New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-11
ALL GOVERNMENTS EVIL.
Count Tolstoy's Utopian Scheme to
Improve Conditions.

London, March 1O.-Count Tolstoy in a letter to
THE Times" which will be published tomorrow
morning, will say that he regards not only the
Russian government, but all governments, as lin
tricate institutions sanctifed by tradition
tom for the purpose of committing by violence
and with impunity the most dreadful social crimes.
He therefore thinks the efforts of those who wish
improve social life should be directed TO the
liberation of themselves from the governments
whose futlity in these times is becoming and
obvious This object only be obtained
by the unique means of religiously and morally
perfecting separate individuals.
The idea. he says, is prevalent that the evil
complished by the pre- sent particularly coarse
cruel, stupid and deceitful Russian government is
due TO the fact that Russian rule is not organized
the model of other existing governments, which
ARE similar institutions for the comnttal of all
kinds of crimes against their peoples For the
purpose OF correcting this the people hayE used all
the means at their disposal, imagining that an
alteration of the external forms might alter the
essence" Such activity, Count Tolstoy says is
ineXpedent and unreasonable, in that the people
assert rights which they do not have.
Violent conflict by external means the part of
an insignificant handful of men against a powerful
government defending its life is only comicai from
the point view of the possibility of success and
piteous as regards the unfortunate. misled ind-
viduas who perish in the unequal strife. The Rus
sian government has right to claims which do
not appeal to the great mass of the people One
hundred million of the peasantry need nothing of
these demands. their desire and expectation
being the liberation of the land from the law of
property, common ownership of land, matters
which entirely ignored in Liberal petitions and
speeches, and only incidentally alluded to in the
revolutionary socalistic programme
Concerning the representation demands, Count
Tolstoy says:
The people in great mass still believe In autocracy
both by reason Of inertia and because they think
that only through autocracy and through the Gar
can they attain this communications of land. The
ei flc IVY Is Perllous because 1t dstracts
individuals whereby only can be Outlined the OBJ
Jects toward which those who are lighting the gov
eminent are striving:
One cannot participate in political action, which
and spite extending to murder PotieaI cfio St6e
only falls to contribute to the liberation of men
trary renders the people more incapable of that
Vigor which only can liberate them.
Light minded people judging supericiay, espe-
cially those upset BY the butchery in St. Peters
the despotisIn Of the government; and if the a1i
tocratic monarchcal form of the Russian gov
can one, then such events could not be repeated.
But the cnieI Gaiamty RON which the Russian
but the reckless disgraceful cruel war instgated
already has destroyed hundred of thousands OF
Russians imposes an enormous tax upon the labor
Petersburg January p is nothing in comparison
to what is taking place in Manchuria.
In conclusion, Count ToIstoy says that in Amer
ica France Germany Japan and England the
perncious character of the governments is so
marked that those belonging to those nations point
to events in Russia and naIvely imagine what is
done in Russia is done only in Russia while they
enjoy complete freedom and need Improvement
of their positions. He adds:
But they are in the host hopeless state of
slavery-the slavery of slaves who do not under-
stand that they slaves, and pride themselves
on their position as slaves. The fact is that every
unnecessary evil. Therefore the aim both of the
one form Of government by another but to free
themselves from every government and abolish it.