New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-27

| Hence their mutual devotion Notwithstanding
and the apparent identity or interest oe.M ,'ar
them It is so difficult for both to aid one ano'her
| efficiently. From lack or connecting at'dCn-
ments the peasant cannot receive from ms SOW
eregn ALI the benefits. the protection ne looks 10
him for; the sovereign cannot lntrust MS saisCy
10 his humble mujiks He IL TOO hign up ion
them they do not know how to get al MN, 'ney
are too low down out or his sight ne uoVS AO'
know how to reach them
This IS no new fact in Russian life. The peas
ants long ago embodied It in their own oriei say
lngs when they said. they still say 1t is high
I'D to God and far off to the Tsar' or I'VE can
not reach to Heaven with our mind nor 10 the
Tsar with our hand" All the more emphasis -
given TO such popular sayings by the pres'rIP"Nc
right which every Russian subject has OF address,
ing private letter to the Emperor There IS a
special commission" remarks Nine. Ragozih'
"for the opening OF this one-sided correspondence
and more Of the letters are placed under the SOW
ereign's eyes than one would imagine But the
real difficulty Of reaching the Emperor and their
own observation Of what happens around them
have imbued the masses with n profound distrust
OF all officials. They expect TO see corruption
everywhere. and the bureaucracy give them am
pie measure Of that which they expect Nine.
Ragozin. through motives Of patriotism points
out that no country Is free from dishonesty in
public affairs But this can hardly he called
reply 10 the severe and sustained attack which
NJ Reaulieu makes on the practices common in
governmental departments. in provincial admin
istraton in the courts from the highest official to
the lowest AS in China SO in Russia potent
excuse for the taking Of brides and the creation
Of perquisites IS the meagrenesso Of official salaries
and society from long habit has settled pack INTO
the opinion that there is no hope Of improvement
in this matter The very evil of which bacon
complained in the England Of his time has been
characteristic of Russia The inadequate pay
OF judges made the sale OF justice. II not a ne
cesity. a probability. Too poorly remunerated TO
live decently judges took illegal gifts. Public
opinion accepted this n matter OF course II
only regarded the ltigants rs bound TO make up
in some way the deficiency in the rewards legit-
ma;ely drawn from the state And Just as Bacon.
while confessng that he had accepted money
from those whose suits he to decide yet de-
clared that he the busiest judge in England,
50 the Russian feeling was that the righteous
judge was he who took with both hands and from
both sides, but in the end did not sell his de-
cision TO either" The reforms of Alexander II
have diminished If they have not done away en-
trey with venality in the ordinary courts, but
rural justice is still corrupt. since the Judges who
unlettered peasants dependent on the
scribe. II the latter is unprincipled man. he
his knowledge to aid sutton. More
the simplicity OF the court Is open to seduc-
ton by means Of strong drink MANY lawsuit
finds its solution In the kabak Cavern or bar
room; judges scribe and htgatng parties get
drunk together" In a which NJ BeaulieI
witnessed. of the parties TO the suit asserted
that a vedr6 of vodka "a bucket Of brandy would
win the decision Of the judges. Even the fines
assessed under tie anti-liquor laws have been
known 10 be paid in whiskey and drunk blythe
judges and communal functionaries. In the light
of these and more serious facts II is hardly to he
wondered at that Mime. Ragozn speaks OF the
germs of disease and dissolution that the COM
mune bears in its bosom. Her hopes for improve
ment are connected with different institution.
which is the outcome Of modern life rather
than relic Of primltivism. The artel is the out
come not merely OF the Russian tendencies to-
ward communism. but Of the military habits
which have become iigralnei in civil life. I,
represents merely the association OF group Of
persons who work together and divide equally
among themselves the proceeds Of their Joint
labor.
The following are the leading features OF the
artels formed by the Cossacks OF the Cral who
ply the fishing craft on the largest scale In
the first place they own In common. one un-
divided community. all the waters which form
their quarry. that is. the lower course Of the
Ural River and that portion Of the Caspian SCI,
which extends along their territory. They can
thus be said TO form one monster artc or fish
ing association. comprising from 1000 10 10000
grown men actively engaged in the craft. In a
more restricted sense, though still enor-
nous scale, may be designated artels the
bands Of fishermen. numbering between 1900 and
5000 who assemble for work at given times ana
places fixed upon by common consent Such
band, however. is not called artel but
'hshing army This designation is the more
appropriate. that the bands really present a
military organization, disciplined whole act
ing after general plan under military COM
manders-the atamAns Of the fishing craft
whose functions consist in looking after the
del. Of operations and seeing that the very de-
tailed and precise regulations laid down for the
conduct Of the work be scrupulousy carried out.
The fishing begins on the entire line at given
signal-the firing Of n gun. This Is more than
a SNOWY formaiity; II is necessary that the FISH
ermen scattered all along the river should begin
at the same moment In order to equaze the
chances. Each such fishing army is broken up
into smaller sections or economic units-groups
composed OF from ten to thirty m4n; these groups
are the artels proper Each one Of them elects
an elder who directs the work and keeps the
accounts; the members again are so many inde-
pendent economic units with entirely equal
rights; they all share in the expenses incurred
by running the artel and all receive an equal
portion of the Joint earnings. There are. how
ever some kinds of fishing for which costly nets
and other plant are required The owner Of
such a plant becomes the central figure Of an
artel and Is by common consent, given a certain
number Of shares for the Of his properly,
out of the common fund of earnings Such are
the two main types after which the greater part
Of artels. in whatever branch OF industry,
constructed
When the passport system is abolished and la
Dor becomes really free in Russia. the device
which Nine Ragozin thus describes may sat
isfy the Slavic taste for work in common
well as other tastes which are the necessary out
come OF a national life under official command.
Western individualism seems impossible for Rus
~da: never more 80 than It does to one just riser
from the perusal of NJ. Beaulieu's second vol
ume.