderful work
ing power aud their dormant possibilities.
They are the wonder among the la bOrers of
the world. Surrounded by the wealth of
CrGsus, endowed with the muscles of Her
cules, born with the germs Of mans best in
telligence, they live, labor and die without
Knowing their power or approaching the
than they are, Simple and ignorant, these
one hundred millions of strong, able bodied,
well-deye Oped people are intellectually
asleep. They are men with the minds Of
children. who under q different system
would quickly develop into as intelligent
workers and as good citizens as our best
Americans.
Peasant Russia Is by far the most inter-
esting feature of modern Russia to-day.
The peasants are In fact the Russia of to-
day. and their 500. 600 villages make up, as /
have said before, this great Russian en-
pire. All Of these villages are alike. and
when you have visited one Russian vii
lage you have to a great extent seen
the whole Russian empire. The Russian
peasant never has a home outside of
village. He is a social animal, and
in the thousands of miles which l have
travelled through the different parts of
European Russia during the past few
weeks / have not seen a single house
standing by itself in the fields. In
looking over a Russian landscape you