The times., 1898-12-20
Beneficent Imperialism.

Among the staple subjects of ridicule in
sensible world is the man who publishes
book on how to get rich when he has
himself been a failure in every enterprise
he has touched. Yet he is not nearly as
absurd as a Car of all the Russias who
criticises the civilization of mankind and
proposes and urges remedy, while he re-
mains impotent to change the bar
barous system that prevails in his own
country The present Car, who is as
sumed to be a sincere man in his project
ed reforms for the world at large, looks
abroad and finds that the type of civiliza-
ton Is not good. He sees rival nations, in
cluding those that are most advanced
struggling for new possessions; and in ex-
tending their civilization they promote
along with whatever is good, some of the
most vicious customs that mar their own
morals. Therefore he would take the step
that would prevent the realization of their
dreams of empire-he would dismiss the
hundreds of thousands of armed men
whose organization as a fighting force
makes it possible to win new territory and
encourage intemperance and religious
skepticism.
Knowing what the world does of the Pc
culiar conditions of the greatest empire in
existence. of which he is the head, it has
some cause to either resent or ridi-
cule the Cars condemnation of a
civilization that is far above that
of his own country. The evils
that oppress the millions of Russia are
vastly worse than any that are found in
the lands over which English rule has
been extended in the growth of the i'm
perialism which he denounces. Even the
famines of his own people are more ex-
tensive and destructive and perhaps not
less frequent than those of India, while
the efforts to relieve the distress are more
effective in the latter. 1t is notorious that
the greater part of the supplies provided
for the starving millions of Russia was
perverted to their own benefit by the
agents Of the Cars government, includ-
ing the governors of the afflicted prov
inces. The large contributions from Amer
lea were not intrusted TO the authorized
relief officials because of their known ra-
pacity. This is significant as to the of
fetal life of that country, where serfdom
has been abolished by law, but continues
in fact. OF the regicides of Russia alone
does the world have an excusing word to
say because of the intolerable circum-
stances of the life of the people Every
voice that is raised for reform, for the
simplest modification of the general tyran-
ny, is silenced either in cruel death or
in the hideous hell of the Siberian mines.
Yet 1t is the head of the government that
imposes these appalling conditions head
who is impotent to effect the least change
who passes his severe judgment on the
civilization of nations where such tyranny
has not been possible for centuries, If ever
The parable of the beam and the mote
never had a better illustration.
Mankind would be further advanced by
the introduction of modern ideas in Rus
sia than by anything the Car can effect
by employing his time with international
reforms. He has under him a remarkable
people who are little better than cattle be-
cause of the political institutions that
keep them down. Wherever one has op-
portunity, in spite of the lack of tradi-