The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-08-24
RUSSIAN TREASON
COUNT LYOFF TOLsTOEs STRONG
APPEAL FIR HUMANITY.
Excom From the Greek
Church and Exiled From Mis- Coun-
try, Because He Deared to Even
Appeal to the Russian Czar and
Government For Greater Liberties
For the Working People.

The following translation Of the ap-
peal Of Count Lyoff Tolstio to the Gear,
ton by the Greek Christian Church,
and his exile from his native land, was
sent to the Chicago Inter-Ocean from
St. Petersburg. A careful reading will
plainly set forth the struggle between
the Russian rich and the Russian poor:
ITO the Car and His Advisers:
More assassination! More street
riots! Again there will be executions,
while panic and evaporation, giving
birth to threats and false accusations,
prevail on the one side, and the other IS
animated with hatred, the desire for re-
venge, and the spirit of self-sacrifice.
Once more the Russian people are d.
Vided into two hostile camps, and pre-
parations are being made to commit
the greatest crimes.
1T Is possible that the present move
ment, like those which have preceded
1t, may be suppressed by the employ
ment Of military force. But even il
this agitation is temporarily put down,
1t can not be completely stifled. It will
continue to spread under the cover CT
secrecy, and, sooner or later, it will in
evitably break out again with redoubled
energy, and will lead to more suffering
and to greater crimes than those which
we now deplore.
1.-THE following measures should be
adopted without delay:
n min ~
be placed on an equal footing of legal
equality with other citizens, for which
purpose it would be necessary:
Il. TO abolish the absurd institution
of rural administrators (semsky match
alnikD, which has no raison d'etre.
2. To repeal the regulations govern
ing the relations of master and man,
which would then be subject to the or
binary law Of the land.
49, To liberate the peasantry from all
oppressive impositions, such as the
necessity of obtaining passports in ord
err to move from one place to another
the duty which falls solely upon the
peasants Of bi1leting soldiers and pro-
viding country carts for purposes Of
transport, and the obligations connect
ed with the rural police.
-. To abolish the unjust system of
collective responsibility of peasants for
each others debts, and to remit the
land redemption payments, which have
long since covered the real value of the
land; and, above all,
"5. To do away with corporal pun
ishment, which is useless and degrad-
n }of, 10
the most Industrious, the most moral.
and the most numerous class of the
people.
1T Is especially important that the
peasantry, constituting the vast ma
jority Of the population, should have
the same rights as other classes. There
can be no strength or durability in a
social organization when the majority
of the citizens are not on a footing Of
legal equality with their fellow coun-
trymen, but are kept. in the position of
slaves bound by special laws. It is
only when the laboring majority has
been emancipated and invested with the
same rights as those which are enjoyed
by the other citizens that a stable
social organiza ton becomes possible or
conceivable.
81 IN the second place, it Is necessary
to cease to apply the so-called reen-
forced measures Of public safety which
destroy all existing laws and place the
people at the mercy Of stupid, cruel
and, for the most part, immoral offic-
ials. The abrogation of these extra
measures of public safety is important
because they suspend the action Of the
ordinary law, promote spying and
secret denunciation, and cause and en-.
courage the frequent employment OF
brutal violence against workmen who