Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-03-22

rannized over in every way, but the
village land they still held in common.
The lords who ruled them owned adj
1acent lands which they compelled the
peasants to TILL Many of the Mrs We're
subject to no lord. They were owned
by the church or by the emperor. At
the time of the abolition OF serfdom, in
1851. more than half Of the mfrs were
on government lands. The rest were
on lands claimed by lords. Yet In the
eyes or the villagers the common VIII
lage lands belonged to themselves. They
admitted that the lords had owned the
people who worked the lands; but when
THESE people were freed they maintain
ed that the ownership OF the land pass
ed wholly to them. The autocratlc gov
eminent, with the cooperation of the
iords, mas solved this difficulty by levy
ing such heavy taxes upon the mfrs
that IL becomes positive burden to
own land.
The mir has thus endured through all
the centuries and is now the basis OF
the autocratic government. The govern
ment levles the taxes upon the mir. The
villagers aDportion the lands to their
various families, and the mir is held re-
sponsible for collecting the taxes and
handing them over to the authorities.
Among the penalties for non-payment
OF taxes are flogging and transportation
TO Siberia. The village communities Of
Switzerland cultivated warlike habits
and permitted no effective government
to be set up over the whole people until
they had learned to organize q democ-
racy of their own. In England similar
village communities were compelled to
submit to the rule of lords and kings,
but in their very submission they de-
Neloped practice Of bargaining with
their rulers for special privileges and
liberties. Out of this habit there has
grown up in the Anglo Saxon world the
DOltCV of uniting t0XattOn wit
sentation In the government. In Russia.
on the other hand. the mir has for GEN.
turtles submitted to n government by
brute force; 1t has for centuries SUBJ
no share n government which the
people did not understand. The autoc-
racy OF Russia Is n government imposed
upon penceable and non-resistant
people.
Alexander H.. who liberated the serfs
IN 1861. undoubtedly entertained the
idea of establishing a rational connec-
ton between the mir and the central
government. In 1864 local assemblies
were established in which were brought
together on terms of equality represent
tatives from the Mrs, from the gentry
or the district. from the clergy ana
from the towns or cities. A good deal
OF power was nominally conferred upon
these assemblies in the line of voting
taxes, rounding schools, building roads
etc. AT the time of his assassination
In 1851. Alexander had in hand tho com
pletion of a scheme for constitutional
government by means of n representa-
tive national assembly. The reign of
Alexander III. which followed was re-
dictionary. Not only was there no sug-
gesiion of n national representative as
sembly. but nearly all power was
stripped from the local district assem-
blles. Thus the autocracy has. been
strengthened. The central bureaucratic
government reaches down to the mir.
Mr.. Wallace. author OF a we'll known
work on Russia. states that the officers
OF the bureaucracyJare strangely igno-
rant OF the constitution Of the mir.
They seem to know merely that Il 10 an
organization containing five-sixtha o.
the people and that for centuries II has
peaceably submitted to all sorts OF
tyranny and abuse. The mir as an
| organization for the control of It's own
members has been and continues to be-
pure democracy In Russia, there
fore. to-day extremes meet: a pure au.
tocracy rests upon a pure democracy.
NOTE.-This paper will be concludes
Wednesday, March 29th.