The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-10
FATE OF RUSSIA
HANGS IN BALANCE
Resume of Events Leading Up
TO Present trouble
BEGAN THREE YEARS AGO
Fight for Popular Freedom from Yoke
of AbsoIutsm Has Really Been
Waaed for Hundred
Years.
BEGAN THREE YEARS AGO

ST. Petersburg, April 15.-lCorrespond-
enee of the Associated Press. 1.-THE fol-
lowing interesting article upon the pres
enf political situation in Russia was writ
ten for the Associated Press by one OF the
most prominent and active liberals IN
the empire. He is large landed proprie-
tor a marshall of nobility. with a man
sion III Petersburg, but distinctly a man
Of the provinces. He had large share
IN drafting the famous zemstvo memorial
and his words VIII have added interest
When il is stated that after bloody Sun
day when The liberals were talking of
a provisional government, his name was
on every lip. Should this he a consttu-
tional regime i'll Russia, his name and
fame will loom large
Writing of the present Russian political
movement from the standpoint OF rad
teal representative from the interior OF
Russia, 1t is necessary first to Indicate
the historical conditions of the life of
our country, in consequence of which
our economic and social development are
distinguished by great irregularity, both
as To time and to extent
Those districts which have remained
farthest behind eeonomlcany and So
enlly are least inclined to yield to the
general political fermentation which is
taking hold of the country. Inc central
agricultural districts of Russia, including
the governments of kaluga. Tula, Orel
Ryazan and Simblrsk, where serfdom was
most pronounced has yielded least to the
destructive and creative forces of mod
ern industrialism. But the whole extern
siVe territory of the Nolga BASIN the
northwest and Baltic provinces, the TRIAL
districts and Poland, the whole south
and the Caneasus-in a word almost the
whole great periphery of the country ex-
cept the distant and thinly populated Dor
ders advanced, in the last half of the
Nineteenth century, rapidly and decisive
ly along the road of capitalistic and in
dustrial development. Greater complex
ity of life was naturally accompanied
by increased eomplexity of social rela-
lions, the grouping of classes, the con-
eentration of public forces and the deep
stirring of political self-eonselousness.
Now only Central Russia. where exist
practically only the two classes-the inert
and ignorant peasantry and the nobil-
ity-true to The traditions of days of serf-
dom, hold more a1oof from the great
| political movement which has taken pos
session of the reminder of the conn-
| try In essence the present political move
! ment in Russia is a fight of the adj
vanced classes of the people against the
| autOcrattc- Conference.-The governmental or
ganizaton OF the country. Having grown
| up and strengthened itself upon the con-
dition of serfdom, the Russian bureau-
| craey has developed to the maximum all
the negative qualities which naturally in
! here in bureaucracy and has become an
| all-poWerful autoeratie machine, overy-
| where opposed to the true interests OF
| the people. Nevertheless the development
of the life of the people the classes. with
| sharply defined and mutually antagon-
istic interests, has gone on The rapid
| development of the mill and manufactur-
| ing industry, zealouslY projected and en-
eoura ged by the government has created
an industrial bourgeosie and proetariat.
The capitalization of agriculture also Gre
ated strong and-owning class The gov
ernment's protection of the manufaetur-
ing industry WAS considered harmful to
agriculture aud soWed antagonlsm be-
tween the agricultural ana industrial
bourgeose Nevertheless all classes, in
| spite of the mutual conflict of economic
interests, at the present moment have
Joined in a common endeavor to attain
great common purpose. representing
the real creative forces or the country,
| they will no longer consent to political
| slavery. They wish to transform them
| selves from mere servants of the bu-
! reaucracy, i'm whose hands they are as
| clay into true citizens possessed of full
| political and civic rights.
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