The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-25
AN ARMY OF GRAFTERs
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION IN RUSSIA
MAY CAUSE A REVOLUTION.


Private Property is Sacred.
st. Petersburg Letter in New York
Sun.
Here in st. Petersburg, the fate of
Russia is hanging in the balance. The
war with Japan might close to-mor-
row, and Russia's destiny would be
but little affected by the episode. All
the real elements in the crisis are
here, and here will be decided the mo-
mentous question of tn rise or fall of
tn present dynasty and government.
The words are ominous. They seem
TO imply pending revolution, but rev.
olution in the form of popular revolt
will not come. In no country on earth
are the precautions against rebellion
so complete, and nowhere else would
its attmept be so hopeless. But govern
mentS are sometimes overthrown from
the top, and this danger is never alb
sent in an autocracy which is presid-
ed over by weak and vacillating
monarch.
Anything may happen in Russia; it
is usually the unexpected thing.
Should it become apparent that the
Grand Ducal cabal still controls the
imperial policy, then the immediate
outlook for Russia will indeed be crit
ical. Unhappily, there are no indi-
cations that the sinister influence is
waning.
But Russia is great in men and in
patriotism, as well as in natural re-
sources. The conspiracy against her
is becoming daily more clearly defined
and better understood by Russians of
high degree, who love their country
and who would rescue her from plum
derers and from impending disaster.
1t is becoming more and more evident
that only drastic remedies can accom-
plish her salvation. Courage to apply
them is necessary and is not lacking,
but the difficulties in the way are al
most insuperable.
The dissatisfaction in high places is
greater in the provinces than in st.
Petersburg. The army is by no
means free from it.
Corrupt Public Service.
Russia is honest in the non-criminal
sense of the word. 1t is an honesty
of compulsion, perhaps. but this form
of Russian tyranny" is Just and
equitable. Only in its public service
is the country hopelessly corrupt, and
there the corruption exists by tacit
consent and it is willingly universal
You may rob the state with impun-
lty, but private property is sacred
That seems to be in practice, if not
in theory, the Russian code. The adj
miral who buys coal for his ships in
a foreign port secures as vouchers
through a middleman receipts for a
much larger sum than the actual price,
and he and certain of his subordinates
pocket the difference. Almost every
contractor who furnishes supplies must
frfhi1fa IN cH1nia1c a,,a
the full actual value of the goods, or
even more, and the price to the gov.
eminent is increased accordingly
There is apparently a peculiar moral
differentiation between swindling and
direct theft. Thus such operations as
those just mentioned are considered
quite CONNIE il faut. But a minor Off
cial who embezzles from public funds
an his charge runs great danger of
severe punishment on detection.
Even the boldest of such crimes,
however, often go unpublished. The
last great robbery of the publicly SUBJ
scribed Red Cross funds one of the
most detestable national scandals of
the time, has brought no retribution
to the high-placed thieves. These
thefts, according to common report,
of the whole sum contributed in Rus
STA and abroad.
AS it is in high places so it is in
low. Every minor official must have
his bit. His methods are different, for
in most cases he has no opportunity
to plumber indirectly the public purse.
If he is included in the general ma
chine that draws dividends from the
payment of contracts he gets a pro-
portion of the graft, according to his
position. If his duties have to do with
the enforcement of laws and regula-
tions then he blackmails the public
precisely in accordance with the sys-
tenn of Tammany in it's worst days.
Ministers Great Powers.
Not only is the Car himself free
from the trammels of the law in gov
erning his empire. but he extends the
same exemption to his ministers. This
extension of authority is described
thus:
Ministers in cases not admitting of
delay may exceed the limits of their
legal authority and are only bound
subsequently to prove the urgency OF
the measures adopted. The legislation
of recent years has more and more
frequently left 1t to the ministers to
issue orders not only for the fulfill
ment of existing laws, but also for
their application, as the law deter
mines only general principles and ne
cessitates the elaboration of details by
means of ministerial circulars.
In principle, ministers may not try any
person or impose punishment, but in
detail this rule is subject to certain
material exceptions"
As a matter of fact, the prisons OF
st. Petersburg, especially the fortress
of st. Peter and st. Paul, are crowded
to-day with prisoners, held without
trial by administrative order.
The great majority of public servants
are simply useless parasites upon the
body polite. In no other country has
the bureaucracy developed into such
an immense burden upon the state. No
where else has every public function
been reduced to such an involved and
absurd system of circumlocution.
There are two methods OF dealing
with individuals or groups, whom the
government may regard as dangerous.
One Is repression I'm some fofm-ban-
ishment to Siberia or a distant prov
ince; the other is 10 add them 10 is
own ranks. as feeders from the public
crib.
The latter plan has been followed 10
an extent that Is almost beyond belize.
Department after department has been
created, hive after hive OF great office
buildings has been built IN 81. Peters
burg for this purpose. II II said 20
be literally true, for instance, that
there are as many clerks upon the pay
roll Of the Ofice for dog licenses IN
~ Petersburg as there are dogs ~
The capital
Unparalleled csaftinR.