Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-08-11

| forty years later, In the Mana rlOts' IL
was so again in the case of the Italians
| lynched at IIahnville, in Louisiana, in
1896. for which our government paid
$4,000 1t was so with some Chinese
riots at the west, the government seeing
that it would be unjust to demand, as we
frequently do, indemnity for outrages
committed upon American missionaries
and others in China, without according
compensation in like cases here.-New
York Sun.
THE FATE OF FINLAND
The increased immigration of Firms
to this country and to England recent
ly is the result of the decision of the
car to Russianize Finland and deprive
her of ancient rights and liberties, in
contravention of the solemn promises of
successive czars for ninety years to pro-
tect and preserve the Finnish constitu-
ton. Finland is an Independent state,
with its own constitution, laws, army
and diet. Its grand duke is the car of
Russia, whose power Is defined by the
Finnish constitution, which prescribes
that no law touching life, liberty, prop
ment may be enacted without the con-
sent of all four chambers of the diet of
Finland, and the constitution may not
be altered without the same sanction.
A year ago Russian imperial decree re-
qured the Firms to serve in Russian
regiments, increased the term of mill
tary service and exacted a large con-
tribution to the Russian treasury and in
February last the car cancelled the con-
stitution and deprived the diet or any
actual power in regulating important
affairs of the country. When Finland
was severed from Sweden, in 1909, the
Gar Alexander called together the four
estates of the diet and Issued the declara-
ton of Borgo, in which he said:
"Providence having placed us in pos
session of the grand duchy of Finland,
we have desired by the present act, to
confirm and ratify the religion and fun
damental laws of the land, as well as the
privileges and rights which each class in
said grand duchy in particular, and all
the inhabitants in general, be their posi-
ton high or low, have hitherto enjoyed
according to the constitution. We prom
Use to maintain all these benefits and
laws firm and mistaken in their full
force"
The present car followed the exam
pie of his predecessors, and in 1894,
when he succeeded to the imperial throne
and to the grand duchy, renewed the
pledges to preserve intact the constitu-
ton of Finland.
The Firms are a docile. gentle and
peaceable people, utterly powerless to
withstand the inroads of Russian aggres-
sion. Under their enlightened efforts to
better their own condition they have
made extraordinary progress in industry,
education and general well-being.
lllteracy Is almost unknown, prosperity
is widespread and high degree of capa-
bility has been shown for self-govern-
ment. When the decision was made to
RussianiZe them by depriving them of
their privileges and reducing the country
to an equality with an abiect and unpro-
gressive Russian province the people
were crushed. Members of the Finnish
government, justices of their supreme
court and the most considerable people
of the land visited st. Petersburg to beg
for reconsideration of the DEGREES, but
they were refused an audience by the |
car. Later $4,000 persons signed
petition, which 500 prominent citizens
carried to st. Petersburg. They were
ordered to 90 home. And, last of all, !
800 men from all parts of Europe, who
are distinguished in science, in literature
or In political life, signed short address
to the car, begging him to grant the
prayers of his Finnish subjects. Six
eminent professors carried the address to |
st. Petersburg, were received by the |
minister of the interior, and informed by |
him that their address could not even be |
presented. In the latest rescript the car
denies that he intends to abolish the
especial organization of Finland in regard
to Internal legislation" but announces
that the new organic law, which causes
all the trouble, will 'remain unshake-
able" In the ukase of last February the |
car decreed that he himself would In
future decide whether any proposed law
affects local interest or touches the COM
mon interests of the empire, and it can
be readily seen that it will not be difficult
to construe laws relating to language,
military service, taxation or life itself as
matters touching the interests of the |
empire. y correspondent of the London
Times says the "wreckage of western
civilization and the material devastation !
of Finland has begun, and promising
land of liberty and progress is to be en-
quilted in the ''yeasty smother" of the
great sea of Russian despotism.-Phia-I
delphia Ledger.
The BEST REMEDY FOR FLUx.
Mr.. John Matthias, a well known stock