Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-15
OTHER LANDS THAN ours.

gulped down Finland and began the process
Of its benevolent assimilation. which Is
evidently not yet completed, as the ~anniver-
sary OF the Standardization OF that pa
trlotic and interesting country is stiIl cele-
brated with riots from one end to the other,
which the Russian police vainly try to put
down. In taking over the country OF the
Firms, the Muscovite bear finds that in
It's quest for honey Il has swallowed a
beehive, but II is much too tough an ami
NAL to be disconnected by a little thing
like that. Student riots in Russia reach a
magnitude and intensity unknown else
where. and serve to show how deeply the
government is hated by It's young scholars.
as well as q good many OF its older ones.
AT Moscow recently Eve hundred of the for
mer hung out from their windows the red
flag Of revolution and anarchy, and, armed
with bludgeons and iron bars, prepared to
defend 1t, snd though the police and the
military united put them down and locked
most Of them up In prison, It IL not likely
that they have In any measure subdued
the insurrectionary spirit which animated
them. Rnssis's foes Of her own household
are Of more peril to her than those outside,
though even under the influence Of her
most cutting east winds the latter are not
to be sneezed at.
The topic Of the duel came up for dis
cussion the other day, both in the Reichstag
and in the Prussian chamber. More than
one speaker insisted in more or less d.
rect tones that the real responsibility in the
matter rested upon the shoulders Of the
emperor. One Of the radical members Of
the Reichstag said that, In his opinion, the
only ehectual cure for this evil was q de-
cree issued by the supreme head of the
army absolutely forbidding all duels among
officers. There was, he maintained, no such
q thing as a peculiar Officers honor" II
officers had such abnormally sensitive ideas
on the subject Of honor, they ought to take
special care to do nothing which could
lead other people to offend them. The
councillors OF the crown were in duty bound
to bring to the notice of the wearer Of the
crowl the desires, founded upon the deep
est religious and moral considerations, felt
by the representatives Of the people. The
socialist leader. Herr Bebel. speaking in
similar strain, declared that so long as
dueling was tolerated by the supreme head
Of the army It could not be expected to
cease. DR.. Barth, in the Prussian chamber,
was no less emphatic in declaring that so
long as the practice Of dueling was up
hOtu OpChiy ny representatives OF the law,
1t was absurd to expect that the law would
be employed to suppress it.
Commercial depression and crop failures
have been inficting severe suffering on Rus
STA for two years. 1t is about that period
since the collapse Of speculation prostrAted
many Of the most important lines of BUSH
ness and caused several important bank
failures. Some of the provinces were suf-
fering from famine a year ago before there
could be any knowledge of what the crop
OF 1901 would be, and the suffering was
widespread and acute before the harvest of
last year was entirely over. Idleness and
hunger breed discomfort. Political %institu-
tions ape threatened by prolonged periods
Of bad business. 1t is not surprising to
learn by way of Copenhagen and London
that political disturbances in Russia are
spreading In all directions and assuming
threatening proportions. OF course these
stories may be exaggerated, but 1t is quite
certain that whatever of truth there is in
them would be suppressed in all news sent
out Of Russia through the usual channels
All we can be sure Of is that the economic
condition of Russia has been favorable to
political agitation for more than a year.
Extraordinary vigilance is to be exercised
henceforth in France to prevent unneces-
sary waste of life. A new law Just promul-
gated obliges the mayor Of every commun
to enforce the sanitary regulations against
transmissible diseases, and measures for the
disinfection Of houses and outbuildings.
The notification to the public authorities
of every infectious disease Ia compulsory
upon every doctor and midwife. Vaccina-
ton is compulsory within the first year of
a child's life, as is also revaccination in
the course OF the eleventh year and twenty
first year. Responsibility rests with the
municipal authorities in towns OF more than
20, 900 inhabitants, and with a departmental
service in with a population be-
low that figure. In the case Of an epidemic
in any district, a decree will determine the
measures to be taken to stamp 1t out. The
cost of the execution Of these exceptional
measures will be borne by the state. When
for three successive years the mortality in
a may have exceeded the average
rate Of mortality, of the whole OF France, the
Project Of the Department must order the
departmental sanitary council to institute
an inquiry. In the event Of the council de-
claring the necessity of sanitary works,
and especially the provision OF potable
water for the inhabitants, the mmu will
be called upon to execute them. II 1t should
refuse to do SO, a special law will impose
upon 1t the cost of the Improvement. The
penalties enacted are severe, and consist
Of Imprisonment as we'll as fine. {,
zee
The present demonstrations In Russian
university towns must not be interpreted
to mean that the new minister Of educa-
ton, General Vannovsky, has shown him
self to be as great an enemy of student
liberty as his predecessor was. On the con-
trary, authoritative advices from st. Peters
burg reveal that the great majority Of stu
dents appreciate the difficulties that Gen.
eral Vannovsky labors under and are ready
to give him all the support in their power
by continuing to attend the lectures and
rsfraining from making demonstrations =
On the other han there is a small per-
sistent body OF irreooncilables and radicals,
who, with the aid OF civil riotous elements,
take the smallest pretext for agitating
against the government, thereby bringing
whole student colonies under suspicion.
| The students OF this class are at present
very active in their endeaYors to create dis
turbances and are attempting to exploit
for political purposes the distress among
the working classes as we'll as the diseon-
tent among the students. That the ap-
thorities are prepared to act vigorously in
the event q a crisis Is shown by a notice
which has been sent to the students OF the
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