The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-22
RUSSIA IN FOREIGN POLITICS.
COntrasted with the Position of Her
Internal Affairs.

internal
Russian Letter in New York Observer.
If we only look as Russia as a mighty
force in foreign politics, we do not get the
whole truth. We see a power, successful.
wonderfully so, all along the line of her
efforts and resolves and, L might add, in
trigues. But there Is weak side, and this
is seen if we turn our attention from her
foreign policy 90 regard the position of her
internal affairs At home all is in disorder
despite the best efforts and most amiab.e
intentions of the Car and his advisers
Russia's internal policy does not keep step
with her development abroad and do not
think 1 am going too far when L say that
all her efforts in the direction of foreign
policy are made at the expense of her
home affairs. Her economic and financial
position shows no sign of improvement
Only last year 100000 of her people
felt the stress of famine, three years ago
it was 100000 six years ago again 3d.
100000, and so on. Famine seems insepa-
rable from the present system. The peas
ants-and IS per cent. of the population
are peasants-pursue an insane system of
agriculture, which nothing will induce them
TO alter or improve, and from one end of
the country to the other the forests are
being cut down at a pace which is rapidly
drying up vast regions and materially re-
ducing the flow of water in the rivers.
Even the magnificent Volga feels the effect
of this systematic waste, and no Russian
Car or minister has yet thought of plant
ing trees on any adequate scale. Hygiene
is unknown, and whole tracts of country
are subject to devastating tcknesses
which ravage the population wltA terrific
violence. No Russian statesman seems to
heed this. The military and naval bur-
sons Last year it was over $4,000, 900
for the army alone In ten years the mill
tary expenditure has increased 80 per
cent, and as fresh steps have been taken
by the war Office to reorganize and rearm
the artillery, it is likely enough that an
other $SO.O0O,00O win be added this year to
the army budget.
If we turn to the state of education in
the country we find that a beggarly fif-
tieth part of this, or 100000, is what the
, Gar devotes to educational purposes.
Three-fourth of his subjects can neither
read nor write; in five-siXth of the prov
inces of European Russia there is a ride
ulously inadequate supply of village
schools. The finance minister can find the
millions for the new artillery, but he
pleads the poverty of the country when
larger sums are deman ded for the schools
More significant MAN all this is an item
of 81, 900 900 in the budget for the enlarge
ment and reorganization of the prisons
Vaster jails for criminals and suspected
persons vaster barracks for the ever-in-
creasing army, vaster and more numerous
ships to defend the coasts, vast railway
proitcs through the heart of Siberia, and
the deserts of Central Asia, on which ar
mics may be speedily carried to advanta-
geous points--this is Russa's policy. And
at home, in her thousands of villages,
reign dirt and famine and disease, and an
ignorance and superstition that are appal-
ing.