Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-04-28

languages. The government in the
province OF Samara in the fortes OF
the last century established, as mat
ter of experiment, l03 villages based
on the system Of individual ownership.
Each household received a valuable
allotment of 105 acres OF land. In
1890, out Of those 103 villages, the
peasants in ~ had notified the au-
thorilies OF the government they were
desirous of introducing the village
community. In the light OF the fore
going facts, some Of our readers may
be unable to understand why there is
SO much trouble in Russia in labor
circles. The artels exist under feudal
conditions; out of which modern COM
meIcalism was evolved; associations
were formed under the regime of feu-
dalism with common purpose in
view, such as completing a piece OF
work in its entirety, for the building of
a church, the establishment OF a mar.
ket-place in some city or village, etc.
Those associations were usually termed |
guilds in the countries OF western Eu-
rope. For twenty years after the abo.
lltlon OF serfdom in Russia, in the |
year 1861, there was strong tendency
towards tine individual ownership OF |
land. Then the breeze blew in the
opposite direc ton, towards communal |
ownership, or the establishment OF the |
village community. In different parts !
o. the empire resolutions were passed
to the effect that the lands owned in
dividually by peasants, should there
after become common property. In
the majority OF instances, the rich and |
privileged classes preferred individual
ownership, which was encouraged by
the government. In the Taurida ter
ritory, statisticians found that, be.
tween 1855 and 1885. peasant proprie.
tors had introduced communal owner.
ship in l6l villages. In Middle Rus
sia in 1850, peasants who had for
many years held lands in severalty
voluntarily surrendered their holdings
and returned to ownership in common.
When it became necessary to dig ca.
nails, irrigating bitches and the con.
struction OF great dams, men and wo.
men, the we'll to do and the poor,
turned out en- naasse, worked for a
common end, each sharing alike in the
collective benefits. No policemen
were needed to maintain order. Hard.
ships, however, came when the tax
collectors appeared; sometimes caus-
ing the inhabitants of whole villages
to flee to the great steppes.
Tolstoi has for many years argued
strenuously in favor of communal ow-
nership in land, claims that the soil is
the gift of the Creator to His children
for their use, and not to the few for
speculation and profit.
During the last decade, the intro.
duction of modern improved machin.
cry into the empire, especially at the
great centers of population, brought
large manufacturing plants and many
thousands Of employees together. The
employing class in order to compete
with other nations in the sphere
OF the production of commodities,
wanted their help to work long hours
and for low wages. while the workers
on the other hand desired better pay
and shorter hours Of labor; hence
strikes and contentious such as are
going on in many parts OF the COM
mercial world to-day.
These conditions compelled the la
borers to organize themselves into
unions tor mutual benefit and pro.ec-
ton. Since the massacre in st. Pc
tersburg on January 22d of this year,
students and agitators have been &C.
tive in spreading the socialistic propo.
ganda among proletarian wage-workers
and the peasants. A celebrated French
writer recently made use of this Ian.
guage:
"When some years ago, l saw in
great factory in Belgium machines,
tools and locomotives being manufac.
tured for Russia. thought to myself
these are the revolutionary microbes
that old Europe is injecting into the
veins of the feudal Russian COLOSSUS.
Perhaps for little
time the military bureaucracy OF the
Russian empire may be able to resist
the revolutionary microbe. But this
will only be for moment. The con.
demnation of the feudal regime is ire
vocable."
THE Rereile is greatly surprised at
the paucity of Imagination disclosed
in the romances OF the sporting cor
respondents accompanying the Presi.
dent. The idea OF killing a rattle
snake with quirt, and only after six
la khot |