The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-13
sTEPNiAK TO CLEVELAND.
The Russian Exile Begs the President to Annul
the Ratified Extradition Treaty.

NEW YORK, April 12.-G. Stepniak, the
Russian exile has sent letter to President
Cleveland, which is made public to-day.
The letter deals with the impossibility of
securing under the new extraditl0n treaty
any pledge from Russia W hich will make it
certain that an extradited person will be
tried and punished only for the offence for
which he Is claimed, and shows how prom
ises to that effect have been repeatedly
violated. In the course of his argument
Mr. Stepniak says:
States has ratified the eXtraditiOn treaty with
Russia, on the strength OF which number OF
men and women who hitherto were safe on the
soil of the great republic may be henceforward
handed over To the Russian government But
your sanction is wanting TO transform this treaty
into law. 1t is in the hope that this sanction
has not yet been given that venture, by the re-
quest or Irienas. 10 make this appeal 10 you, In
order TO add one more voice to the many which
are urging you to annul the treaty.
All political ofenses are tried i'll the dominions
of the Car by special tribunals whIch 1t would
are appointed by the government ad hoe, and are
absolutely dependent upon and subservient TO it.
The trials are secret neither the public nor press
men being admitted. No reports of the proceed
ings are published. Even the places of the trials
and the names OF the judges are often un-
known to the public. These are facts which
In denying the political nature of the Of
lenses which are now maco extIadtable,
and assimilating them 20 criminal ofenses
the American government is surely, by the very
nature OF the transa cton, bound o ask from the
Russian government formal and substantial
pledge that those who have been claimed and
extradited as criminal offenders should be dealt
with III Russia as criminal offenders. which
means that they should be tried by ordinary. reg
ular tribunals.
With regard to ofenses against tho person OF
the Car, We do not hear of any special pledges on
the part of the Russian government as to the fair
treatment OF the men who may he surrendered
pledge
os sos 0e' the 09snss' caar Attempts ns against
in Russia as ordinary crimes. Thus the
very ratification OF the treaty implies mon
; aco w he oaned vner The s
and falsehood. They will be claimed and sur
rendered as common offenders. to be judged and
punished as political ones. The political nature
of their ofense will he denied TO them In Amer
lea, where IL would be their safeguard, TO be
fastened back upon them in Russia, where 1t
Is their ruin This hagrant injustice cannot be
avoided. Ii must be committed II the extradi-
uon Is granted. Consequently, 1t cannot pOssi-
bly, be granted. The Senators voted without
having had the case carefully presented to them.
There Is another clause In the treaty which Is
open to still greater objections. IL the news
paper reports be true. 1t Is explicitly specified
that the American government will extradte all
who shall be proved guilty OF attempts against
the lite OF the Car "by deed or by conspiracy"
The word conspiracy" embraces those who have
merely talked about such attempts without hav-
ing had any chance or prospect of converting
their words into deeds. as well as those who
never intended TO carry out such attempts,
except by an open, armed insur-
rection against the prevailing system
OF government in Russia. IL may be extended
20 those who. taking no personal part In these
conspiracies approved and countenanced them
theoretically. The Russian law makes no dis
tinction between the different shades OF guilt.
According 10 the Russian code there Is only one
penalty-death-for all the II indications OF these
conspiracies. This includes such offenses as
failing TO give information" a nisdemeanor
which, If committed against an ordinary mortal,
would be dismissed In both Russia and
America with few months imprison
ment or reprimand from the court.
All these people may be claimed by the Russian
government and wherever the Americans may
put limit Ia Rn. sian demands the thing will yet
mean the handing over of the executioner OF
men who would have incurred an incomparably
lighter punishment had they committed the same
offenses for some low. selfish motives against
an American citizen upon American soil.
MI. Stepniak closes with an appeal to the
President to veto u treaty (which would be
q moral sanction to q most disgraceful
tyranny. and n blot upon the bright
records of the great republic"