Democratic messenger., 1893-04-29
FUGITIVES FROM RUSSIA.

Since the Gar of Russia
has ratified the eXtradition
treaty. nothing remains to
render it operative but the
proclamation of President
Cleveland. Although the
secrets of the treaty have
been carefully guarded. there
is no dispute that it contains
a provision for the extradition
of all iugitives charged with
1.-The ut,erance of forged pa
pers, including public, foreign
or governmental acts In this
clause of the treaty, if it stand
as quoted. the Government Of
the United States has been
strangely overreached. even
if it be conceded that the rem
dition of fugitives guilty of
conspiring against the life of
the Gar is in accordance with
the policy of humane and en-
lightened nations. What
equality of relation is there
between the Governments of
the United States and Russia
to warrant the insertion of
the offense of forging public
papers and documents in a
treaty of extradition?
This country has no pass
port system at all, and if it
had such a system. the Ameri-
can people would never con-
sent that a Russian fugitive
should be delivered up for
the crime of escaping on a
forged passport. Yet by the
terms of this treaty the Gov
ernment of the United States
would be required to surren-
der such a fugitive for pun
ishment on demand of the
authorities Of Russia. The
forging of public acts Of any
kind is an offense so rare in
this country that it is seldom
defined in the criminal codes
of the States. much less made
the subject of an extradition
treaty by the General Gov
ernment. How comes it, then,
that a description of this
crime, so little known to the
American people, should have
first appeared in an extradi-
ton treaty with Russia, of all
the countries in the world !?
Was it suggested by the as
tute diplomatists of Russia. or
was it volunteered by this
Government out of complacen-
cy toward our good Russian
friend and ally? This is one
of the secrets Of diplomacy
which probably will never be
revealed.
But if under the treaty
Russia should claim the rendi-
tion of a fugitive on the ground
that he had uttered a forged
passport or parole, it should
be understood. once for all,
that the American people
would never for a moment ac-
knowledge such a pretension.
So far from making themselves
the constables of Russian ty-
ranny, they would put an in
depreciation upon the treaty
in accordance with the rites Of
hospitality and the laws of ma
tions. A treaty with such a
government as Russia for the
mutual rendition Of offenders
is at best Of doubtful wisdom.
We do not enter into arrange
ments with Turkey or China
for the rendition of fugitivcs.
because of the barbarous
criminal codes of these coun-
tries. But how much more
humane is the criminal law of
Russia, with its long imprison-
ments and its perpetual ban
ishments to Siberia for trivial
POLITICAL offenses and often
for no political offenscs at alp
Russia could not include in a
treaty of extradition political
crimes OF less gravity than an
attempt against the life of the
Gar "or an act connected
with such an ofensc." The
Russian Government hopes,
however. to seize escaped po-
litical offenders through the
operation of the provision in
regard to the forgery of pub
lie acts. This Government
cannot too speedily or too
emphatically reject such a