The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-08-07

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NJ. PETRONovITSCH.
Chief of the Russian Secret Service.
The Foe of the Nihilist.
settled himself in his chair and said:
How much we are alike"
There was no twinkle in the eye, no
satire in the tone. Won Plehve meant
what he said.
You have so many political parties,
he continued, so have we; but many
Of them are of small moment. America
is a democratic country. so is Russia
yes, democratic in every sense-your
vast territory is mainly agricultural-so
is that Of Russia. You have not often
thought of this, have you?
Believes in Freedom.
1Ou DtileFc, lntu, III SSlA- SONSiA
ment?' was asked.
Yes"
In religious and educational enlight-
enment?"
Yes"
In personal freedom"
Yes"
In local self-government?"
Decidedly"
And the ownership of land by the
| peasantry?''
by the residents Of the country"
Prince or peasant?'
Yes"
You wish 10 set down nothing but
the facts" continued Won Plehve. L
am glad of that You are not n novel
! ist. This is fortunate. Russia has suf-
| fered from the novelist
"Tolstoy7"
q mean by the romantic tendencies
of representatives Of the press Where
there were no facts, facts were ere
/ ated. It would take a department more
extensive than this TO attend TO the
denial OF all the falsehoods that have
been uttered and written Of Russia. Yet
| our system of government is an open
book TO all.
Russia Land Purchase.
.sRussia has been misrepressnted per
hans more in England than elseW here.
vet strange TO relate the English have
| followed in the footsteps Of Russia in
MANY governmental reforms. The re-
! cent Irish land legislation, for example,
/ is nothing more than Il duplication or
| legislation enacted in Russia and now in
| force for the redemption Of land TO the
| serfs. or rather for the ownership Of
land by the former serfs.
when the emancipation Of the serfs
| was accomplished. II became evident
10 the government that the ownership
| Of land by these people was state
| necessity. The government promptly
| advanced the money 70 purchase these
lands. which purchase price Is now be-
/ ing repaid in installments. in the form
/ of taxes, which fortunately viii soon be
| abolished, as the greater part Of the
land purchase investment has been re-
paid.
| ..,The English say we have an auto
! cratic government-I speak Of the gen.
eraI. not the governmental viewpoint Of
/ course-that Russia IS the Tsar, and the
! Tsar IS Russia; that our system is des-
MOTTO in fact as well as theory. Yet
/ tIts same English thought leads to the
firm belief that the British system Of
! constitutional monarchy affords far
| Greater freedom for the people than is
/ afforded under the Constitution Of the
United States. No Englishman but
thinks his monarchy is freer than any
,enuhIfc II is words that sound awk-
ward rather than systems which are
l , n
nosed to Republican, Democratic.
..7-be government under which Rus
lsia's vast peasantry live, the adlIiinistra-
tive sections. are governed by the peo-
Mo The government of CT at Britain
iapnointg a governor for a self-governing
colony. the United States pursues SINH
liar course and Russia does the same.
But the people, through the local assem-
bly,, govern. The local assembly collects
the taxes. II spends the taxes, and It Is
elected by the people.
Money for the Public.
Some portion of the taxes-the land
tax, as explained-goes TO the imperial
lgovernment-but for the most part the
Expenditures are for local Improvement
for schools. parks. public baths. roads,
municipal buildings, and other things
directly beneficial TO the people dIIecIcu
All moneys are thus spent at the dictate
OF the people, subject 70 the imperial
authority. This is Rus4ia's autocracy
or democracy. whichever you may
choose 20 call it."
How does the government account
for the violent dissatisfaction Of the peo-
Dle?"
THE question is not fair" replied the
minister Of the interior. There is nc
violent dissatisfaction on the part Of the
people. The people love the Gar
you must consider our political fab.
ric. and then judge what percentage
. Of the people are violently dissatisfied
n There is violent dissatisfaction against
the government Of every country Rus
STA has its Liberalism. like France an6
. Germany and England and America. but
the Russian Liberalism must not b,
classed as a revolutionary Liberalism
II does not approve the methods Of tn.
imperial government but it's opposition
is q law-abiding opposition.
Open Foes Of the Gar.
"These people express themselves II
the sympathetic press 10 some extent
but they are not representative of the