The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1904-04-27
by joins vANpEncooK.

- UNIV ' ~ AhfHAhAA IA
Newspaper Enterprise Associations
Special Commissioner to Russia.
MOSCOW ENeg novelist hard up
fer a subject takes whaok at under
ground Huaaia The reality Is not tho
icast bil lees mysterious or remark
able than the imagined accounts. Fvos
pc living IN Western countries find
Il difficult to imagine a place IKE
Russia. where you must cltber .hHut
with lhe PARTY In power. OF 81 h tali.
n the Ruasiau system applied in the
United States some suggestion to
company Il friends that thc 3aEs Mark
Hanna was not the greatest patriot
who ever lived would lead to axe ims
pfisoumsnL while - refer e. rfesi-
dsnt Roosevelt a. Teddy might lead
Co capital punishment
Therefore. 30 far az surface iudica-
tiana g.. even bsdy n Russia 7ppis dds
the party ln power. and they viii tel
you aaiCmniy that the uuapcaka be
ri~hve ~ the ErcateHt stateamun n
modern times II l. fairly safe prep
oaitlon that II actual majority -
Russian people rtaliy Do not believe
this. bat probably two thirds - this
majority take II OFT in Iuat thinking
aud never aay a wurd on tho subieet.
they knaw that words are danger
oaa This leaves = small tfaetian u
the educated puhnc q HaHaia who are
actually ID political opposition g. the
present government and arc not salts
flsa Aith merely thinking about a.
They have 20 act. aud the onIf was 20
az tn politics iH nuHaih Ia Any safety
Is 70 d u secretly.
Originally thlB movement vas prnc-
;iaaiif anarchists aud devoted itssi X
e. blowing up enarr There IL aiili an
important anarchist Hcftlnn. bat the
bulk - secret political agitation IN
Hnsaia IL far other purposes. A Hua-
sian may believe that there should be-
a house ~ iurts ard an elected par
lament 20 advise the eEnr. II he
lived ~ England and held these views
he would be considered hiEh and dry
Conservative aud supporter ~ the
throne.
In Russia. with the same views. he
r. considered a dangerous person In
fact Russians holding these vtswH get
90 consider themselves such desperate
ruvoiutlpnhfien that. instead 81 cali
fne themselves Conservative 81 LIB
erals or sons maine 4 that kind. ~hieh
they would naturally take any where
else. they call themselves Socialists
Most Russian socialism - the mild
est kno~n brand - that doctrine. Yet
20 the oaar and his advisers u IL al
niant as Bad as out-audaeut uihiliHn-
Russian socialism. therefore. iH just as
much underground as Russian uihii-
iarn. tta leaders are not even known
60 their followers except by numbers
OF b some designation which would
give no ciew 20 spisal
tm this way some - the prominent
men IN the government service Who
hold liberal Views even mcnl'eru %
the cEarH household. are affiliated
with the Socialist groups About two
manths aEo this Russian Socialist
pnrfy held a convention near Mu-cpW.
IA vas che first time anything ~ the
Kind had happened IN the history ~
the empire. and q course IL Was done
secretly.
It waH no easy matter % collect fifty
dslssntea from various parts % the
empire without attracting attention
To this day only the vaguest hints
have been given out as &C. just where
tha convention WA held and the po-
lice are kept In ignorance. Aa the
hiding place may he convenient next
ftfffFs WIS WtAN " AHf7fA -
Like an American party convention,
the delegates formulated platform
and made speeches The only thing
missing was the nomination u chndi-
dates. The delegates did not know
ANYBODY they wanted sent to Siberia
Just then. and 10 the nominations
were held back.
The platform called Tor suffrage. an
elected parliament. equal taxation. and
n number Of other things enjoyed BY
civilized people elsewhere.
one or two purely Socialist pianks
we've pot IN at tho bottom. but more
for the sake Of pleasing the radical
members than for any practical pur-
pose. This platform II now being pub
Iinhsd tn various secret printing Of
fees throughout Russia. and judicioua-
b. distributed chiefly among students
and workmen. Now and again Il finds
a way into the army, There IL not
much use IN distributing II among the
peasants, for most Of them cannot
read. bat where there are ltcrato
peasants the Socialists get recruits.
In underground Russia they do not
resort to secret signs and mysterious
Indications 10 any greater extent than
they can help. All communications.