The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-08

ministers. instead OF leading the people
along the path Of progress, put all man.
ner OF hindTances in their way, and by
setting themselves in opposition to pop
ular sentiment are widening and deep
ening the gulf between the government
and the nation. In support of this con-
tention he brings forward several in
stances, in particular the inhuman
treatment of the peasants who raided
the estates of the gentry in Poltaya and
the neighboring provinces. and the pun
ishments which, by order Of NJ de
Plehve, were inflicted on the more out
spoken members Of the agricultural
committees of last year.
AT the committee meeting in Voro-
nezh Dr. Martinoff and II. Bunakoff de-
clared that the needs Of agriculture
were too complicated and too closely
connected with the general state of the
country to be discussed in committee of
varying and accidental composition.
I'm one case the district committee con-
sisted only of the Marshal of Nobility
and three justices of the peace.) A gen.
eraI committee should, therefore, be
called together, consisting of elective
representatives Of all classes, and with
guarantees for personal inviolability
and freedom of speech. do not wish
to discuss how far this declaration was
justified; but when it is considered in
cool blood it must be admitted to be a
serious contribution to the discussion
and not to constitute in any sense an
attack upon the present political re-
gime. That was the opinion of all who
were cognizant of it last August. New
ertheless, Dr. Martinoff and NJ. Buna-
koff were arrested in November, and
were exiled. Immediately this had TIA
ken place the proceedings of the meet
ing at Voronezh were reproduced in
| thousands of copies, and a month after
the arrest there was not corner of
Russia where they had not been read.
DR.. Martinoff and M. Bunakoff were re-
garded almost as saints and martyrs.
Why was all this done? have dwelt
| on these examples. because the results
| that followed could so easily have been
| foreseen. The peasants were fiogged-
one Of them attempted to shoot the gov
ernor; men are exfled for the open and
honest expression of their opinion-they
are regarded as martyrs and their opin-
| ion becomes an article Of faith for many
| thousands. When one watches what is
taking place among us one is driven to
the opinion that history is preparing a
severe trial for us. The steadily APP
preaching economic crisis and the utter
unreasonableness displayed in the man
agement Of internal affairs show us
| clearly that we shall have to pass
through sore time in the immediate
future and that nothing less than a
second Sebastapol will be able to rouse
us from our apathy and to remind us
| that government cannot with impuni-
| ty disregard the dictates Of reason In
| the work of administration"
| According to Ne Demchinski the les
| son of Russia's breakdown during the
Crimean war was that it was mistake
to endow the officials with such arbitra-
ry powers. This lesson, he says, seems
now to be forgotten; and he expresses
grave doubts whether the provincial
| governors, for instance, possessed
| greater powers in the ante Reform peri
| cd than they do at present.
And what shall we say Of the min.
listers? A rule has been created which
gives the minister of the interior power
to suspend the right Of life and death
When he wishes to order anybody to be
hanged he has only to proclaim the mi.
nor state of siege Gilt, the state of en-.
forced protectionD in the particular dis.
trict. That district then becomes out
side the law and. dozens Of men can b
Isent toSthe, gaiIows by the mere orders
| of the minister, or. indeed, OF the gov
ernnr- general" Il s NJ '... s s 5ssa AZ. y Y
| The only way, he urges, to- avoid q
second lesson like Sabastopol is to pu
an end to the policy of increasing thu
4 arbitrary power of the officials, and t.
call upon society to cooperate in thu
work of administration. The existence
of the Zenlstvos, or councils for loca
self government points out the way il
which this can be done; and Mr.. Dem
chinski warmly extols the work the.
have accomplished, contrasting thei
devotion and unseifishness with the self
seeking, the corruption and the rapaci
ty of the officials. He denounces tn