Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-15
OTHER LANDS THAN ouRs.

Parliament, It's church OLutheran), and its
free schools, which have given IL less than
l per cent OF illiteracy as against the dense
ignorance of Russia, which records in GER
tain provinces 80 per cent of illiterates. In
referring the committee which came to st.
Petersburg with the monster Finnish pc
tition back to the new governor, General
Bobinkoff, the car has thrown the whole
nation into despair, as Bobinkoff is viewed
as the enemy OF Finnish civilization. Hence
abandoned by the car, who took a solemn
oath when he came to the throne to con-
tinue the privileges of the duchy, the Firms
naturally look beyond their borders, but II
is to be feared with little avail. The peace
conference will not benefit them, and unless
Germany or England uses its good offices
the extinction of the Finnish culture is
likely to go unchecked, and this must be so
even though Norway and Sweden, recon
ciled in the face of the Russian menace, act
in opposition. The pan-Slavic glacier is
too much for the smaller peoples of Europe.
To stop it calls for a general coalition.
+s
According to recent reports a crisis is
impending in the condition of Austrian
Poland. That the lot of the rural popula-
ton is exceptionally hard has long been
known. 1t Is generally understood that the
peasant revolt last year, necessltating mill
tary Intervention and the proclamation of
a minor stage of siege in certain districts,
although ostensibly directed against the
Jews, was in reality a protest against the
permanent poverty of the agricultural popu-
lation. But 1t is not the peasantry alone
from whom complaints are heard. The
land owners are, as a rule, in anything but
prosperous circumstances. 1t is estimated
that the Indebtedness of all classes of landed
proprietors in Galicia reaches n total of
considerably more than $35, 600, 900, an enor-
nous sum, in view of the general condition
of the province. Moreover, recent events
have not tended to improve the financial
outlook. Not long ago there was a run
on the Galician Savings bank at Lemberg
supposed to be one of the most trustworthy
and important of its kind. An inspection
of the books by the authorities disclosed
the fact that the capital of the bank had
been administered with abominable careless
ness for years. In order to avoid COM
pulsory liquidation, it was decided to appeal
to the provincial diet for funds to settle
the outstanding liabilities. Money to recon-
struct the bank on a sound financial basis
was provided, and the widespread ruin which
would have been inevitable in the case of
a suspension was thus averted. The in
cident, however, has caused general sus-
picion and uneasiness.
1t is hoped that Norway and Sweden will
be able to adjust their differences without
a resort to arms, though their present at
titude is warlike, and both nations are
gathering arms and recruiting armies. Such
a war would be fratriCidal. 1t would be like
the war between our north and south, the
more bitter because of the brotherly rela-
lions heretofore sustained. For these two
countries are united under one king, akin
in blood, speech, law and custom, common
in interests and callings. Sweden has the
larger territory, population and industries,
and in a settlement of difficulties would ap-
pear to be entitled to more Of a voice in
the government than its neighbor; but the
Morse are an excellent people, free, bold,
hardy and hospitable, and If the fight is car
ried into their territory they will have an
advantage in the roughness of their land,
the height of their mountain barriers and
narrowness Of their fords. Probably, a
means will be found to avoid war. To-
gether, the countries are fairly strong.
Separated, they would incur the danger that
threatens Denmark, Holland and Belgium
from the aggression of states like Russia
and Germany, to say nothing Of the direful
burden of an immense war establishment
after peace had been proclaimed. Wars
THAI are uOl llllpelltu ny tlNlllAdLtoh uic
deplorable, and are generally needless.
According to a recently published appeal
of the Society of Friends of Russian Free
dom, the present famine in ten provinces
in the region of the river Volga Is one of
the worst on record. Not only have the
spring and winter sowings of grain per-
ished in most localities, but also vegetables
and grass. Last year 80, 1000, 900 of rubles
were assigned by the government for sup
plying the furnishing population with seed,
bread and fodder, but four provinces were
left practically unprovided for. Since then
the needs of the population have increased.
Moreover, the official allowances of thirty
five pounds of grain per month are given
only to non-adults from 2 to IS, and to
adults from 80 years of age up, while, as
a matter of fact, all ages are starving. The
Red Cross society says that at least % per
cent of the sufferers have no prospect OF
getting official assistance, and must either
be maintained by private charity or die
Scurvy and typhus have already broken
out in the Kazan, Samara, Oufa and Nor-
onezh provinces, while the children are
diving at a fearful rate simply from ex-
haustion.
The favor with which Mr.. Rhodes Afri-
can schemes nave Deeu SSl'S VI NN''
has revived public interest in the various
schemes for connecting the German East
African coast with the lakes. The chief or
these projects is that promoted by a com
mittee under the presidency of the former
national liberal deputy, DR.. Oechelhauser 1t
contemplates the construction of a railway
from the coast to Tabora, with branches 10
Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, and to the VIC
toria Nyanza. The total length of this rail-
way would be 1,773 kilometres, a distance as
great as that from the Russian frontier by
way of Berlin and Frankfort to Basic. the
colonial department, the German East Atri-
can company and the Deutsche bank have
each contributed 100, 900 marks to the eX-
penses of the preliminary survey. 1t is pro-
posed, as a beginning, to construct a section
Of the railway between the coast and MIRO
goro, in Ukami, a stretch of POI Kilometres,
involving an stimated expenditure of 12,-
900. 900 marks.
The Soudan railway Is completed for a
distance of f~fty-ive miles south Of the
Atbara river and is nearing Khartoum at
a rate of about 200 yards a day. 1t will, it
is believed, reach the Sirdar's capital be-
fore the summer heat becomes excessive.
go -. a. 81