Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-12-31
leges greater, in their way. than are held by any
other people In the world

other people In the world.
It came about thus: Before 1861 all tho Rus
sian peasants were serfs, owing no land them
selves, but living on the land Of another person.
for whom they were bound to perform . certain !
service yearly. and whose land they could not |
leave. In 1861 the government, under Alexander /
H., freed the serfs completely, giving them the |
right to go anywhere they pleased at any time, |
and also taking away from their former masters |
and giving to them the particular piece Of Land |
on which they lived. The government really |
bought the land from the owners aud sold 1t to |
peasant, giving the peaants forty-nine years to |
pay for it. But this land the government gave
not to the peasants individually. but to the villa
ges. All the deeds to the lands we're given to |
the villages, and never to separate members.
All the taxes and payments to be made on the
land were on the villages as whole.
80
There exists today great economist party
whose belief is that the best form OF govern
ment is what is called socialism" The men,
bers OF this party claim that socialism Is the
most enlghtined and civilized. the most perfect
form OF government that man can devise. This
form OF government, they say, would prevail
everywhere were the thoughts Of the world SUI
ficiently advanced to appreciate Its advantages.
dirty. ignorant Russian peasants this civilized
perfect and more enlightened system Of govern
ment exists in the most advanced form. Prac-
ticaliy all the Russian villages have the power
that l have described. But more than this;
four out Ut every five Of them have even greater
power. Fonr out OF every nye are perfect social
istic bodies, cummunes pure and simple In
these communes the mir has the power to de-
scribe on what basis the land shall be distribut-
ed among its members. Thus, In some villages
it is divided equally among all the adult males;
in others among all the males irrespective Of
aye, and in some cases among all the inhab-
! itacts, male and female irrespective Of age.
Still more the mir also can determine how
| much land each man may have, and this amount
It can increase or decrease whenever It chooses.
| In some of the cOmmunes the mir has not only
all the control over land as just described but 1t
al o keeps this control absolutely and completely
In its own handsthat is the village itself culti-
Yates part or all OF the land belonging to It, and
Dies not divide it out among itsindividual men,
bers These lands thus cultivated are called
communal farms; they are cultivated by the
villagers together, and the products are divided
among them or used to pay communal expenses
| sucn as taxes, ETC. ALI these villages are, IN
fact SO far as regards the matter of land tenure,
perfect communes. And yet these communities.
In material civilization, are far less advanced,
are dirtier, poorer, cruder, than any other civt
lized bodies OF people on earth. II Is strange
combination These vfllager. where municipal
government is in such an advanced stage, are In
all other ways marvelously primitive. They are
simply lot of log houses built near each other.
The house sometimes are built on several streets
that intersect at right angles and sometimes on
a single ong-drawn.out street. The ''strects"
excel in natural simplicity. They are nothing
more or less than vacant lands. not built on or
inclOsed that Is all.
The houses usually are built right on the
street, but such . thing as yard Is unheard Of.
At the back and each side OF the house, however,
is a lot or inclosure for horses and stock, and
around the back door are usually congregated .
cheerful assembly Of chickens, geese, pigs and
cows. Farther back Is a garden. Occasionally
the village will possess church. II Il does .
strange picture will meet your eye. In the
midst Of a collection Of log cabins, implanted,
, dull looking and weather beaten, there rise >
tall, gorgeous building shining with all the
, cotors uf the rainbow. Its succeed walls are
light blue, its roof green and Its dome and
cmpolas dark rich blue spotted all over with
gilt stars In = "polka dot" pattern. Or It msy
, he pale pink church, with red roof and golden
! DOME or perhaps symphony In white and
/ green, with trimmings In blue, yellow, lavender
, and old rose. This building Is the church.
J Lying hunlbly around 1t are the rough, squalid
, houses Of the inhabitants Of the village. Sur
rounding the village on each side stretches the
!. land that belongs to il. The Russian farmer
> leaves his land rs the Lord gave It to him. No
fences inelose It. no roads run through e, no
thing marks where the land Of his village
!, ends and that Of the next village begins All Il
! In most eharmingly natural state. The aver
aye size Of the farm allotted to family n
v fifteen to Twenty-Five acres.
!, Fiually, 1t must be said that this political
" power of the villages Il exercised NOT merely
e over small portion Of the farming lpOpuatjOn
s | but over almost all TO some one III these VI
lagos, to some one Of these sOcialistlc cOmmuses
belongs nearly every workman In RussA. NOl
/, only are all tie farmers members OF villages
= bus so also are more than One-hAH Of the Cltl
!, WOrklnen. OfAciAl Agures show that the peal6
: ants who own lands outside Of whaS they owl
= ~ members Of villages cOnstitute only Oh
) quarter Of per cent Of the whole p0pulof30n
and ONn only RI per Cent Of the land, willis Nv
= INK st Villages, there ID pOpulat10n t01A6
STsaasr than ~ thAf 81 ~ unlssd ntssss.