Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-06-23

! sian province OF rlnlanu, MS ueatn
r wound, will not avail to modify the
relentless despotism enthroned at
St. Petersburg.
Schaumann is the son of one of
the Finnis senators and is said to be
a member of the Finnish Patriotic
society. Schaumann, like other pat
riots, burning to avenge the loss of
Finland's liberties, would see, upon
reflection, that assassinations under
Russian rule work no betterment for
the oppressed peoples, but rather
stimulate the liberty-crushing pro-
clivities of the oppressors. Thus it
has been with the nihilistic assassin
atoms in Russia.
The case Of Finland is peculiarly
int eresting. 1t has been ninety five
years since Gustavus ", of Sweden,
coded to Alexander |, of Russia, all
Finland and the Aland islands, the
car receiving the country with a
formal pledge, entailed upon his
successors, to protect the Firms in
their religion Lutheran, laws and
liberties.
The successors of Alexander |,
until the present understanding and
alleged peace loving czar Nicholas
assembled the throne, recognized the
pledge with tolerGble fidelity and
the Firms held on to most of their
old liberties, but five years ago Mich
olas entered upon a detestable course
of repression, requiring all Finnish
legislation affecting Finland to be
subjected to the scrutiny of the
imperial state council, SO gagging
the provincial legislature. Obliga-
tory military service for FIVE years
was ordered, the men liable to SER
vice outside of Finland, and the
troops being put under the orders of
the Russian war minister. A little
later the car ordered the r ussian
language to be substituted for the
Finnish as the official tongue, and
when the senate objected, that legis-
lative body was placed under the
control of the Russian governor
general, who thus was made head of
the Finnish judicial system. Last
year the cza gave Governor General
Bobrikoff full dictatorial powers and
now every public institution in Fin
land has to use the Russian language,
although there are only 5000 per-
sons who speak Russian, out of the
2, 100000 inhabitants of the pro-
vince.
1t looks, under such conditions, as
if Finnish freedom were a disap-
pearing privilege, and the assassina
ton of Bobrikof, yesterday, at Hell
singfors, will doubtless hasten the
process of classification. Finland
looks the fate of Poland in the face.
Gustavus w, who handed Finland
to Russia in 1909, did not con-
suit the best interests of Sweden in
so, any than he consulted
the best interests of Finland. With
Russia, Finland has no affinity what
ever, either in language, race or his
but, when the congress of
Vienna undertook to rearrange the
map of Europe after Napoleon had
been carving it up to suit his own
ideas, they let her keep it under the
preposterous notion which
united the Dutch and Belgians under
the house of Orange, knowing that
the two people were foreign nations
to each other and never could be
tremendously tied together, as they
discovered later. The car, whom
Mazzini called "a dalai lama in uni
form and jack boots" is, however,
used to ethical varieties and, if a
newly absorbed nationality does not
fit the place he assigns Il, he simply
uses the knout and knife to make it
fit. The Poles, Jews and Firms are
examples of the cars skill in sur
gerry, SO to peak.-Minneapolis
Journal Friday