The record-union., 1899-04-23
RUssIA's GRIM sPECTER-FAMINE

Famine once more cOnfrontS Russia.
This grim specter is no stranger to the
empire. Many times it has been visited
by it, and numberfess thousands have
died in all the agonies of starvation III
q nation rich beyond computation i'll
inexhaustible resources but managed
about as badly as it would be possible
thing.
If Russia had the government of
America to-day; if her people had in
their government and themselves the
trust reposed by Americans IN their
system and the confidence they have in
each other and their own intelligence,
no such terrible scourge as now afflicts
Russia would be likely to occur, no mat
ter what the conditions Of the crops or
the industrial arts
But Russia is sui generis. No nation
is to be compared with it, no people
named who would parallel the Russians
in their peculiar system. The reports
now are that several millions of people
under the domination of the Czar are
upon the verge of starvation or actu
ally suffering from it, with little or no
hope Of escaping the bitterest phases of
famine. We hope that the stories coming
across the waters are exaggerated, for
there is a kindly feeling in America for
Russia, and no where else will the Rus
slams find a people entertaining for
Ehem kindlier sentiments or stronger
desire for fellowship with them.
But the reports come laden with the
stories of the appearance of typhus
fever. which so often dogs the steps Of
famine and fastens upon those reduced
by want of sufficient food. 1t is true
that Russia has been more nlisrepre-
scented to the world than any of the
great Powers of earth, and that it is
aess understood because Of the exclu-
Eiveness of the language Of the nation
and the disincIination of the Russians
10 trumpet their woes before men; be-
cause also Of the vastness of the Rus
sian territory and the diverse character
of the many tribes under the dominion
comparatively so little is known and
understood. Nevertheless there is rea-
son to give much credit to the news
sent out by correspondents concerning
4he famine. The Russian Government
is given to suppressing rather than
publishing news. Its policy is to con-
ceal it's ills and pains always. 1t ex-
ercises a rigorous censorship over the
press and the mails, hence there is no
reason to believe that exaggeration dis
tinguishes such reports as now reach
the outside world from the heart Of
Russia.
one of the foremost of the unsensa-
tional papers Of the Russian capital,
edited and owned by a man close to the
,aristocracy of the empire, and, indeed,
one of it, and who is true in his adhe-
sion to the government of the Gar, has
baen permitted at last by the official
censor to send out copies in which it is
declared that gaunt famine is upon
Russia, that the suffering thus early
in the evil is great, and that the prom
Use OIL llS dDdleIlSIl ID SilAeili- l. lic
t'Viedomosti' would never be permit
ted to say this if there was not greater
woe behind it than the editor dares TO
treat Of Never in the history of the
vast province of Samara, essentially
food producer for the empire, has
there been such absolute failure of the
earth to yield to the husbandman as
in this season and the last. At this
hour the producing people of that sec
Hion having stored nothing against the
day of want, are living, in a vast num-
ber Of cases. upon roots, acorns, herbs
and the lowest forms of nutriment. In
that province there are nearly 100000
people, and practically the last one o.
them is dependent upon crop yield.
In ten other provinces, with a popu-
Fation of over 20000.000 people, the
famine also stalks, but not so viciousIy
as in Samara So we know enough OF
the facts to be safe in sp-culating that
a greater famine has befallen Russia
than any other nation has ever known;
q greater famine disaster than Russia
has experienced in the century. That