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

bureaucracy as prism which distorts
all rays from the actual life of Russia
before they reach the emperor. Life at
the present day is. he says. SO compli-
Gated that not only the monarch, but
even the higher officials are unable to
understand it after they have spent so
many years separated from it by their
escorts of gendarmes. All news Of
in the chancelleries before it sreache
them, and is still further falsified be-
fore they pass it on to the emperor in
those Misrepresentation Of facts
which are called most humble reports
Of the minister's" He makes an elO-
quent appeal to the Car to break down
the bureaucratic wall which separates
him from his people, and says that it is
only through some extraordinary acci-
dent that the thoughts of the people can
reach the throne. III.
.'The press? But is there a press in
Russia? At the present moment It is
only possible to cover paper with print
er's ink, and that only after reading
through thousand secret circulars in
which the expression, not only of whole
thoughts, but even of particular words
and phrases, is forbidden. Oficially
and in accordance with the law we are
supposed to have a press; but the cir
eulars, and, what is more than shame
full, the secret circulars, Of the bureau
cracy render the law OF no avail, and
show that in this matter, as in others,
we have not one lawgiver but hun
| dreds.' .-E& Il.
Commenting on this system of secret
| circular, M. Demchinsh boldly states
| that it is not the laws or even the de-
cree of the emperor which are obeyed
in Russia, but the arbitrary will of the
officials. One of the causes of this is,
he thinks, the practice of invariably
choosing the ministers from the ranks
of the official hierarchy, which he de-
nounces as one of the greatest mis-
takes that could be made. as it prevents
| the emperor from coming into touch
with any one outside the bureaucracy
The only way Of escap is to be found in
the development of the Zemstvos. The
establishment Of great public body
with freedom of opinion and freedom Of
speech would call forth such an amount
of real talent that ii would be perfectly
easy to choose capable ministers who
We're IN touch with the actual life Of
the people, trnen with energy and frest
ideas end with the healthy hue Of life
on their cheeks, instead Of the parch.
ment-like faces of officials who have
spent the whole Of their lives in the Of
fees of the administration" The ten.
dency to deprive the Zenstvos of theil
right is due, he says, to the dread Of the
4 living word which might disturb the
tranquility of the bureaucracy. But
| that dread can only be felt by those
who are accustomed to fish in troubled
water, and to take advantage Of thu
obscurity for their own ends. Freedom
of speech can never be a danger to tht
j advantage for conscientious govern.
ment to know the real feelings anf
opinion of the citizens.
In conclusion, NJ Demchinski recon-
mends that their old powers should b,
restored to the Zemstvos, that the prov
4 inoes or governments should be ar
ranged in groups each containing fiv'
or six provinces of approximately TIL
\ same character, and that the affairs o
each group should be managed by
1 Zennstvo composed of delegates electe'
i from the smaller organization; and
finally, that each of those larger zemst
vos should send delegates to compose
central or national Zemstvo sitting b.
4 preserence in Moscow If this schern
4 were carried into effect, the presen
n provincial Zemstvos could be abolishet
J. as superfiuous. This reform, M. Dem
i chinsisi Is convinced. would bring Ii,
ICzar and his people into close toucl
Il with one another, and would ultimatel.
4 render Russia the greatest power in tn
4 world
Y The memorandum is dated January
j QS) of this year. Has it borne an,
fruits? It;was well-meant effort t
/ let the Gear know the true feelings o
the Russian people, but It might alnos
: as well not have been written, unles
Il the ordinance issued by the Gear for tn
:. creation Of local government councils i
Il the western provinces, which had hith
: erto been without them, be put down t