The Washington times., 1901-07-08
IN Gar NICHOLAS DOMAIN
Affairs of Current Interest 10 the
Russian People.
Disappointment Over the Birth of n
Daughter to the Czarina - What
UnderIies the Student Riots - In
dustrFaI Unrest I'm the Empire.

| Daughter to the Czarina - What
UuderIfes the Student Riots - In
dustrIaI Unrest I'm the Empire.
! ST. PETERSBURG, June 23.-On the
| morning of June Is the people of st. Pc
! tersburg listened with almost breathless
| intero st to the gun which doomed out
| from the fortress of St. Peter and St
| Paul. across the Neva- When the sound
| ceased after the 10lst discharge the feeling
! of disappointment was intense for the
| longed for heir had not been granted the
| Russian people; the cannon announced
| that the Gar had another daughter, the
| Russians another archduchess-Anastas
| Nicolaievna.
Among the intelligent classes in Russia
! the disappointment is keenest, especially
| among the arstocracy~ Had the child
| been a boy Russians would have felt JUS
| tilted in becoming drunk for a week, but
| instead they Loyalty hung out their flags.
so that the whole city was festooned in
| spite of a drizzling rain, and in the even
! ing colOred lanterns We're stretched along
the streets. and the initials of the En-
peror and Empress in electric lights were
| placed upon the house fronts.
Had a Czarowitch been born to Nicholas
mails would have been pardoned through
out the Empire As it was, the Gar
seized the opportunity to put a practical
end-for the present-to the student trou-
bles. In an imperial ukase of June 10
his Majesty remitted the obligation of
military service to a number of the stu
dents and shortened the term of the rest
to month from the time that it was
entered upon.
In the eyes of some people this ends the
whole affair, but in reality 1t only closes
one chapter of something which is con-
tinually going on. The recent disturb
ances in Russia have only been a visible
symptom of certain forces at work be-
meath the exterior of Russian life In
queling the riots. and finally in pardon
ing the participators, the Car has done
nothing to remove the primary causes of
the disturbances. However these may be
analyzed by people in Russia, they still
exist This will be proved sooner or later
by the appearance of more symptoms.
perhaps of a more violent or a more care
fully organized character
Taking the riots of the students as an
indication of something ulterior and far
more potent, their character is serious.
Taken in themselves, the troubles have
been i'll part exaggerated by the foreign
press; when they have not been exagger-
ated they have produced a wrong i'm
preston in the minds of readers who do
not understand the conditions of Russian
life. Suppose, for example, that all the
news cabled from the United States to
the foreign press were confined to the
strikes, lynchingS, and other disorders
OF which the American people have their
share, an abnormal impression would be
created In the minds of Europeans as to
life in America. The disturbances in
Russia were badly organized, foolishly
carried out by lot of hot-headed youths
of short duration, and confined to small
parts of the Russian Empire; elsewhere
the life OF the people was perfectly nor
NAL Yet from the dispatches it seemed
as if the whole Russian Empire were in
turmoil, and some travellers in Europe
who had planned to visit Russia were
afraid to come here.
At the time of writing there is nothing
in st. Petersburg which indicates the ex-
lstence OF any sort of trouble. Even on
March II, when the rioting was at its
height and the conflict between people,
Cossacks, and police took place, there
was no sort of danger except to those
who chose to remain in the crowd.
just now the most serious problems
here are the Industrial ones, the prob
lens of the army of the unemployed and
of the strikers. At the Government ship
works here in St. Petersburg vast num-
Der of employees are on strike, and the
demands are the same as elsewhere-more
wages and shorter hours. The daily pa
perS never contain news of this sort of
thing. Except for the official announce
ments of the movements and doings of
great persons there is an absolute lack
of that personal interest which is SO
strong an element of an uncensored
press. The Russian morning paper pre-
sents as great a contrast as could be
imagined to the press of America; it
shows no individuality, no frank express
sion of opinion. no reports Of crimes
trials, and local affairs in which all are
interested. There are a large number of
kilograms containing foreign news. and
the rest is a stilted recital of whatever
may be allowed by the censor.
Though it is impossible TO approve the
principle of censorship, 1t must in justice
be said that the lack of sensational jour
naiism is not without advantage to the
Russian people; at the same time there
may be the most tremendous revolutions
and industrial disturbances which affect
the welfare Of every Russian without the
people being cogniZant of what is going
on except by rumor, which, of course,
grows in size and falseness as ii rolls on.
Of the student riots all OF which took
place in the various educational centres
the first half of March, there was no ac-
count in the Russian press till an official
one appeared on March 20. This was pro-
mulgated because Of the falsity of the
stories which were in general circulation.
There is no doubt that the Russian mind
is agitatcd over the tariff troubles with
the United States. This is especially true
of Russian officialdom. American produc-
tions have held such place of suprema-
cy here that German manufacturers have
put the word American on some Of their
machinery. The Germans are eagerly
taking advantage of the present state of
affairs. America enjoyed considerable
trade here. which has been largely cut
into; at the same time American manu-
facturerS have lost a great deal Of money
in Russia through inability to collect pay
rnents due them. The importation of
American bicycles was practically stopped
in this way. American manufacturers
have long since learned to trade with Rus
sian dealers on a purely cash basis, but
many of the German firms are now givinE
the Russians time. Tine feeling here thu
the United States has misinteTpTeted tn
Russian law concerning sugar is strong
and sincere. If the United States should
abrogate its action. NJ. De Witte would
undoubtedly withdraw his counter play.
The Russian Minister of Agriculture and
Domains ss Yermoloff, says that the
United States has made such wonderful
progress in the art of agriculture that he
perimental farms and the system adopted
by that Government for the promotion of
farming Industries. NJ. Yermoloff also de-
ciares that the Russian law, which has
hitherto required that the results of gold
mining be assessed by the Government at
the rate of from per cent up. has been
abrogated, and that the gold mined by
Government grants shall, after the first
of next year, be entirely free. This action
Will make a tremendous difference in the
conditions of gold mining in Siberia,
where there are undoubtedly large de-
posits still undiscovered. Under the pres
ent system there have been the alterna-
tives of smuggling the gold out Of the