New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-07
THE FALL OF FINLAND.

The forcible Russianizaton of Finland is now
an accomplished fact Whether ii Will ever be
undone is problematic. That II will not be
suffered to abide without widespread and Wig
orous protest Is assured. Finland herself Is
necessarily dumb; the Russian censorship
makes sure Of that But the many Firms else
where in the world, all Of whom are intei-
gent and many of whom have become emf
nent are making themselves heard, in the
press and on the platform, and are enlisting
the sympathy and aid of many men Of other
nationalites Their hope is TO arouse through
out the world public sentiment upon the sub
ject so strong that it will have its effect upon
the Car and move him to rescnd the proc
lamation by which he repudiated the covenants
of his four predecessors and destroyed the an
cient liberties Of the noblest member Of his
vast and composite realm. WhetheI they will
succeed In this is probemntc, as we have said
It depends in great measure upon the actual
mart the Car has played in the coup detat
Concerning that two general opinions exist
One Is that expressed plainly and vigorously by
an accomplished Finn now resident in this
city. letter from whom we print this morn
ipg-namely. that the Car has acted with full
knowledge and realization. and has personally
tyranny. The other, which as we have OBJ
served largely prevails among the friends Of
Finland in Great Britain. is that the Gar was
led unwittingly into what he has done by his
Ministers and by the Procurator of the Holy
SYNOD: that he was made the mere agent OF
what we may term the Russian system"
Without assuming to declare which of these
theories is the true one, we must confess
I'd bnl
That is partly because It is by far the more
pleasant and partly because II Is by far the
more hopeful We should not like TO think of
the young Car. who in his elrencon and in
numerous other ways has shown a humane.
generous and enlightened spirit as the I'M
scrnpulous despot the former theory would
make him. But II he be such. then there is
little hone for Finland. A sovereign so studi-
ously false and cruel would not be amenaDie
10 the suason of popular opinion at the dis
lance of three thousand or four thousand miles
We prefer 20 llken him to Ahasuerus. rather than
TO Nero. BY what means he has been misied
into issuing this fatal ukase against the best
and worthiest of his subjects one hesltates 10
guess. Perhaps the explanation may be found
In that dark englnery which forced his father
TO become a prosecutor Of the Jews. 1t Is well
known that the Holy Synod has long been
masterful political force in Russia, and that 1t
has long regarded with bitter enmity the free
Protestant Church Of Finland The world
would far less reluctantly lay the spoliaton OF
Finland to the charge of NJ. Pobedonostseff
than to that Of Nicholas ii.
II will be well TO proceed upon this theory.
In SO doing convincing reminder may be Of
fered 10 the Car Of what Finland has for the
best part OF a century been 10 him and to his
fothers II has been the one part OF the Rus
sian Empire In which there has been no fam
inc. no plague no revolutionary plots no sus
plciOn OF Nihillsm; the one part In which any
of the Cars at any time would have felt per
fectly safe TO travel unattended by even
single guard II Is the country which has fur
pIsbed 10 each Car his lifeguard his body
ouard the regiment OF personal retainers whose
LOYALTY has never been questioned IL Ia the
country whose people. more than even those OF
Holy Moscow itself, have ever expressed and
nv their conduct made manifest the most pas
sIonate devotion 10 the House OF Romanoff
And even now. when they feel themselves be-
trayed and enslaved, however fercely their
brethren abroad may speak. the Films at home
are merely sorrowful. They attempt no revolt.
They plot no treason. They utter no denun-
Citations They are simply plunged into national
mourning nj being thus treated by the Gar
whom they have so much loved and trusted.
Surely IN such a case II should need only that