Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-26
DISSATISFIED IN CANADA.

Some Tine ago there was great deal
Of tax about the Russian Doukhoborsti
sort Of Quakers who suffered much
persecution on account OF their peculiar
tenets. Count Tolstoi took lively in
terest in their case, and mainly by his
efforts. enough money was collected to
take 5000 Of them to Canada. where
hey were promised an asylum and lib
erty to worship according to the die
tates Of conscience.
It now appears that the Doukho-
borsti community are almost as dissat-
ished with the Canadian laws, as they
were with Russian regulations. In
dispatch to the New York Times II Is
stated that they have issued an appeal
to the nations Of the world, In which
,hey ask for refuge from the tyranny
OF the Canadian government.
There are several troubles. One is
the marriage laws. II is said they do
not believe in any marriage ceremony,
and that they consider 1t wrong to take
out a marriage licence. What their idea
Of a proper wedding ceremony is does
not appear but they are said to believe
In free love" They also object TO the
divorce laws by which persons who re-
marry without previous action of the
court is liable to heavy penalties
Another trouble Is that the law re-
gulres them to register births and
deaths. They say this Is entirely I'M
necessary. since the Lord knows who 10
coming into the world and leaving IT.
without having 1t recorded by human
registrars.
The land laws present still more
serious difficulty to these people. They
refuse to take up land individually, be-
lIeyinp that private ownership is
transgression Of divine laws They
ask for the privilege of owning land In
common. The Canadian government
has offered to compromise on this point
by suggesting that after the land had
been paid for It could be transferred 10
the community. But this the Russians
refuse to consider. They replied that
their consciences do not permit them
to 20 through a form in which they do
NOT baneve They hold that II a man
sgcur,s a homestead In his own nalne'
he is the owner until 1t is transferred TO
the brotherhood, and as private owner
ship is sinful. he has no right 10 COM
promise on that point In the least
In Russia these poor people were suo'
iscted 10 most revolving prosecutions
ON account OF their peculIarities' They
were beaten Imprisoned starved tor
tlred exiled and outraged Yet they
declined 10 comply with the orders OF
the ciyIl officials and the priests Their
steodfasto4ss in sufferings gained for
Them the admiration Of such men as
Prince Khllkov, DIT. volkenstein, Count
Tolstoi and many others. as well as the
synpatby Of the Protestant world
Their Injection, now, 10 the laws OF
Canada must be great disappont-
ment to heir friends, and unless some
special PROVISIONS are made for their
benefit heir lot in the Dominion will
not be any better than 1t was in Rus
STA.
The canadians. however, have got the
Russian refugees, and must make the
best they can OF the situation. 1t viii
be dlaicult to find the means needed for
their tran sportatlon to some other part
Of the world. Most Of their objections
to Canadian laws are founded on ignor-
ance. 1t would be well to make allow
ance for this. and not enforce the laws
against hem too s,ringenily, In an
other generation their objections to
nrlvate ovnership OF land and to TIE
registration OF births and deaths would
naturally fall. Education is the rene
DIV against their mental maladIes. The
Dominion government that opened the
country q them, with the understand
ing that they were to find a refuge
there cannot afford to prosecute them
for peculs ar views they must have been
known to hold at the time Of their Inn
migration. Men and women with
conscientious desire to serve the Al
mighty according to the best light they
have can never become menace to
the state even II they in some respects
are in the dark.