Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-01

ABANDON their business, leave their homes
and live for three years under police sur
VIGILANCE in North Dakota, Okla homa or
Alaska, these gentlemen and their friends
II they had no power to resist and no
redress in the courts-would probably be-
come revolutioniSts of a. very active type;
and yet their case would be worse than
that of twenty or thirty Russian authors.
editors and publishers, of substantially the
same social and literary class. who have
been banished from ST Petersburg in the
course of the past three years. Among
them are Vorontsof. the political economist
Lessevitch. the philosopher; Annenski, the
statistician; Panteleief and Kalmikova, two
weil-known publishers; Peter Strive, grand
son Of the famous astronomer; four MEM
bers of the Russian Free Economic Society;
Mr.. PhillipOf. editor of the Scientific Re-
view, and two of the editors and the secre-
tary of the suppressed periodical Zhizn.
In every case the decree of Punishment
was pronounced by the minister of the in
terror without the observance of any form
OF judicial procedure. and in most cases
without the assignment of any reason. The
same fate may befall any citizen of Russia
VINO happens to be regarded by the minister
or the interior as politically untrust-
worthy, or who renders himself obnoxious
to the government by his actions, his criti-
cisms or his expressions of opinion.
No Regard for Peasants.
In its dealings with the peasants the gov
eminent manifests even less regard for
ment of the educated class. After the
agrarian disorder in the province Of Pol
tava, in the spring of 1902 the governor,
Belgardt, caused more than 400 peasants
to be fogged with whips. each of the VIC
Tins receiving from 100 to 10 blows. For
this form of punishment there was no war
rant of law whatever. Most of the arrested
peasants had behaved in disorderly man.
ner; many of them, doubtless, had been
guilty of offenses described In the Russian
penal code: but they were entitled to a
hearing and a judicial trial, and Governor
Belgardt had not the shadow of right to
fog them indiscriminately before they had
been found guilty of the offenses charged
against them.
On the 1st of May, 1902 Governor Won
Wahl caused to be logged In the same
way, sixteen asants-mostly factory op-
eratves-who had taken part In labor
of Wilma
The disregard of Justice and law shown
In the administrative Punishment of edu-
Gated people. and the administrative fog
glng or peasants who have not been tried,
is thoroughly characteristic of the present
Russian government, and, In one form or
another, 1t is manifested almost daily in
all parts OF the empire. 1t gives rise of
course, TO a feeling of intense exaspera-
ton. and 1t has created large class of
indictments who not only will refuse to
give the government loyal support In time
OF war, but will avail themselves of the
overthrow.
Lack of personal security. however is
only one OF the Russian citizens many
grievances. He resents almost as deenly
the authority given police officers to make
searches In private houses without legal
warrant Gin ST. Petersburg 600 such
searches are sometimes made In a single
nghD; the virtual prohibition of all suits
for damages against government officials:
the interference of the executive power
with the courts: the withdrawal of large
classes or cases from jury trial: the ad-
mlnfStrative punishment of accused per.
sons whom the courts have acquitted: the
nearing of important public cases with
closed doors; the trial of political and other
civil Offenders by courts-martial; the denial
or the right of public assembly as well as
the right of collective petition: the uni
Versal system Of espionage; the vexatlous
restriction of personal movement and free
dom by means of the passport system; and.
nnally, the rigorous censorship of the press,
which makes 1t almost impossible to criti-
else governmental action or freely to dis
cuss public affairs
The Bureaucracy.
Most OF these grievances are due. pri
MARTY, to desire and a determination on
the part OF the bureaucracy to control and
regulate matters of public concern at its
own discretion. and to treat the citizen as
IL he were minor ward subject to the
authority of guardian. A Russian who
had been sufferer from this bureaucratic
regulation once said bitterly, I'm Russia
nothing Is permitted; everything is either
ordered or forbidden" The government
compels peasants whose houses have
burned down to wait months for official
permission to rebuild; 1t reprimands citizens
who unite in Joint telegram to the min
lister of public instruction, on the ground !
that collective action of that kind is strict |
ly forbidden; 1t will not allow school teach |
ers to give to the press any information
with regard to schools, education or the |
economic condition of the peasants; 1t pro- |
hibits everywhere public celebrations of |
the twenty fifth anniversary of the emanci- |
patton of the serfs; 1t will not permit uni |
versty students to celebrate anything, nor |
to participate in public testimonials to |
esteemed persons: 1t draws up the program |
for. and superiptends the proceedings OF I
every convention Of business men who meet I
to consider and discuss their own interests: |
It forbtds town councils to give the name
OF Gogol. Pushkin or Turgenfeff. to any Of
their newly established municipal schools;
it arbitrarily closes the statistical bureaus
Of the xemstyos and burns their statistics; /
It suppresses. without process of law. such I
as the Russian Free Eco L
Homic Society. the Moscow Juridical Soci- |
ETY., the st. Petersburg Society for Furnish L
ing Reading to the Poor and Sick ana tha