The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-13
THE SLAVONIC FICTION.

THE SLAVONIC FICTION.
F0reigners. Mostly Germans, VINO mule
and Have Ruled the Russaan Empire.
81. PsrzssBuso, July so.-As Russia's
troubles multiply and one part Of her
political machinery Is no sooner patched
up than another breaks down, the men
inside the Government are beginning to
got up the case for the defense. We have
had Mr.. witte himself laying 1t down that
Russia has to be judgedby standards entirely
different from those that apply to any other
country.
It was put forward a. an excuse for the
short lived nomination Of his predecessor
on the peace mission, NJ. Muravieh, that be
had .slavonic name glorious In Russian
history and that Whites 'Courland name
was handicap when It came to Russia
having TO SEQ her representative sign q
confession Of defeat. And 30 with Baron
Rosen, the papers took pains to explain
that, though be had q German name, his
grandfather was q Deoembrist patriot,
tract the constitution from Nicholas I.
eighty years ago.
This emphasizing Of Russian tradition
as something that must keep her history
outside Of the currents that affect other
nations is not new. but the theory Is going
to be worked as the great justification OF
the present regime. Yet it Is not difficult
to produce abundant evidence not only
that this doctrine has no truth in 1t to-day
but, furthermore, that It was never more than
a useful fiction BUILT up by men Of many
races. who found it a handy explanation
Of the conquests and adventures which
their native energy and easy surroundings
tempted them to undertake.
Peter the Greats career Of expansion.
which started the appetite for the 'russif-
cation Of the smaller peoples who were
his neighbors, was generally conducted
by men who were not Russians at all. When
he went to Holland to study ship carpentry
he left his whole empire in charge Of a
Scotchman named Patrick Gordon. En-
tire provinces in the south were conquered
for Peter by full blooded negro whom
he had bought on the slave market In Con-
stantinople. baptized Hannibal and pro-
noted to be General.
Catherine the Seconds exploits in Rus
sia's name were carried through by just
such a group OF high spirited adventures
from all parts Of the earth as Peter loved
to have around him. With her they were
mostly Germans, for she herself was pure
German on both sides.
So 1t was all through the Panslavist
chapters Of Russian history, when soldiers
and statesmen who were not Slavs at all
were working to force on the smaller
nationalities around Russia's frontiers
system which they called Slavonic, but
might as we'll have called by any other
name as 1t was simply the system evolved
by their own experience as the lkelieet
to secure the business Of government and
generalship as their own exclusive affairs.
The upper ranks OF the Russian bureau-
cracy to-day are plentifully supplied with
the sons of naturalized foreigners, mostly
Germans. At the Foreign ONCE not only
is Count Lamsdorf member OF the noR-
Slavonic landowning class, but the man
who really typifiee what the foreign world
understands by Russian diplomacy. Won
Hartwig, head OF the Asiatic Department,
is man of wholly Gerpan extraction, the
regular Prussian official, who lives in and
for his department.
In the diplomatic service some OF the
foremost champions Of aggressive Russian
expansion in the questions that led up to
this war have been men Of non-Russian
families. Lessar and Planoon, who made
it their business to overawe the Chinese
imperial court with stories OF Russia's
might from the legation Mt Pekin, were Of
Levantine and French extraction.
The new Russian War Minister, Roe
digger, is another Of the German school,
In the army where the tradition Of Russian
glory is most deeply rooted the bias against
foreigners is widespread. Most men who
saw the early fighting in Manchura agree
that the most competent Of Kuropatkin's
Generals was the unfortunate Stackelberg.
He was set to do impossible tasks, such
as, with 30. 900 men, to force the Japanese
to raise the siege Of Port Arthur and he
was left to withstand the hardest blows
at Liaoyang. He is Baltic province
Lutheran, the sound. scientific General Of
the German staff type
The leave-it-to-chance orthodox Slav had
as little in common with him as with Grpen-
berg, the gallant old Swede who was treated
with as black ingratitude by Kuropatkin
as the latter was by the Gar.
ment Of Russia for the Russians holds good.
The political side OF the Government Is in
its personnel a racial mixtlre-more 80 even
than the names indicate.
Loris Melikoh, the great reform Minister,
who drew up a constitution for Alexander
in fact, an American by both parents.
Prince Sviatopolk Mirsky, Russian OF
historic family, was the Minister who more
than any other single man gave the present
zemstvo campaign it's opportunity and
direction. 1t is Illustrative OF the entire
history Of Russian administration that
Plehve, half German, half Pole, should
have stood as the implacable opponent
OF western access to Holy Russia. and that
Russian chieftains for centuries and not a
tax manipulating bureaucrat. stood for
political liberty and unfettered access to
the experience OF the rest Of the world.
Russian Liberals recognize the mixture
OF races and welcome It, They regard all
the talk OF the mysterious Slav destiny.
to understand which White says one should
be born and bred In the country, as 80 much
humbug.
1t is serviceable enough fiction to fighten
timid reformers from interfering with the
bureaucratic preserves. II the distin-
guished defenders Of the Slavonic idea
which the Slavs themselves are not greatly
interested In should cease to get rich out
Of the public taxes one may expec; them
about the same time to cease preaching
about their lofty mission Of protecting the
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