The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-05-23
u The STU ATIoN IN RUSSIA.
Gar }Nicbolas's Plans for n .coustitu-
r. tion and Those of Alexander III, IN


Re tion and Those of Alexander II. :
There is nothing improbable in the re-
port that the Emperor Nicholas has de-
cided to .endow Russia with constitu-
ton. His experience Of the weight Of
government has no doubt been such as
to incline him to relieve himself Of some
of the burden, to say nothing of its dan
gers.
The emancipation of the peasantry
has very little bettered the condition of
the individual moujik, who was thrown
upon the world without having learned
Or been taught habits of self-reliance.
Congregating as they have for several
try, the Russian working classes have
received the special attention of the
prQpagandists of the international labor
and socialist organizations, and to some
extent Of the revolutionary political!
from the old Nihilist conspiracy against
any form of government.
The assassination Of Alexander II.
took place at the moment Of transition,
when the revolutionary political, party
looking on the Nhilist methods of dag
ger and dynamite as futile and reaction
airy. Their idea was to revolutionize
Russia by constitutional means, and
with that purpose they formed centers
OF propaganda in several of the CONT
1tCAI0A NAIACo VI 41uAOpc anu III 1oAS5lduO.
From these they sent out quantities of
educational literature in the Russian
and Polish languages, strongly tinged
with socialism, which found its way not
only among the working classes, but also
! among the students in the colleges and
universities. 1t is this which explains
| the cooperation between students and
| workmen which has been one of the re-
markable features of the recent disturb
anees in Russia and Russian Poland.
The army has also been evidently more
or less permeated with the revolutionary
ideas. There would be nothing singular
in this. for long before the materials
for socialist agitation existed in Russia,
the Nihilist party was working actively
in the ranks of the officers and soldiers.
particular activity. the Noradnia VOLTA
and other Nihilistic publications being
extensively distributed in the army in
Bulgaria and Roumania.
The effect on the mind of the Emperor
Alexander II. was seen Immediately aft
er that war. when he called the Arme-
MAN general, Louis Melikoff, from the
Caucasus to st. Petersburg, and installed
him as minister of the interior. Between
| they the elaborated a political constitu-
ton, which, when it became known, was
| as satisfactory to the revolutionary po-
litical party as it was the reverse to the
| old conservative Russians. The assas-
sination of the Emperor, which took
place after he had withdrawn his assent
to the PRONUNCIATION of the newly-elabor-
ated constitution, has been variously as
cribed to the Nihilists and to the Con-
| used the former as instruments. How
| ever that may be his death was always
looked on as misfortune for Russia by
the revolutionary political party, who
had hoped to profit by the liberalizing
tendencies of the Emperor, and work out
thoip on1c nv cnncfitnfiono1 111othn1c
The reign of the Emperor Alexander
III. was always described by the lead
ers of that party as a pail that had
fallen over Russia and those who had not
gone into exile on his accession to the
throne, kept their own counsel and bided
humanitarian views Of the present Empe-
| FOR raised great hopes at first among the
/ party Of progress in Russia, but the in
| f1uence of the DrOcurator Of the holy
I synod, Mr.. Pobiedonostzeff, seemed to
neutraize the benevolent intentions of
the: sovereign: It is apparently this
which has led to the attacks on members
of the departments under his control,
| some having been successful. 1t is lit
| tie to be wondered at, therefore, if the
! social disturbances, detection among the
troops, and the murders of officials have
not contributed in great part to the re-
l:ported intention of the Emperor Nicholas
to give Russian some form of constitu-
tional government.
It is very unlikely that it will be full
| hedged constitution such as that Of Gen.
| Loris Melikoff is believed to have been.
1t is more probably that the first stage
will be something in the form of de-
| Lucrative assembly of notables and lead
| ing men from all over the empire, to de-
| eide on what shape the new national as
sembly should take, and what would be
it's functions.