Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-10-28


to that of England in tonnage and in
guns. Japan is the only nation from
which Russia fears trouble and it is
the czar's policy to put up so bold a
front that the Japanese will not
force struggle. In the meantime
he will build railroads, open mines,
establish factories, bring vast areas
of lands under cultivation and build
up his dominions by every conceiv-
able form of encouragement.
The capital with which this is
done will be borrowed from France.
The French are amiable in furnish
ing funds for Russian development.
The Russians are shrewd in playing
upon the enthusiasm of the French
and their pride in a Russian alliance.
In Russia 1t is understood that the
recent visit of the czar to France is
preliminary to the negotiation of a
new loan with the French bankers
There is "A proverb that when one
goes to dine with a Russian he should
take long spoon, but the French
seem to be satisfied with their ex-
perience, and grateful for the privi-
lege of acting as financial reser-
voir for Russia. Immense sums of
money have been borrowed by the
latter government during the last
three years to construct the Siberian
Railway. to enlarge its fleets. to re
arm the soldiers and for other pur-
poses. and every dollar has come out
of the pockets of thrifty French
peasants. There Is scarcely a cabin
in France without Russian bond
concealed somewhere on the prem
ises. Preceding each loan the czar
has made visit to Paris. where
both Nicholas and his father have
been very much admired, and the
frenchmen have become very en-
tliusastic in entertaining them. Be
fore the agitation subsidies it has
been customary for the finance min
ister of Russia to issue another lot
of bonds to be floated by the Paris
bankers among the people of France.
Russia now owes the Frenchmen
more than a billion dollars.
The manufacturing establishments
are being gradually driven out of the
WY VI ho5'OW lDlO lnp SuUuTUS Dt-
cause of restrictions imposed upon
them by the local authorities. AS /
pointed out the other day, an abso-
lutte despotism is good thing in
some respects.
A couple of years ago the present
King of Italy, then heir apparent,
made a tour of Russia, and while in
Moscow was the guest of the gov
ernor general. The morning after
his arrival he complained that he had
been awakened early by the noise of
a thousand whistles and had not been
able to go to sleep again. The
Grand Duke Serge, an uncle of the
emperor, who was governor general
then and still occupies that position.
said that his sleep had never been
disturbed, but he would inquire into
the matter. The result was an order
whistles to be blown with
in the city limits of Moscow. where
the factories had been in the habit
of summoning their workmen at 6
O'Clock in the morning and announc-
ing the noon hour and the hour of
closing, as in the United States.
A similar order was afterward is
sued concerning the consumption of
soft coal Somebody noticed flakes
Of SCOT upon the fresh snow and
smoke consumers were Immediately
ordered upon every factory chimney
in the city. Other regulations of this
kind have been made by the govern
ment, and the manufacturers have
found it advantageous to move into
the country. where they can have
better control over the operatives
and remove from them the tempta-
tions to drink
The vice of drunkness prevail
among the working classes to great
er extent in Russia than in any other
part of the world. The manufact-
urers here tell me that there is plen-
ty of good labor, that both men and
women are intelligent, ingenious,
quick of perception and industries.
but are unreliable, like the negroes
in the southern part of the United
States. Until recently few of them
have ever known the luxury of regu-
lar wages, and still find it difficult to
hetp lnOnty tutlT pOthetS. w men
ever they are palu off they make
haste to spend every penny of their
wages, the women for useless finery
and the men for drink. The natural
consequence is that little labor is
performed for some time after pay
day. Another great obstacle to their
progress is the number of saint days
which are celebrated by mass in the
morning and religious procession,
followed by drunken spree at night.
There are more than ninety saint
days in the calendar of the Greek
church thus to be celebrated, which
demoralizes the entire population for
more than half of the days in the
year Monday is generally dies
non, because the workingman is
sleeping off the effects of his Sun
day dissipation.
Employers tell me that they can
get very little assistance from either
the priests or the officials. The rev
enues of the church depend largely
l..