The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-19
SASONEFF TELLS WHY
He KILLED M. Won PLEHVE
CONTINUED from thirteenth Paue)

CONTINUED from Thirteenth Pane)
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arrange that the exploitation of the
worlkmen by the employers and the inhab-
itants in general by the state should be
as small as possible. We come to the
people with our peace ideals and present
them in such a manner that they can see
their best interests and teach them to
find for themselves the best means of
fighting for those ideals Without us there
were strikes accompanied by the breaking
of machines and also without us there ex-
listed disorders during which landlords
were killed. We try as much as possible
to keep the workmen and peasants from
using force, and to teach them to fight
for their ideals in a peaceful way. The
trouble does not come from what we
teach the people, but from the fact that
they are in a totally different position
before the law to the landowners and
labor employers.
''rhe exploitation is protected by the
law and the lighting against exploita-
tion is to fight against the laws. We So
cialists do not insist ON the people taking
our views. We only want to tell them the
truth. The means by which we agitate
are of a peaceful character We express
our views by means of the press and by
means of speech We hate and despise all
kinds of violence. We are certain that to
struggle against a conviction is useless.
| as you can fight it as much as you like,
| cruelty 1t. wipe off the face of the world
| its originators, but 1t will always arise
| again. stronger than before.
Our relations to the state are in real
ity Indifferent, If only the people had the
right to talk freely and fight for their
own interests, and these rights not taken
away from the socialists. Where the pub
| lie and declared socialists have that right
equally the conditions Of the states do
not suffer from the soeialistic propa-
| ganda, but there, also, the rich cry out
| against the struggles of the interior enc
mics of the country.
German Socialists Are Lucky.
"some factions of the German social
| lists so much hate the word revolution
| that they try to do away with It, declar-
| ing this conception as prejudice of the
events of by-gone times. Lucky are the
| German socialists.
us it our fault if we Russian socialists
are forced to become revolutionists? All
our efforts at peaceful activity are met
with persecution on the part of the state.
| There was a time in the ninetieS when
many of the socialistic factions abstain
ed from talking with the workmen on
and did not leave the narrow limits of the
| workmens needs. However, for their
work they were also declared state GRIM
| inals
Russian socialists have learned by ex-
perience that the rights of speaking ones
mind freely is not to be had in the Rus
sian empire. Consequently, together with
their aims, the Russian socialists have
made 1t their duty to try to attain such
conditions in the empire as will make 1t
possible to talk and write freely in ac-
cordance with individual views.
''Such right is not only dear to us
socialists, but also for the whole of Rus
STA. Even If we socialists did not exist
the need would nevertheless exist. Social
opinion has no adequate means Of MAX
ing itself heard in Russia That which the
Russian press speaks of daily cannot be
called an expression of Russian social
opinion, because only one party can talk
freely, and so freely that it becomes for
intelligent people joke. OF the Russian
social opinion one can Judge only by those
occurrences where the press is subject to
punishment.
Yearns for Freedom to Speak.
Social opinion yearns for freedom to
speak of those questions which are for
hidden to the press Social opinion speaks
eloquently in those cases where the news
papers are bIackened out by the censor,
when they are stopped and when they are
subjected to reprimand and finally sup
pressed. The Russian social opinion OBJ
jects when the presidents of the zemstvo
towns at the meetings forbid the speakers
to treat vital questions in accordance with
their views and opinions. Russian social
opinion is only free when II Is handcuffed
and speaks eloquently only when it is
silent. Therefore, we Russian socialists
and reyplutionists count ourselves. In the
moral right to assert that in Russia the
government does not allow the majority
of the people to speak freely, that 1t does
not represent their opinion and acts
against the wishes and wants of the ma
jority and that 1t does not fulfil its pur-
poses,
Preach What Is Essential.
"Of this last we are compelled to tell the
people. We are compelled to spread the
idea of changing the existing order of
things In Russia. We preach what is is
essential for the people. the right freely to
aid their needs through the press and
meetings; the right to discuss and make
| laws, the right to control the state ex-
penses. Ye, we revolutionists preach this
| and consequently preach a totally differ.
ent condition than that existing at pre-
preaching. Our weapons are the printing
press and word of mouth Where is the
forcible doing away with the existing re-
gime? Who is it that uses force? We or
somebody else?
I'VE have not time to make ourselves
| heard before our mouths are shut, and for
| a word we are sent to prison or Siberia.
Our press is called Illegal The authors
of the articles, even the typographists.
| know of the sad life in Siberia. The SIM
pie reading of our brochures is regarded
| by the state as criminal.
Prosecuted as Government Criminals.
I'VE are prosecuted as government
criminals and subject to punishment for
| participation in club meetings where we
discuss our tasks. We are subjected to
humiliating corporal punishment, beaten
with knouts, trampled over with horses
and fired on when we decide to come out
into the air to declare publicly our views
| and express our demands.
I'VE are debarred the protection of the
law We are declared interior enemies of
the people and political criminals, al
though this is not one and the same thing.
Eyes there is much force used, far too
much, but which side uses it?
Do Not Use Force.
Therefore, let them not say that the
party of social revolutionists is trying to
obtain something by means of force
Neither in the aim of the party nor in the
thing like force Perhaps force refers to
that moment when the final ideals of the
party will be near attainment, when the
oil he I4a