The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-23

relations in making a personal gamble Of
nussia 8 military fame to crafty the lowest
kino OF private spite, or the black ingrati-
tude OF the Gar to man who has served
MIN sturdily and silently, without complaint.
all through thankless eight months.
might astonish tolerably experienced OBJ
servers OF human nature. But none Of
these things count at Peterhof II general
OF an army, who remains after all to the
imperial family being OF lower species
than they and has no right to have any
personal feelings, falls out of favor, he is
disgraoed and dismissed and done with,
and there is no more to be said.
II Is not at Pcterhof only that this spirit
OF insolent ingratitude is to the fore. The
governor Of the SAT- college here has given
out an interview explaining why the Russian
army has not wiped the Japanese of the
face OF the earth. He says:
We had our worst men out there to begin
the war against the best Japanese. Al
ready we could have reported victories
ii we had our real soldiers out; but hitherto
we have had to rely on men Of poor
quality"
And this is said Of the sturdy, fearless
moujiks whose personal pluck, without
oficers to direct them, has been the one
undisputed glorious feature in the whole
tale OF defeats. 1t is a supercilious criti-
cism coming from the staff college, which
has failed utterly to furnish a competent
staf for field work to any Of the army corps,
but 1t Is quite sincere. Neither the staff
college nor the General Staff itself has word
to say In praise OF the rank and file. They
may die by tens of thousands-but 1t will
go unheeded in the little world of intrigue
that directs them all Being alive has been
little enough of a treat-why should they
bother to avoid being killed? That is all
that IA expected Of the mouik, and no doubt
he will answer to expectation
The new Minister'S internal policy Is
still in midair, 80 far as practical apploa-
ton is a test His difficulties have not
been far to seek. AS soon as he announced
that he wished the provincial councils to
have some share in provincial administra-
ton, one after another OF the iron listed
provincial Governors, immovab!e adheIents
of the repressve regime began to curtail
and modest these same zemistvos more
actively than ever.
They are probably right in estimating
that, while Prince Sviatopolk Mirsky is a
very benevolent gentleman. he is not hard
enough in the grain to dismiss them sum-
| marily from their posts, which is assuredly
the only way to get even the beginnings
OF progressive administration into most
provinces.
The new Minister'S hope that race feeling
against Jews would abate was promptly
followed by the wholesale looting of the
| stores of Jews in most of the towns of the
provinces of KiefT, Poltava and JEFFERSON
/ the anti-Semite Governors standing by
unconcerned so long a. there was no seriou,
bloodshed with the cert ainty of subsequent
exposure
/ The liberal sent iments which the Minis, Ell
put into his message of thanks TO the Mos.
COW municipalities congratulations reused
ouch enthusiasm there as has not been
| known since tho era of the liberation OF
no ssrfs; forty years ago. What Prince
! Sviatopoik idirsky has most to fear is the
inevitable reaction from this enthusiasm,
when people see that under the present
system the future, though it be much less
brutal, cannot be very different from the
past while the present system holds swny.
A movement TO uproot the whole fabric
would be all the more dangerous from its
freer working under a mild regime. Al
ready his popular leanings have cost him
he disfavor of the Dowagcr C2arina and
The impla cable nntagonism of Potiedon-
ostzeff and the Holy Synod