The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-01-28
IS IT REVOLUTION OR A MOB.

1t is natural that there should be Il
comparison between the uprising of the
workingmen Of st. Petersburg and the
commencement of the French revOlu-
ton. 1t is not, however, certain at this
time whether the affair of last Sunday
WAS revolution Or only an cmuete or
uprising. The difference between a
revolution and an uprising is found in
the result to which they lead. \ revo-
luton is an earthquake of the people;
it is an idea armed with the sword;
revolution is the uprising of the great
mass of the people against minor
fraction, ana an elnucte or uprising is
he instruction Of Il small fraction
l.ainSt the whole. One goes down in
history as Il revolution: the other as
| mob, or. ut the most. !; rebellion.
The leaders of the one are recorded
is heroes; the leaders of the other:
rnitors. 1t remains to be seen wheth-
~ or not the inSurrectiOn in st. Peters
burg shall be recorded as Il revolution
nr as a mob. If it succeeds it's lead
rrs. Father Gopin and the writer
Gorky. will go down in history us he
roeS. If it fails. history, which is writ
ton by the victors, will designate these
men as traitors. If the insurrecton
succeeds these men will he the found
Of c,1r
are likely to spend the remainder of
their lives in Siberia.
The ins,lrrcction has many of the
carmarks of n revolution. The Boston
massacre in ITO was the forerunner
OF the American revolution, although
it was not until five years afterwards,
in 1775, at Lexington and Concord, that
the real revolution commenced, and not
until eight years after that that Wash
ington and his followers were acknowl-
edged as patriots. The American revo-
luton, although partly due to economic
causes. was mainly in it's inception n
contest for political right. And so it Is
that the present insurrection in st.
Petersburg resembles the French revo-
luton more than the American. There
were but a comparatively few people
engaged in the American revolution,
while the present insurrection, if it de-
vclopcs into revolution, effects 100000,
600 of people Like the French revolu-
ton in it's inception, the causes are
mainly economic. In 1887 the working
men Of Paris petitioned the BOurbons
for redress Of their grievances, and for
that purpose assembled in the Fau-
bourg Saint Antoine. and the result
was massacre. Two years afterwards
the French revolution was in full
swing. In 1877 the French petitioned
their sovereign that a representative as
sembly which had formerly existed III
France but which had been suppressed
by the Bourbons, be again summoned.
| The request was denied with shot and
But the day was near at hand when
, the French soldiery would refuse to
slay their brothers.
We believe that the present insurrec-
ton is the beginning Of revolution.
Perhaps not Il bloody revolution. hut 4
| revolution in which the government Of
! Russia will have to recognize that it
depends upon the people for its exist
| ence and that the people is made up Of
| individual men. Were it not for the
! army the uprising already would have
developed into a successful revolution.
The hope of the present Russian autoc-
| racy lies in the loyalty of the army.
; 1t is not to be expected that this sys-
! tenn Of autocracy which has existed for
, centuries can be easily overthrown. 1t