St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-12
A BLOW TO LIBERTY.
Stepniak, the Russian Patriot,
Denounces the Treaty
With Russia.
An Abolition Of the Rights OF
Asylum to Political
Offenders.
American Institutions Be-
long, in a Sense, to the
Whole World.
Nihilists Only Fighting
Against the Cars Auto
cratic Powers.


peal to the American people in favor of
the asylum right for Russian political
offenders. The following are extracts:
''By the laws of the United States the
decision upon this important question
rests now entirely with Grover Cleve-
land. This is happy chance for us.
The personal popularity of the presi-
dent is not limited to the Unites
States, and there is no American
statesman to whose arbitration on
such matter the Russians would look
forward with so much satisfaction.
But the American presidents pride
themselves upon submitting to, and not
trampling down, the wishes of the ma
ton. The appeal, therefore, is to the
highest tribunal, which is above senates
and congresses and preSldentS-tO the
public opinion of the American people,
and ] beg leave to submit to them some
considerations upon the matter, to bring
to their knowledge some facts which
few of them know, and to remind them
of some others which they have proba-
bly, forgotten.
"The provisions of the treaty in ques-
ton look harmless enough at first sight,
but affirm that the obnoxious treaty is
in reality an abolition, as far as Russians
are concerned, of
The Asylum Right
to political offenders, which has never
been infringed in the United States
since the foundation of the republic.
Its ratification by the senate is the most
un-Amerlcan, undemocratic act on rec
ord. 1t is an unheard-of outrage to the
noblest traditions of your country, which
only a prompt veto can obliterate.
Although a stranger. l must be
excused for using this language.
With nations as with individual men,
the higher the position the greater the
responsibilities. American institutions
are not the heirloom of the Americans
alone. They belong, in a sense, to the
whole world; to all nations and to all
men who look up to them as the most
perfect embodiment of democratic free
dom that we know ola brilliant eX-
ample and the final goal toward which
all our countries are slowly and pain
fully but Enthusiastically advancing.
Every act tending to the discredit of
all the world over.
81 have as much right to blame and
protest against the decision of the SEN
ate as if were born American. If.
however, this claim be denied to me, |
will ask in the name of common fairness
for hospitality to these lines of mine
flom every paper which they may
reach, that they may
Hear the Other Side
before condemning. Murder is doubt
less the most contemplate of crimes,
and cannot be tolerated in civilized So
clety, but so long as there is war there
will be murder; and of alb forms of war,
civil war is the most fierce and brutal.
The terrible WhirlWnd of passions and
of long accumulated resentment sweeps
away all restraints and makes people
stop at no considerations. The so-called
Russian nlhlllStS have murdered car,
but the French cOmmunardS did worse
things in Paris in 1871. They actually
butchered the hostages, men who were
innocent Of any participation in the
struggle and were absolutely at their
mercy, helpless. defenseless. The COM
munardS set fire to Paris, regardless to
the consequences to the inhabitants.
Yet these crimes were condoned and
overlooked, and the English parliament
refused to eXtradlte these men to the
French government.
SIN recent times the irish societies
have committed murder, arson, burg
larry, yet the American senate categor-
ically refused their eXtradition to the
English as political offenders. and this
resolution was applauded and Endorsed
by the Americans. The sO-called nihil-
lists have all of the claims of the Irish
refugees to be considered political Of
tenders, and many more in addition.
1t has been urged against them that,
while the Irish have for an object
National Autonomy,
the nihilists have no realizable or COM
prehensiVe aim of any kind. Such is
the notion which the scribes of the Rus
sian embassy try to incucate into the
American people, and which they have
undoubtedly utilized to the utmost ex-
tent to prejudice the senate. Now |
these So-called nihilistS is deliberate
lie, which is known to be lie by those
who spread it.
THAT the aim the Russian pat
riots who have been nicknamed
'Nihilists' is to obtain for
their country such guarantees
of freedom as will allow every citizen
and every party, without distinction of
opinions, the possibility of working
peacefully for their respective ideals
and gaining adherents to their respect
i've programmes. They ask from the
car no other concession but that of
giving up IHe dutOCTdllC power, SuDSIl-
tute for it representative government
as exists in all other European coun-
tries. They do not want to force
anything upon the people; they want
to have access to the people and to re-
move the obtacleS which despotism
has put in the way of such access. The
very same body of revoIutiOnists, which
sent forth GeIiaboy, Sophia Perovski
and Rissakov on their murderOus expe-
dition against the Gar Alexander H.,
sent to his successor solemn decIara-
ton that the day after he summoned to
the capital a zemsky sober natiOnal
cOngress) Of representatives, freely
elected by the people, they, the perpe-
traitors of violence, would disband their
secret societies, forsake bombs and dy-
Mantle and would become law-abiding
citizens, devOting their energies to the
work of the social and intellectual re-
generation OF the people,"