The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-28
CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA.

AS fast as q strike Is ended another
begins or the same men go out again.
The press dispatches, though carefully
censored indicate little less than a
reign OF terror n complete anarchy
in several of the principal cities of
the empire. n authorities seem TO
be powerless to cope with the masses
of strikers and political ~agitatoTs.
Members of the royal family and CT
the aristocracy are apparently dazed
by the fearful conditions and awed by
the attitude Of the populace.
For a while following close On the
popular uprising it looked as if the
strenuous efforts Of the military and
the police had quoted the riotous
mobs, but this quiet lasted for only
n short while. The men Who return
ed to work after the first outbreak
were soon induced again TO strike and
begin violent demonstrations for the
purpose Of securing compliance with
their demands, and as the demonstra-
items proceed they become more riot
Gus. The men are fast falling into
more desperate ways and becoming
more hostilely demonstrativc in their
demands. Conditions grow worse
daily.
The Russian peasant and the .fe-
scendant of the emancipated serf have
for ages been so ground down and
so oppressed by the upper class Of
Russians. especially the officials and
the caste nobility and rich aristoc-
racy hat they for years AMI for gen
erations looked for no better treat
ment than the permission for & bare
existence They had lost all thought
Of personal privileges and equal
rights. They had pc .ome used SO
long to be looked upon and to lcok
upon themselves as the scrn Of the
earth that they did not for 4 moment
entertain the idea thai there was any
relief in store for tkem They had
come to believe that they were in
their natural and proper sphere
scarcely removed in tn scale Of civ
ilization above the wild and ave,,-
Gus beasts that roam their vast for
ests in sea:cn OF &c .~d-4seeSars after
bare s~ustanance. In fact the Wild
beasts in the royal preserves, protect
ed for the sport of royalty and aris-
tocracy, had more consideration than
the d~own-trcdden peasants. The
former could furnish sport 10 the
wealthy and The uppSs class. The
latter only ~tncroached up>1 tie nat
ural abode ct the big game, and, there
fore, were in the way IF the rl.asure
Of hos VIC preferred to hunt Wild
beasts rather tina men hecll,sa there
WIGS more excitement ana danger IN
the former pursuit by reason IF the
former h:tving more savage courage
in defense of their wild dens and O,
their lives
But the 1ccent even 5 have demon
strated to"the peasants of forest and
VI NihS liz A' L II P~"SI III t1C
lard. IEey have jus: b2gun to feel
what force theJ car WED ard, sG1ed
to this aroused consciousness Of
strength Of the masses, is the f. selling
that they have leaders, working for
political .su-o,"s as desperate tom
years of oppression as tnev them
selves haze suffered. There car be
no denial of he ta:t :l,a. there has
been recently aroused in l.us.,a a
force Of destruction. long dormant
!,ecause ignorant Of it's power, which
may wreck the emp:i.' q! 4 When once
brought to feel it's full power and per-
mitted loose re.1 tc lis t.er,.-fore IN
recognized and unknown force,
may bring about pupu.ar srsecr ment
and liberal m OF the pt'r'e from one
of the worst types # political sIsv-
cry. after Lassirg throI.n 4 state Of
anarchy, muster AMI who' .sa..e hutch
cry to whioa the Fre1";i rev. ,iuticn
and reign of tc:r,r will 'e clacsed as
mild u~pheavals of a down-tredden
people.
In co1n1c on with his internal
state Of affairs in Russia comes the
deplorabla sim Iii n m Tie far east,
20 add 20 ihc difficulties # ne gov
eminent. the E.s:!a"s nave been
Disappointed l. ne reSl,ts Of the
first year of the war. Their unex-
rected ;es have greatly embar-
raised :hc nome Sovern'n.r+. and
have added to the cause of discomfort
among the people and they
feel hat now Or never IS the
oppertune time for demanding and
enforcing from the government re-
dress Of the wrongs they have suf-
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