The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-02
Two Reformers.


The two autocratic reformers, the Gear
Nicholas II. and Sultan Abdul Hamid IL,
are, Just now presenting an interesting
study to the outside world.
The sultan, by threat Of the Concert
of Isurope," is reluctantly making pre-
tense of administrative reforms in Mace
donia. which has stirred up the neighbor-
ing ,Alhanians to an onslaught upon the
Christians, the very sight of gendarme,
ordered to assist in the proposed reform,
awakening their native ferocity and Mo-
hap'medan fanatfcism. ~ tE )
The Albstnians are, by a large majority,
Mohammedans, and are ready to assas-
sinate the sultan himself, if he persists in
obeying the mandate Of the powers The
sutans Mohammedan subjects, indeed,
do not like reform any more than he
does, especially if the object is to protect
and better the condition Of the Christians.
The Albanian rising against reform is
likely to precipitate an explosion In the
Balkan peninsula sooner than the revolu-
tionary committee Of Macedonia rep
resenting the Christian population, can.
ally dItSllpL " Ctl6 w. PuC uVT11 OIL
uprising of his Mohammedan SUBJECTS will
raise whirlwind and Abdul Hanaid may,
like Abdul Aziz, be assassinated in his
palace by his Albanian guards.
Once the rebellion Is well under way,
thousands of Bulgarians and Servians will
join the movement, assisted substantially
by Russia. who has already sent handy
81. of I,or VI
friends south of the Danube, and may be
drawn by the course of events to make
another onslaught upon the integrity Of
the Turkish empire.
The regeneration Of the Turkish empire
by the Turks is a proposition now rejected
even by Great Britain, who has sunk mil
lions in Ottoman extravagances, millions
which were loaned after the Crimean war
on the strength of Turkeys promise to re-
form, which was merely empty verbiage.
Various cankers have eaten into her vitals
and she Is beyond the aid of the most
astute surgery. The fairest regions of
western Asia, blighted by Turkish rule
and robbery, will one day, by the elimina
ton of the latter, be restored to their
ancient fertility ana security.
The Czar Nicholas, in the role of re-
| former, was certainly instrumental In
| bringing about the international court Of
| arbitration at The Hague, although his
| disarmament proposition failed, for the
simple reason that the world has not yet
reached the millennium stage. His second
attempt at reform, the ukase, announcing
his purpose Of introducing religious free
dom for his subjects and to initiate re-
forms in the local administrations, where
the people enjoy now large amount OF
self government, while they have no voice
whatever in the administration Of national
affairs, was bred of a fear that the grow
| ing discomfort, even among the usually
devotedly loyal peasantry in some dis
tricts, might be actualized in a revolu-
tionary way. That @ukase with Sits
| abundant promise Of needed reforms is
bitterly imposed BY influential elements
in Russia who, like the Mohammedar
subjects Of the sultan, at least most o,
them, do not want reforms of any kind
The ezar knows that it is useless to pro
pose national parliament, in which thu
people shall have representation and will
have something to say about the direction
Of national affairs, now in the control o
thes,ozar and the council Of states; tfleo
,retically under the czar> alone, as auto
crat. ~ z>'%>
The unrest in Russia is acentuated b.
the statistics Of the immigration from tina
countr yto our own, which last year, ag
gregated 900 persons out Of the5739,0 90
immigrants landing here from all coun
tries. So far this year, more Russian
are coming here than last year. Their
is no doubt that If the cars proposition
to permit peasant to sever his connec
ton with his commune and it's land is car
ried out, Russian immigration hither wi
, increase. Assuming that the czar's ukas
will be faithfully carried out in the face c
opposition, it is morally certain tina
ampliication of individual freedom Incl
4 dent to it will awaken the Russian min
to grasp larger ideas, and ultimately t
demand parliamentary government an
popular representation in national affair!
and the passing of the present absolutis
bureaucracy The difference betwee
| Russia and Turkey is that administrative
. and governmental reform in Turkey wi
never come from within, nor fro
=. without. before the Turk is eliminates
. while, in Russia, it is possible for refor1
' to come from within, and it is sure
come, but gradually and not not by tt
. bloody methods of the French revolution
The most Objectionable feature of tt
e presidents trip is that for the next tN
S months we shall know just what he