The Washington times., 1905-05-08

Of severe repressive measures Russia
is steadily veTging 10 the bloodiest up
heaVaI known TO history. Only a rec
ognition of the true state of the popu-
lar mind by the bureaucracy and grant
ing of q constitutional government can
stem the tide Of revolt.
Such is the opinion of one of the most
prominent and active liberals in the
empire. He is Il large landed proprie-
tor, a marshal of the nobility. with
mansion in St. Petersburg, but distinct
" a man of the provinces. lie had a
large share in drafting the famous
zemstvo memorial, and after the
Bloody Sunday" when the liberals
We're talking OF a provisional govern
ment, his name was on every lip.
Should there be a constitutional regime
in Russia his name and fame will loom
large.
His Name a Secret.
With the stipulation, for obvious rea-
sons, that his name be not used, he
has written the following article upon
the present crisis confronting Russian
people and its probable outcome:
I'm essence the present political
movement in Russia is fight of the
the atic-bureaucratic government
tai organization of the country. Hav-
ing grown up and strengthened itself
upon the condition of serfdom, the
Russian bureaucracy has developed tos
the maximum all the negative quail
ties which naturally inheIe in bureau
cracy and has become an aII-powerful
machine everywhere opposed
to the true interests of the people
Nevertheless the development of the
life Of the people. the classes. with
sharply defined and mutually antago-
nistic interests, has gone on. The rapid
development of the mill and manufac-
turing industry, zealously protected and
encouraged by the government, has
created an Industrial bourgeoise and
proIetariat.
Long Fight for Freedom.
THE capitalization of agriculture also
created strong land-owning class The
protection of the manufac-
turing industry was considered harmful
TO agriculture and eowed antagonisTn
be tween the agricultural and Industrial
bourgeoise. Nevertheless. all classes, IN
spite of the mutual conflict OF economic
interests. at the present moment have
Joined in a common endeaVor TO attain
a great common purpose.
Representing the real creative forces
Of the country, they vii, no longer con
sent TO political slavery. They wish
TO transform themselves from mere
servants of the bureaucracy-in whose
hands they are as elay-into true cfti-
Eens possessed OF full political and civic
rights.
The fight for popular freedom from
the yoke OF absolutisIn has a deep root
for nearly one hundred years. now
burning bright in 4 moment OF high
effort, by the best and noblest forces
OF the nation, again dying out in the
darkness OF reaction.
Growing for Three Years.
THE political movement, however,
which during the past few months has
aroused the whole Russian society.
really became sharply defined two or
three years @go The movement for
freedom grew irresistibly in extent and
broke through the surface. But the
government was not asleep. Led by
Plehve. it tndcfatigaoly carried on an
energetic and, one might say. heroic,
fight with the internal enemies Pris-
ems, deportation, the galley. foggIng,
bullets. and gallows-aH were brought
into play against the revolutionary
movement.
educated reVolutionaries filled the pris-
ons or were dcDorted. Administrative
order and bureaucratic tribunals could
hardly keep pace. over the corpses Of
its own faithful servants the govern
u-ent marched infexibly TO the gloom
lest reaction. Z he radical provincials.
leaders OF the liberal movement, like
the reNOluti0naTieS were subjected to
punishment But all was in vain: in
spite OF all the terrible repressions the
discomfort rapidly spread, broader and
deeper, the liberal classes became
stronger. the hydra of revolution was
not TO be killed
War Cloud lowers.
In the fall of 1903 the clouds Of war
lowered over the Far East. The pos
sibility of war with Japan approached
BY means of wise concessions Russia
could have avoided it. But. over The
volcano of widespread public discon-
tent, the government allowed itself TO
be seduced by extraYagant plans Of an
ultra-ag aggressive foreign policy. cherish
ing the hope in this way of guarding
and even strengthening its prestige in
the international concert and its credit
on the European bourSes
In addition there is reason To suppose
that PlehVe, who exercised q tremendous
influence on the entire governmental pol
icy was for war. He had DerhaDs his
definite object. namely. by means Of war
10 crush the internal liberal and revoIu-
troubles. He probably thought
TO GROWN ana eAtlnBnISh IN the streams
OF the peoples blood and IN the fame
Of chauvinism the understandable thirst
for freedom among the people.
War Fatal to Bureaucracy.
1.-The war was decided upon. but the
stupendous task Of war fatally disclosed
all The internal helplessnees of The
which had laid claim To
War demanded popular
support, and this the souIless. dead de-
partmentaI mechanism could not give.
THE result was terrible defeat after
defeat on land and the complete de-
struction of the feet on the sea, indus
trial PARALYSIS d home, three external
loans. the fall of the prestige IN Europe
and the still stronger growth of the
for freedom in The interior
In the beginning of January this
year in St Petersburg broke OUT ard
grew a general strike of the mill and
factory workmen. 1T began ON economic
grounds. but soon became inextricab
involved with the popular demands FOR
political freedom and constitution
losing its head the government
answered the peaceful. though imposing
of the workmeu by rife
ToIieys. In the blood Of thousands of
their killed and wounded brothers the
Russian proletafiat received its first rev.
baptism The workInen's
movement spread in great waves over