Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-12-17

practically do not vary at ALL For thousands of
miles this monotonous Russian plain Is occupied
way This way is simply to grow grain for two !
years and let the land rest the third year. The i
most general alienation Is: First year., winter |
third year, rest. |
If the surroundings OF the Russian farmer |
seem peculiar to us. the position Of the farmer |
himself will seem even more peculiar and re-
markable. 1t may be said that practically every !
man IN Russia Is land owner. Men whose
yearly income is only SIS or $35 including their
food, will each Of them own some land. And
yet thirty-fve years ago no peasant In Russia
owned land The manner In which the peas
esting Prior to 1861 every peasant lived on land
belonging to another person; This land he
cultivated for his own especial and exclusive
cultivate the rest OF the owners land for the
benefit OF the owner. Furthermore, the peasant
was bound to the land and could not leave with.
out the owners consent. Ii the land Was sold
the peasants living on 1t were sold with It, This
constituted serfdom. In 1861 Car Alexander II.
freed the peasants from al dependence on their
from the owners the lands the peasants we're
then occupying and gave them to the peasants:
the owners and sold it to the peasants. All land
| taken anu given to the peasants was paid for BY
the government In full, the owners receiving the
then given fsrtynne ye s" to pay the soysr"
| ment for the land they received, the land being
| mortgaged to the government as security. This
| cally lnalenable. as the peasants pay of only
what Is due from year to year, the case being
extremely rare when the peasant has paid the
debt before it was due. Thus 1t is that xil the
| peasants OF Russia-even the lowest, poorest
and meanest are land owners. In only few
provinces Is the ease different.
But when you say that all the peasants and
farmers are land owners you have not yet told
| the strangest thing about the Russian farmer.
live il tilr country but it is held also by millions
who live IN the cities or towns. 1t IL lin this way:
During the long winter three-fourths OF the r.
and as SS ra sSs save nS money! ses
would starve unless they could get work else-
where consequently they 90 to the cities and
winter as factory hands or porters, or what
ever they are tit for. Then n the spring they
cities and stay there, turning their land over to
friends to cultivate Then. even though they
may become very rich. they will still hold on TO
The result Of this Is that Russia is = great
nation OF farmers, everybody evcept the mer-
thu the I are Tie eso driver
you hire on the street Is farmer. the porter
VIII" carries your trunk Is a farmer. your boot.
farmer. there are many factories which are
hands have gone to attend to their farms. Many
IL any ali k sSS acsore: there are
two regular scales Of wages-One for summer
anu one Tor winter. Wages In summer are ~ 20
20 cents higher than IN winter. On all Russian
farms there are two regular scales of wages,
one for summer and one for winter. 4 he sum-
mer wages are nearly twice as high rs those III
winter. Thus. in south central Russia, near
koursk. workman gets $3.50 for seven
months summer work, ar about q. 80 u month,
while for five months winter work he gets only
So. or 81 u month.
These in brief are some OF the strange and In
teresting conditions upper which have found
the Russian farmer living. These conditions in
Russian
di,lons many important conclusions, affecting
us In the United states most vitality. may be
drawn. These conclusions must reserve for q
subsequent article. EWING COCKRELL.