The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-08
REAL CRISIS
IN RUSSIA
Anarchist Prince
and Possible
Republic.

5 NEW YORK. March 30.-Prince Peter
: A. Kroptkin, the famous Russian anar'
I chist. was in this city at the Gerarc
2 hotel last night.
t THE first effective blow has beer
t dealt to autocracy in Russia, sale
Prince Kroptkin, in discussing the al
fairs of his country. 1t has been
struck within the past fortnight. The
Ministers of State have notified the
Gear that a law he promulgated could
not be enforced This is the first time
it has ever been done. 1t marks the
first step in the progress which Will
eventually make of Russia Federal
Government such as is that of the
United States.
This law of the Emperor's was the
cause of the recent student uprising in
St. Petersburg. The trouble all arose
out of an incident at the University of
Kieff. A student had become unpleas-
antly involved in some scandal there
land the other students held meetings to
decide what should be done to protect
their fellow student from notoriety.
The dean of the university arrested a
number of the students and the matter
was reported to the Minister of Public
I instruction, who told it all to the Gar.
( ''The Car is an irresponsible, not
very clever young man and he prompt
lly issued an order according to which
-all students who participate In meet
ings of any kind will be at once sent
to the army for service of two or three
years, as the case may be. At the pres
ent time the u, 900 university students
of the Empire are exempted from army
duty.
Under this new law 1873 students
from the University of Kieff have been
sent to the army. The new law is I'M
constitutional, for while the Car may
cause a law to be made in one of two
ways, the old law must first be repealed
before a new law is made. The old law
exempted students from army service.
! 1t has not been repealed and the Min
listers of State were not consulted in
the formation of the present obnoxious
decree.
II have a letter from a woman of
high rank in Russia in which she says
that the public prosecutor at Kieff the
| General of the Gendarmes and a mill
! tary General who belongs to the COM
mission appointed to draft the students
have Joined in a memorial to the Car
! in which they say that it is impossible
to condemn young men in this ruthless
fashion.
THE Ministers of State have also TAX
en- up the subject. They have informed
the Gar that this law cannot be en-
forced. His decree will not be repealed,
but the execution of it will not be at
tempted and the Kieff students will be
quietly released. 1t is the first time in
the history of Russia that the Gar has
ever been overridden."
Prince Kroptkin said he does not
think the Car should be killed
II believe the greatest foe to autoc
racy in Russia today is Nicholas II,
he said. He is so stupid that he will
make many mistakes. Every one of
those mistakes will weaken his power
and the power of the throne If 1
thought he should be killed 1 would do
my best to kill him. 1 do not believe
in asking some one else to do what you
would not do yourself"
Prince Kroptkin said he did not be-
Ilieve the Car was responsible for the
calling of the Hague peace conference.
He said he thought the Pope was at
the back of the whole movement
THE Pope had a great friend at the
Russian court" said the Prince, "in the
person of one of the Cars Ministers
The Pope did not think Emperor Will
liam suitable person to call the con-
ference, so through his friend he pre-
vailed upon the Car to call it."
Prince kroptkin says letters that
have come to him from Russia are to
the effect that the general sentiment
there is against the acquisition of Man
churia. He says Russian public senti-
ment is boiling. The Car will be ask
ed from time to time to make certain
concessions in the direction of liberty.
He will not have the good sense to make
all the concessions that are demanded
and trouble viii result
NEW YORK, March 30.-A dispatch
to the Journal and Advertiser from
London says:
With petition OF Doukobhor women
begging to be allowed to join their
husbands in Canada, Tolstoi has writ
ten the following letter to the Gear:
Tens of hundreds of Russia's best
children suffer trials as heavy and even
heavier under the present religious
persecution. that inconceivable mad
ness spreads wider and wider over
NNN'7SiS', cut w IlCIl men anu
the Government have long come to re- |
gard as futile and stupid injustice.
Il have long felt 1t to be my sacred |
duty to endeavor before 1 die to open |
your eyes to the senseless and horrible |
crueltes perpetrated in your name. |
This touching appeal of the Doukob-
nor forces me to delay no longer. Thou
sands and thousands of men, deeply
religious and thus representing the ma
tons truest and chiefest strength.
have been brought to ruin, imprisoned
in exile or driven forth from Russia.
Take this matter into your hands.
Heed not the counsel of the men who
instigated the prosecutions; heed not
Pobiedonestzeff, an evil, obstinate,
hard hearted man, born out of his time,
nor Sipjagin, a short-sighted, super
fetal, unenlightened man, but revise or
all fha ino 90,