The San Francisco call., 1899-05-04
THE RUssIaNIzATIoN OF FINLAND.

N--0
the extirpation of Finnish autonomy and OF Finnish
liberty proceed side by side The Gar who initiated
the conference and who uttered the pithy expression,
Power must honor right" needs transformation
OF identity to reveal the duality OF his nature lie
simultaneously enaCts the characters OF Dr. Jeky and
Of Mr. Hyde
Finland is an ancient country, possessed OF an ad-
vanced civilization and pervaded by deeply religious
sentiment AS early II57 she was attached to
Sweden but was substantially governed by her own
laws Aluson has been already made IN these
columns to the solemn oath taken by Alexander l, IN
1900. when she was annexed to Russia, in which he
promised to confirm and establish the religion ana
the fundamental laws of the country and the priv-
leoes and rights OF every class" embracing the Lu
theran clergy the burgesses and the peasantry, and
TO maintain all these privileges and laws firm and
unbroken in their full force" This oath was renewed
bv each of his successors and by the present Gar at
the deathbed of his father. 1t was further confirmed
by positive statutes or governmental rules, IN which,
by section 49, it provided that the ruler may not
create new laws or abolish any old law without the
consent of the Diet" and by section II that "unan-
nous consent" required. Section 50 enacted
that the fundamental law the constitution OF FIN
land should remain Interchangeable except through
the same parliamentary unanimty. On April s. 1909,
by Alexander II these rules declared to be II
revocabe.
1t is these sacred and repeated guarantees that, by
his imperial manifesto of February IS 189o the pres
ent Gar has wantonly repudiated. AS far back as
Tulv of last year he had exacted and oppressive
army bill from an extra session OF the Diet. He has
now placed the Diet itself, which consists OF tour
chambers, under the control OF the Russian Council
of State He refused to receive the highest officers
OF the Finnish local government sent to plead for the
life OF Finnish institutions. One OF the most pathetic
memorials ever framed signed by $4,000 Firms and
taken to St Petersburg by 500 deputies representing
all the electoral wards OF Finland he declined to hear
and answered by abruptly directing the deputies to
return to their native country. He turned deaf
ear to such touching words these, offered with an
admirable mixture OF Difference and hrmness: And
the right of weak people is as holy that OF the
greatest nation-ts love of country is before Al
mighty God grace from which it never should turn.
In order to prove the extremity of his determination
he has destroyed journalistic liberty and naugurated
a plan OF exiling the Firms who even passively re
sist his tyrannical edict Every article published in
the local press must be sanctioned by an official
censor, and the newspapers received from Finland
are mottled with blank spaces, the proofs OF the
exercise OF this arbitrary authority. In Helslngfors
lately an editor devised the expedient OF printing
literal texts from the Scriptures the accountability
OF rulers which he sent by boy for the inspection
censor God" answered the stricken messen-
ger "Off, you rascal-te them this is shameful,
was the close OF the brief dialogue Christian people
ali over the globe will observe with indignation the
power OF petty autocrat suppress the publication
and the possible transmission TO his imperial master
of sentences impressed under both the Lutheran and
the Greek creeds with the authority OF the King OF
kings and Lord of lords
''If man swear an oath to bind his soul
with bond he shall not break his word
He that ruleth over men must be Just.
1T is an abomination to kings to commit wicked
ness for the throne is established by righteousness
The partition of Poland left inefaceable stain
upon the three powers that divided its territory The
wholesale destruction of the constitutional govern
1ent Of the God-fearing and civilized Finns habitu-
ated for centuries to the exercise of least OF
the nalienabe rights of reemen and the obteration
of their nationality, is equally heart-rending
tragedy Their patriotism is deeply impressive
Their developed resources, their industry, their fru
gay, their artistic perceptions worthy OF uni
versa respect Their principal city, Helsngfors
founded in 1880 and in 1919 made their capital, is
architecturally beautiful and filled with educated and
refined inhabitants. Their university, established in
1910 and subsequently removed to Helsingfors is a
splendid pile OF buildings, where both sexes find the
higher education accessible, under faculty that
celves the general recognition or scholastic Europe
Their history is pervaded by romance their lake
studded land with its old castles and its medieval
relics preserved in the midst of modern development
shines under the northern like a succession of
gems Their national epic, the Kalevala, is one OF
the valued possessions of literature To the Finnish
people Alexander H. who true to all his pledges
is heroic memory, and around the base of his mag
nihcent statue they gather in thousands in the deep
est mourning, and scatter beautiful flowers, while
they sing their national songs including "Our Land"
composed by their great poet, Johan Ludwig Rune
berg, which is considered by many critics to be
among the finest OF the melodous tributes to pa
triotsm.
The Russianization of Finland is narrowing spec
tace that appeals to the heart OF Christendom The
educated classes in Russia witness this rapid destruc
ton OF nation with silent displeasure Leo Tostoi
boldly applauds the tenacity with which the Firms
cling to their "rightul interests In Great Britain
committee mainly composed OF members OF Par