The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-21
Two Revolutions.


When John Redmond got up in the
British house Of commons yesterday and
moved his amendment to the address
in reply to the speech from the throne
to the effect that "the present system
Of government of Ireland is opposed
to the will Of the Irish people, he no
doubt was as earnest in his belief that
Ireland needed change of government
tai relations as was any Russian stu
] dent who waved a red flag and sang
. the Marseillaise at St. Petersburg a
few hours before.
Redmond gave kind Of intimation,
when the Irish land act of 1908 was
passed, that it would mean the "pa-
! cifcation' Of Ireland, since it estab
lished peasant proprietorship, abolished
the evils Of landlordism, and would
stimulate all that is best in Irish man
hood. Now he is leading the Irish ma
tionalist contingent in the British COM
mons, as vigorously as ever in the di-
rection of Irish home rule, or something
so nearly resembling it that the most
astute follower of the Redmonds could
not tell the difference. The difference
/ between Irish and Russian conditions
is such that, during the darkest days
! of the nineteenth century the struggle
of Irishmen for the liberties freely ac-
corded to Englishmen under the essen
tial clauses Of the Great Charter, there
!. was continual tendency to enlarge
j the scope of Irish liberties and bring
them under the provisions Of that
great fundamental law. The Irishman,
thru legislative right, continually made
: his voice and influence more effective
{ until he reached the point Of an OBJ
struction, imposed upon all legislation,
which had to be dealt with by compro-
j mise.
: The Russian, limited to the minimum
Of local legislation and then restricted,
under the obtrusive scrutiny of bureau
cratic interference, is practically
gagged, and his autocratic government
would keep him so. The university stu
dents of st. Petersburg, in their reso-
buttons, grandiloquently reject the
cars proposition for the convocation
of the three estates in a popular assem-
bly,, which has lapsed into a mere ira
dition, and propose a legislative assem-.
bly, summoned on the basis of univer-
sal equal and secret ballot of male and
female citizens. They would have free.
dom of speech and freedom of organiza.
tion and striking, and would organize
a"people's militia' to eight to real
lie our aspirations.' The students pro
pose to take the field Immediately
They represent the impractical side OF
the revolutionary movement.
There is. no evidence as yet Of any
serious detection in the army. There
has been much said about the army be-
ing a hotbed Of socialist radicalism ant
ready to revolt against the car. II
such is the fact, they are destitute Of
leadership, else they would have beer
heard from before this.
So long as the cZar can command the
army he can command Russia, and 10
more students programs of government
hostile to autocracy. If the car AM
E9the army unite to make Turkey tn,
only remaining autocracy in Europ.
d they can do it.
No Russian car more accurately I'm
derstood the real need of Russia thai
& Alexander H., who declared, early il
his reign: eff Russia desires to main
tain her position in the rank, of othe
European states; if she awaits in tn
future greater glory, greater power an,
greater happiness than she has know
in the past-these ends are to be oh
tanned with the greatest certainty an
Il rapidity by laying at once the. soil
foundation of a system of universe
education Of the people, and I cal
upon my loyal mobiles to stand guar
over the common schools. - It was Ii
who stimulated the improvement of tn
Russian university system, enlargin
/ the scope of study and state aid an
teaching ability. These universities
s however, in land where the suppre.
sion Of free expression Of thought ho
been the rule, have proven the nurser
beds Of hostility to the repressive al
d tocratic system.
It may be remarked that it is we
3 Redmond and the Irish nationalist
were born under the British rather tina
4 under the Russian flag.
0S VT ton ~