New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-08
STEPNIAK'S RUSSIA.
REVIEWING THE REIGN OF ALEXANDER
II AND FORECASTING THE COURSE
OF THE PRESENT CAR 80 &

KING, sTORK AND KING LOG. A Study Of Nod Nod
crn Russia BY Stepniak, In Two volumes rs , rH
l. PIP. 2S3, Vol. II. PIP. sol. Imported os N""''e'
els Russia ripe for political freedom?' Step
MAX does not raise this question until near me
end Of his second volume. But it Is realty the
toy, ~ his whole work He is aware that OUTSIDE
Of Russia people ask questions OF this sort WIN
some doubt as to the answer. They are not sure
that Russians want representative or consu'u-
tionar government would know what u W
with Parliament or with election inae""eiy
~ they had such things The doubt on TINS point
was shown very plainly at the time OF the oea'i
NJ Alexander III. A vast. number OF "rNeiS
everywhere but especially In England VINO u''.
uuestionably gave utterance to the OPINIONS o.
rsultitudes. agreed substantially IN TINS lack Oh
confidence in the political apt!tudes OF huss''hs'
They gave abundant proofs" as Stepniak says
that with the majority Of English people 'he
obstacle to their frank sympathy with the cause
~ Russian freedom lies precisely IN the ioea
that Russia is not yet fit for a constitutional
government
The author complains that this scepticism Is
based on anything but an accurate Kno"'eueo
~ the real conditions in Russia. II ne were III 'c
mind he could be satrical at the expense Oh al
those who in speeches. sermons ana newspaper
articles have advised Russians TO cultivate pa
tience and Observation-Disclosures he chooses ratle'
70 argue the case ina quiet lie adn''ss
the truth of the general law that in the lons
run a country gets the government wah'eo ny
her people" There Is an Important sense 'nen'
In which those are right ~ho say that autocracs
has been useful TO Russia. NOBODY coui'
nut more strongly than does Stepniak MINI
ss,, the fact that In the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
1,oc
over every other form OF government. II
has undoubtedly rendered great services
To Russia. and mo constitutional state can DE
en- successfu!' es autocracy "in the work OF
conouest and annexation" Russia with constl-
tuition would be stronger within. less strong per-
hans In external relations because foreign poll
tics recedes into the background with the grown
Of civil and political freedom, While IL Is 'he
main prop Of autocracies
OF course. this concession to the autocracy vi
the past g coupled with denial OF us present
utility And the argument that the people wouiu
have changed 1t If il were ursuited 10 'he'i
needs Is met by the obvious remark that the ease
with which people can make their wlshes KNOW"
under a Constitution has no counterpart IN
country where the will OF the monarch Is the
only law In the one case readlusliheh'' 81
s,enniak inagines. can be made effectively,
promptly,
ha,,ot-box Those who live under constitutions
may be less sanGuine as to the ease Win whc"
really great changes can be made by popular
vote. They may think OF the slavery question IN
the United States. Of suffrage reform in England
Of orderly republicanism in France. But II is
,rue enough though there IS a cynicism THOR
oughly Russian IN saying II, that REIMBURSEMENT
Is SOW and painful In countries where people
have to- send their votes by volleys or insur-
gents by attacks OF crowds Of rebels. or by 'he
bombs Of conspirators - .
II not only takes long for men to think OF cast
Ing vote in this way, but further time Is iost IN
making clear that 1t Is anything more thah 'he
stir OF a few piotters and there is all the whlie
steady increase in the suffering and biooosHed
that accompany such methods OF registering
the popular win That the thing cannot be ac-
complished without boodche1 Is shown by the
struggle With the Stuarts in England with the
Rourbous IN France with the slave holding oil
sarchy In America. Stepniah points out that IN
England the task was comparatively easy, the
kings being weak: that in France the difficulty
was greater. and that in Germany and Austria
tho s.rur gle begun In 1913 is really not ended yet
The natural inference is that the slowness OF
Russia in arriving at the popular expression or
opinion against autocracy is no proof that the
majority of the people are in favor OF the unlim-
Ted monarchy which they have inherited NOR
on the other hand. does it prove that they are
in favor Of anything else. II Is manifest from
what Stepniak himself says that the peasantry
prefer the monarchy TO the aristocracy and that
they would take their land and live under the
Turk in preference to living without ii under the
Car When he speaks of popular opinion IN
Russia he means only the opinion OF the edu-
Gated classes and mainly of the lower nobility
,lo hQcf
educated
THOSE who have been giving the Russians
rratuitous advice about patience and self-reanes
win. feel far from Inundated by Stepniaks re-
mark that the Russian people must eutgrow the
Russian Government much more completely than
was the case WITH either Germany or France be-
fore they can force II into harmony with their
new wants and new aspirations In that light
Russia rs no. f1pe FOR freedom but 10 so is In
Stepniak's view, merely to state an obvious tru-
ism which has no value. IF the argument or
events Is going FOR the monarchy. then the car
should be merry and prosperous. On the con-
trary.- says the author. nobody will MAINTAIN
that aitocracy Is IN its heyday In Russia; the
signs of bitter, fierce dissatisfaction are too many
for that" What. then Is the state OF Isuss'a
with reference to fitness for freedom. tested by
the condition o. other nations In the face or a
similar reform? For example. II Is conceded that
the peasants are ignorant and that their great
eaeerness for education is as eagerly checked by
the Government. Only enc man IN ten can read,
only one boy in fourteen be sure of schooling.
This may seem q bad Showing but that OF Austria
was. II anything. worse In 1863, fifteen years
after constitution was obtained. the per-
centage Of illiterate people was exactly the same
as in Russia OF to-day" For proof Stepniak APP
pea,s 10 statistics. But he goes further. and
maintains what many others will approve that
"the French peasants Of 1889 were undoubtedly
worse educated than those of modern Russia. SO
were the Italians in 1862 And X may be doubted
,,,o ~ ha oil We >head nj us