The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-31
A Worldwide Blessing.

In the year SCI the Eastern slavs
who had settled ncnr the sources OF the
Dneister, Dnieper and Don, and whose
chief towns were Novgorod and Kief,
being oppressed by their warlike neigh
bors, sent ambassadors to the Variags
(Nornans) beyond the sea inviting their
chiefs to come and reign over them,
\ The invitation was accepted and three
Of the tribe at the head of q band OF
followers took possession Of the terri.
tory Of Novgorod. These slavs. who
Invited foreigners to come and rule over
them, We're the ancestors Of the Rus
SLAMS, and that was the beginning of the
Russian empire and Of the Russian sys-
tenn of government. It is not surprising
that with such a beginning there should
have developed two classes--n class of
serfs and n class OF mobiles, q serving
class and n ruling class. We have not
room in n newspaper article to trace
the history of this development. but the
policy has been the same from the be-
r ginning until now. The ruling class kept
the serving class in subsection; the no.
3 bIlity lived upon the labor. of the plain
people But while the people were as a
rule kept in subsection. q rebellious
spirit broke out every now and then
and gave warning from time to time,
until in the. year 1881 tho Emperor Alex
ander II. was assaied in open daylight
and killed by the explosion of a. bomb.
He was succeeded by Alexander III,
father Of tho present Emperor, and i'm
mediately upon his accession his minis
tiers urged him to adopt q conciliatory
policy and give the people representa-.
ton in the government, but Alexander
declined to make any such concession,
or any concession. and continued the
policy Of his father. He died in 1894
and was succeeded by his son. Nicho-
las II.
The spirit q. oppression. grew and
manifested itself In various ways upon
more than one occasion by tho assassina-
ton Of offensive Officers and recently
the people have demanded popular as
sembly for the making of laws in which
they should have representation. The EN-
peror has made promises. but the gov
eminent remains practically the samo as
It was from the beginning. and to-day
Nicholas Is the supreme ruler lie is
Mt the head OF the military, the legisla-
tive and the judicial systems. and is also
chief of the established church The
president and members of the Council of
State are appointed by the Emperor.
Indeed, all the officers of government
are named by him. and the people have
no say whatever.
The Russian government is the antthe-
sis of democracy and is completely out
OF harmony with tho American priuci-
pie and spirit of popular rule. when
have spread into all civilized nations
save Russia, Not only is the Russian
government autocratlc. not only are the
people held IN subsection rnd taxed
rous that the government in all de-
partments reeck with corruption
But In spite Of all this Russia has
bsen aggressive and in a sense sht
has prospered. BY degrees she has beer
extending the sphere Of her influence
beating down opposition with main force
x and has been steadily pushing on IN
wards the Far East, threatening China
threatening Japan, threatening India
She has spoken softly, but she ha4
carried big stick, and there can he n,
a doubt that kpssa's ambition was TO b.
nf
Japan saw The danger and called
halt. and there can be no doubt in tn
minds of those who have followed RUS
sias course that she has done the worl
Il. valuable service in heading off IN
Russian bear and driving MIN back t
his lair,
Never mind tho threat OF the "ye!lo
peril" II Is nothing as compared vii
the threat OF Russian domination. Japa
is less TO be feared than Russia. In
comparatively few years Japan h.
come out OF Ben,i-barbarism ard oil
"a Ecurity and made herself 10 be recoi
nized as a world power. entitled 10 Il
respect ae,d consideration OF nation
She has made such progress as no n.
lion has made in the same time, al