Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-09-17

fines and other penalties. And II 1t
was prompted by humane spirit
which deserves recognition. the prin.
cipal interest and instruction to be-
derived from II must come from com
Parsons that are not Russian. Turn
first to the question of tho political
offenders. except those charged with
murder. to whom u general amnesty
In granted. Many of these men were
punished upon slight evidence. and for
Cffenses that would not he interpreted
ns Offenses In a land Of political free.
dom. The mere charge that n nan
was a suspicious person might b. SUI.
flcient for his undOing. Under such
system. of course. there can be no true
liberty. and to-day one of the first
promises of liberty Is military service
IN the far East. The case OF Finland.
however. Is the one In which the irony
of the Cars mercy IL most strongly
felt. Finnish cOmlnunes which rc'
fused to submit to military conscrip-
ton were fined. Finnisl, people who
emigrated without authority we,'n
without power to return. Remission
of fines Is dccreed In the first instance.
II general amnesty In the second, as an
net Of grace relating to the specific
oifensc. But the Films are not seek.
ing grace. They are seeking n right.
the restoration of the ancient liberties
that have been wrCsted from them In
the last few years. Hence such par.
don must seem to them like u mock
cry. How far the Russian people may
feel their own political deprivatiOns il
another question. and possibly the for.
cigner who enjoys very large degree
of civil liberty may he wasting his
sympathy upon them. Hut 1t Is natural
that the progressive political element
N the country should attract much
foreign sympathy where 1t seems to
10 suffering severe oppression without
due cause. and II Is Il pity that there
did not go with the general amnesty
some hint of more liberal policy.
| The ukasc OF the ear, issued on the
christening day Of his son and heir
goes to substnntinte the story recently
referred to that the conversion OF
' Prince Meschersky to comparative lib.
| ernlism fOreshadOwed an announce
ment OF the like conversion of the
ear. In the uknse Nicholas. Of course.
reaffirins the doctrine of divine right
and speaks OF himself ns the source
OF all rights rs well as all privileges,
some OF which he grnciously bestOws
upon the children of his great fam
lily" for their greater enjoyment In
| their daily lives" The ukase grants
general amnesty to all political offend.
ers except those charged with murder.
1t abolishes corporal punishment
among rural classes ana for first Of
lenses by privates In the sea ana land
forces. 1t provides for general miti.
CATION of penalties for common Of.
| lenses against law. These IRE for the
most part acts Of clemency, but the
sweeping amnesty granted to political
offenders and the mitigation Of pen.
altles for the future In the case Of
ordinary criminals imply II permanent
change Of government policy In the
direction of greater libernlity. Other
gifts bestowed signify Il great
change of policy In dealing with Fin
lanlers. Jews and others, and n dis.
position to attach subjugated peoples
to their imperial master by liberation
ana kindness ana u general relaxation
| of the rlgOr and severity with which
they have been treated under the re-
gime of the reactiOnary advisers Of the
car. There IL. however. no intimatiOn
of u purpose to make Il departure In
the direction of parliamentary govern
ment. In this respect the autOcrat Of
Japan IL far In advance of the "autO-
crat Of all the Russias." Theoretically,
the mikadO IL ms much a representa-
tive of the Almighty on earth and as
much the source of all rights and all
good things. rs much the repository
Of supreme ana absolute authority and
power, as Is the ear, but the mikadO
Is far In advance of the ear In ac-
cOrding parliamentary power to the
whole people ana local government
to the communities. This ukase. new
ertheless, furnishes evidence that the
car Is getting In line with modern
political enlightenment ana that In
time II the nihilists and other radicals
will keep hands OF he will Overtake
the mikadO and show that the head OF
the church of Russia Ii as enlighten.
ed and progressive and humane as the
head Of paganism In Japan.
While John ID. Rockefeller. Jr.. was
absent from his country home at
TarrytOwn, N. Y, the other day tele.
gram was received for him at the tele.
graph office. three miles from the
Rockefeller mansion. Orders had been
given to telephone all messages to Mr.
Rockefeller's residence, hut the tele-
phone line hammered to be ont of order