Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-20


winter 10 piece out his farm income, ana
that ne was not enfitiso 10 fecos"" -
a 'e' WHAT WI ONE BOOK DID.
=, teos bowever book entitled ~lhe
vanufactory; What II Takes From ana
c,,,as To the Formulation" appeared, ana
!, ,roved concIusivcly that there Yves IN
Russia a distinct Industrial class, wncn
coula no longer be reckoned WIN 'ns
peasantry. The author. d. Dsmeh,yes
spsnt years at studying the qu:s''Sn,
working at times as min-uana :.
yelop the facts, and his book was -,
,a,,on N Russian students OF economies:
sIncs IT'S publication II has been conceoeo
nv writer's on the subject. IS wen -
PARTIALLY by the government that ."o
Russian workingman is distinct IaS'o
In Russian life, and hencefortn mus. "
lecislated for from another point Oh w.
,ban that taken as a basis In the reaF
ment OF the peasant. .,,.o>
The labor strikes that have taken p'ase
during the last two or three years IN
Petersburg and Moscow nave cop.i' ~.
toward convincing the government OF ,ne
,,,,nortance of the rubotnild as a cihsss
There Is but little of interest to an AHe
rican 10 report concerning them oeyono
the fact that they camo as great SUI
nrise TO the authorities. although tney
knew how to stop them In very sno.s
order The least rowdyism proosns
the cossacks. who were told TO wni1
and II necessary, shoot all dlstutpeIs
the peace. While I was at "ork III %.
petersburg there was strike on Oh nea
ly twenty thousand men, but tney "eie
nuiet as mice, and not WORD was az
,on'a,. IN annear in the newspapers 10
regard to the trouble. The strike was
brought about, II was said, through sir
ea,nmatory literature smuggied into tne
country. via New York. from Geneva III
the shane of ''workingmens ieaneS
mailed 10 St. Petersburg in envelopes
hearing the names Of American business
firms The men struck for shorter ho"iS
and higher wages.
The Minister Of the Interior many SUM-
moned before him the directors OF on
mills involved. gave them scoldlng, ~
g. ia and warned them that IL they
aid not take a more parental interest in
their employees he would close up thsn
mills These men agreed TO rev oc-
mands of the strikers, and the hiae'e.
was hushed up The strikers mace =
great effort TO attract the attenuoh VI
The Gear TO their wrongs. and their p.Nn
during the strike was to throw petiiSn
| into his carriage as he drove ao"n tnS
Neffsky Prospekt. but on the oay whsn
| IL was known that they were sons
| trv 10 do this they were not allowed -
sot within several blocks OF the NensNy'
ana ~ the Car learned about THIS par
| tIcular strike. which Is doubtful ne WA
informed by one of his ministers.
word i'm conclusion In regard 10 '''
| effects of city life upon the Russian WORK
| ingman, who as l stand AT ths o,Sy
| was but Yesterday toiler In the heiuN
~ the last decade there has been an "
| repressible exodus Of peasants from ~:
nroyinces TO the towns In Russia anu
| is going to be exceedingly interesting ~
| coo what changes will come over theso
1910 In their new environment. Up 10
| dete the city seems to have had oeie-
| terious effect upon them; they nave uo-
| Generated. II Is thought, rather IMAM iIu-
| nrovea and there are those In RUSSIA
| who frankly declare that II "ou'u 70
| hotter than the present state OF uhin
| a. cIoee nm the mills and factories, anu
| sord the neople employed in them paoh
"a the soil 1t is too late TO DO anythns
| ~ this sort: Russia has committed neiS SCI
70 q commercial career OF consioe'ao'e
| s,acnttude and IL would never do Tor nsr
| 10 admit her incompetency TO eop
on artisan class. 1t is undeniable, now
e,,er that her government must take =
,nora enliahtened interest In the uloia
r,oIfara of her peasant worklngmen' IL
! ~, ara 10 become successlul coWpeH-
| tors with their western couhterpdi's,
| ,,rosapt AS I have shown, the ouiN Oh
| tbam are herded together In large poe
ipg-houses. where no one looks altst 'ne'n
hnt the police, and where even the pohce
do but little other than preventing tnenA
from breaking out OF their dens AT n.sn''
VICTIMS OF CITY INFLUENCES
They are a cowed, poorly fed, ana To-
elected class of people, ana II Is 10 ou ;,
mise that they have become vlc'lil, =.
the worst Influences OF city me
are SO ill-mannered that they are 10
hidden to be seen on the s'dewaiAs ~ - -.
,roin thoroughfares. In the NehsAy
urosralrt in ST. Petersburg they have 20
10, in the middle of the street. anu
80, ora expected to look out TOT Vshi-
80 rather than TO be looked out i0E'
As peasants they were BY nature SIN
nIe-minded. God-fearing, ana Gar
rr,octing ueople AS dwellers In ciuoN
| roonv Of them have degenerateo INTO
r.asSnnable drunkards and ne'er-oo-wens.
- is rumored that the government %
esr,ousIv considering plans Tor the wv
..-.,ernert Of their condition. that the
go ,ntarest has at last been AWAKEN
- and that sweeping reforms are CON
,o,on,ated Perhaps this Is true. lhs
Caar,s reauest for peace and general
St"arrranoeut is said to be due to desire
? 90 improve his country internaliy' a'1
particularly the lot OF the tuoo' ~,
E,vorv friend of Russia can out hope ~
This is true, and that the cohslnS'
discuss a general disarmament WIN -
and es ala the German Emperor i-a'Vs
Congress, in perfunctory Reports 'u' -
useful and practical results