Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-02
WHAT DEFEAT MEANS TO
RUSSIA,
baltimore ILerald)

Il ne Impending rail- or Fort Ar
thur and the fact that at bottom the
Russian is man of peace aud deep
religious instinct, calls to mind the
speech of the famous Russian liberal
who said in Paris-just after the
war with Japan broke out-that, as
a patriot who would give his life for
his country, he prayed that every
cable would flash the news of the de-
feat of the Emperor's armies.
This statement would be hard to
reconcile with our notion of patriot
ism, did we not keep in mind the
traditional longing of the Russian
nation. The policy of Peter the
Great and his successors has been too
long looked upon, by the majority of
us, as that of the nation. But in no
country is it SO true that the govern
ment is one thing and the people
another, as in Russia.
In their nature the Russians abhor
war. So well do they love the pur-
suits of peace, that, left to them,
they dislike to fight even when at
tackled.
The Vikings it will be remem.
bered subdued them with ease,
although outnumbered a hundred
times; and the Mcngolian Eruption
of the thirteenth century found them
as easy prey. The stern stuff of the
conqueror is not in their makeup.
Peter the Great it was who
shackled great people with his own
self-willed policy of aggre ssion, in
spite of their opposition to it. Only
a Peter the Great could have done it.
For its success his ambition required
a brilliant court, a powerful army,
and the absolute subsection of the
nation. Whether or not his will, so.
called, be authentic, this has been
the aim or the liberals, to abandon
conquest, occupy their own ancestral
lands and devote themselves to in
ternal development Peter killed
his own son because he opposed his
imperial dream; and ever since the
death of Prince Alexis farsighted
men have endeavored to bring to fru-
ition the ideas to which he was
martyr.
One hundred years after Peters
death the people wished to give up
st. Petersburg and go back to the
quiet .Asiatic life. And the people
to-day with their mysticism and re-
pose hate the war with Japan. Of
all Russia's struggles, only one has
ever received their approval; and that
was through misguided religious zeal.
They see. in spite of their ignorance,
that continued policy of aggression
means ultimate national ruin, inter-
preted in terms of misery to them.
Contact with Europe and the
teachings of such men as Tolstoi have
taught them, too, to yearn for free
dom under constitutional govern.
ment. One single phrase embodies
their asplrations-a peace policy un-
der constitutional government. What
stands in the way of realization?
The autocracy with its immense
army crushes every move toward
higher things. That is why
that liberal prayed for imperial de.
feat. The annihilation of the Cars
armies would give the people power
TO demand successfully release from
the terror of absolutism, militarism
and theological dogmatism. The
autocraoy only would be swept away
-Russia would be freel A path
would be opened to the nation to
achieve unto prosperity the smoth.
cred aspiration of centuries. In full
accord with that liberal, this is one
reason why humanity sides with
Japan.
The anomaly of it is that half
neathenish race, only fifty years re.
moved from savagery. should have
the honor to break the chains of
despotism and make possible for
their nominal enemies the blessings
OF their civilization they themselves |
so eagerly appropriated. Japan will |
let In the light among the only re-
naming shadows of the fifteenth
century.