The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-29
THE WATERING czAR.

--- THE WATERING CHAR.
 It is difficult to follow the operations of the czar's mind as these are trans mitted through the imperfect medium of the cable. The ruler of all the Rus. sians seems tof De as uncertain as the lady in colley cibber's once popular play. "she Would and She Would Not" No sooner has his rebuke to the zemst- Yo presidents been dispatched telling them, as Charles | told the people of England on the scaffold, that matters Of government are no concern of theirs that it is announced that Prince Svia- topolk- Mirsky stands higher than ever in his confidence and esteem. The prince, did etiquette permit, might well exclaim with Falstaff, "call you that backing Of your friends? A plague upon such backing!" The zemstvo presidents were called togethelsby him. presumably with the czar's consent; they were allowed to debate freely, and were protected from police interfer ence; their recommendations were sub mitted to the prince for presentation to the Car; four of their number were l summoned to the Czar's own presence; and then after a few days they are roughly informed that they have been
 impertinent The conclusion that the grand dukes had got control of Nicho.
 las again seemed to be in these circum- stances the only possible one. Yet the minister of the interior remains the Czar's trusted adviser, and has sue
 ceeded in wringing from him an impe-
 rial ukase somewhat more liberal in
 spirit than there was reason to hope 1t 1 would be.
 The document made public yesterday, l however. does not preclude the possi-
 bility of further changes of the imperi-
 al mind. It enumerates certain sub
 jeets that are to be referred to commit ltees of the council, but it does not indi-
 cate what the decision will be. 0byi- \ ously the contest between the reaction aries and the reformers is to be carried on over the details outlined. Equality of all citizens before the law, immuni- ty from arbitrary arrest, complete relf-
 gious toleration and the freedom of the { press would be changes that would
 transform Russia. But there may be q l long distance between promise and per 1 formance in this case. Besides, what l the Czar gives in a liberal mood he \ may take away when the despotic fever lis on. The most encouraging feature ] Of the new programme is not the fine
 words about liberty 1t contains, but the proposition to increase the efficiency of 1 the zemstvo organization by greater autonomy and by smaller units. This ! would bring these capable administra- < tors into closer touch with local needs. I A plan of workingmen's insurance will l improve the condition of large class of Russians without necessarily en- < larging their political powers. Presums
 ably there are to be reforms in taxa 5, tion, though nothing Is said on this, Prince Sviatopoik- MirslSy has been
 credited with plan for enlarking the
 powers of the dolinas, or land councils.
 All this is in effect denial of the \ demand for a parliament. The repre-
 sentatives Of the zemstvos may be con-
 suited, but that is all. And in truth d { determined ruler, supported by enlight. ened ministers, might accomplish much
 without parliamentary action, for ! which many good authorities think the < Russian people to be at present unfit
 Much, in particular might be accom-
 plished through the doumas or land
 councils. The land question in Russia \ ir pressing one. Bp q system of land redemption entered upon after the abo- I lition of serfdom the peasant was enar
 bled to purchase, by payments extend I ing over forty-nine years the property \ assigned to him for the support of his
 family. The details cannot be given in j a limited space; it suffiees to say that
 while in some provinces peasant pfo- prietors have been almost universally
 established. in others large number
 still remain in "a condition little re- j moved from serfdom, especially as the chief landowners are invested with < well-nigh absolute police powers. But 5t the government taxes are paid by each
 village community or mir collective IIy; and the mir, { like the old Teutonic
 mark Is historically q unit of self \ government anr might easily be self
 entrusted with its former privileges.
 Thus the capacity for self-governrrneilt
 among the Russians would slowly
 spread upward, instead of downward.
 Even schemes of this nature, how ever, are not likely to amount to much
 unless the Czar shows some capacity
 for choosing line of action and stick