Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-15


ONCE: 117-119 East Second street.
Telephone editorial or business Of
flcel No. "A,
Address the Courier Printing Co.. Of
tumwa. Iowa.
Entered as second class matter oc-
toher II. 1908. at the postoffica Ottun-
wa. Iowa. under the Act of Congress of
March 3. 1879.
THE CARS DILEMMA.
The world is only beginning to un-
derstand the truth Of the conditions
connected with the Russo-J Japanese
war and to learn the inside facts re-
garding the dilemma in which the
ozar OF the Russians now finds him
self. With a war upon his hands, in
which he is handicapped by distance
from the. base of supplies, incompe-
tency on the part Of his generals. I'M
willingness Of his soldiers to fight for
their fatherland, and early humiliation
Of his fighting forces upon the water,
Nicholas faces also condition in his
own domain which amounts almost to
a rebellion AS the monster, interna-
tionaI warfare. swallows thousands
upon thousands of men in the orient,
the Russian government turns to the
reserves to take the places of those
who have fallen, but instead of patri-
otto. fire and eagerness to get to the
front there exists not only lack of
enthusiasm but open rebellion against
the orders calling out the guards. In
more than one case, companies of sol
diers corresponding to the militia in
America have refused to obey the or
der to proceed to the orient and the
result has been pitched battles with
the loyal troops come to enforce the
cars commands.
Such a condition cannot exist long.
Secret plotting against the empire,
such as the nihilists have been carry
Ing on for years. could go on and on
forever and never reach beyond the
portals of the basement meeting
places Of the enemies of autocracy. In
activity can continue forever but once
signifies must either survive or fail.
Its existence in the open creates lead
ers and as all the plotters have been
awaiting only this the fight begins.
This is borne out by history.
Such, then, is the condition which
now exists in Russia. The enemies Of
the, throne. who are not alone the nj
hilists, have chosen a most opportune
time. The Russian. grown to mis-
trust everyone as his enemy, through
years of oppression and abuse, sees
his only hope for salvationSin the sue
cess sof the socialistic movement. The
leaders are there. They come from
; the ranks Of the students. They have
eloquence and the knack at planning
to- win the confidence of the masses,
and they are steadily bringing their
followers about them preparatory to
the great outbreak against the gov
eminent. They have no faith in the
zemstvo representatives. whose forte
seems to be rather the adoption Of
resolutions than the urging of their
approval. They are for action. They
declare they have waited too long.
And the coming people of Russia,
whether the move is right or wrong,
are ripe to accept just such leadership
and to follow the red flag or rebellion,
no matter where it leads. Oppressed,
bullied, browbeaten all their lives, they
fear no greater defeat than return to
ClS Olu COlOlIlOuS duu CuSy nope IOT
success will bring them the
longed for social democracy of which
their student orators preach and of
which they have dreamed since the
first whispering Of the nihilists' plots.
An opportune time, surely, is the one
that has been chosen for the demon
STATIONS against the empire. With q
campaign Of disaster for Russia just
closing in the orient with each sue
ceeding day bringing new tidings OF
defeat. with the government calling,
calling increasingly for troops to take
the places of those who have fallen
in the struggle with Japan, Nicholas
faces crisis not only in the orient
but in his own nation. The throne of
the Russians is tottering. The fate Of
all tyrants awaits the czar and his
family If defeat is their portion, and
capitulation is impossible. The people
in their present mood will not listen
to a proposition for a compromise.
They must be defeated or they must
win. There is no halfway measure
that will now suffice.
Then what will the end be?Who can
say? The world, with its incomplete
understanding of the real conditions
of Russia because of the restriction Of
speech and press. can only think that
the rebellious subjects are mainly in
the right. There may be another side
to the case but it is not clear. 1t is
true that the radical measures pro-
posed blythe leaders would be doomed
to defeat in many another nation, but
Russia is different from all the others
The only sure preventive, short Of ut
ter rout Of the revolutionists at the
outset is a victory in the war with
Japan. The struggle in the orient and
the consequent drafting of men toI
hasten to the front. has fastened the
crisis. The war is the direct though
not the basic cause for the present
condition of affairs. This is shown
by the proclamations which brought
about Sundays riots and which