The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-27

| length of seeking to apply Henry
| Georges NATURALIZATION of land but
they wuold certainly have remained in
different 10 political rights. IF we are
TO judge by the rapidity with which the
| large landholdings of the mobiles are
| passing into the hands of the peasants
| it may be presumed that this transfer
| would have materially facilitated a
normal evolution, unattended by any
! catastrophe The fact is, however. that
our government fears nothing so much
| as an agrarian movement Everything
IS sdcfihced to this Seif-imposed bOgie
the people are sedulously kept in a
! state OF darkness and ignorance, the
/ development of this country is fmpeded
and numbed. discomfort is engendered
| ana the energies of the nation are
wasted in internal strife.
Composed of Mobiles.
But how is il to be explained that
| the zemstvo, composed of noble pro
pTletors with a small admixture of
peasants. has remained progressive
Iloeral and persistently opposed to the
government? 1t is easy to answer this
question by pointing out that the bu-
Ieducratlc army with which the zenns.-
Vo wages war is recruited from the
same noble class. but from less indie
Pehoeht, less self-reliant mem bers. no.
pies VINO pave deteriorated in the lux
uflous enjoyment of government offices
ana emoluments. On the other hand.
tne opposing force is composed of men
oI energy of principle and of ideals,
forming a minority of the mobiles which
mas realized the banefulness of bu-
teaucratlc routine and sees the saliva
ton OF Russia in the untrammeIled
growth of free institutions.
People Remain p.eeiva
1t is none the less a family quarrel
between the liberal and reactjona,-1,
parties of the dominant class. The
mass OF the people remain a passive
spectator of this conflict. Hence
re niehye, by reinforcing the mobiles in
ha as zeiiistvo only increased the num-
per OF his liberal opponents, who
Iougnt him. not within the narrow
@ats OF parliament but in an enor-
NOUS arena They had the whole !
provinces. he had his ST Petersburg !
onlces, ana. consequently, notwith- |
slahd1nS all his despotic power. he was |
numbers
When, however, the inevitable VIC |
tory of the zemstvo is finally won. |
Wnen its united forces succeed in OBJ |
tanning some form of constitutional /
government, or zemsky sober. we NAV 1
expect a transformation of the political |
struggle such as few foresee.
The main point in this zemstvo pro- |
Sfamne is national participation in /
SelL-goVernment. This will give the /
peasant a preponderant vote and at |
cnce give rise to an agrarian move
Inent, the peasants seeking TO increase
thelr holdings from the land belonging |
TO other classes and to the state of /
course this can be settled by means of |
gradual appropriations but it is diff
hcuIt 10 expect such peaceful adjust
ment. This interesting social question
Is destined to assume unexpected forms
in Russia.
In concluding this review of the
zcmstvoS role in the political devet- |
cpment OF Russia / think il of inter-
est To give a few facts regarding it's
The zemStvo institution
exists in thirty -four provinces or gov
ernments of European Russia. The
members of the provincial zemstVos are
erected by the members OF the district
zemstvos. which number 3IS; the MEM
Gers of the district bodies are elected
by direct vote in the electoral colleges
o. each class of the community The
of members returned nv
The peasants is strictly limited. and as
the number of peasants electoral col
legeS is in excess of this contingent
The governor makes a selection. The
pkase OF Dec. %, 1904, provides for the
creation of small zemstvo units
which Will represent the villages and
bear the same relation to the district
zeTnstFO that the latter now bears to
The provincial body.
Secret Organization.
There also exists a secret organiza-
son which virtually unites the thirty !
our Zemstvos in a Cladestine national |
assembly. Quite recently this organ I
cation was treated as illegal and sub
ccted to persecution by the govern ,
nent. but now it is not directly inter ,
cred with, although still unrecognized !
~ law.
Besides building and endowing
-eloped and organized a number of 1
ther public enterprises. including sta {
isticaI veterinary and, most inpor- |
ant of all. national medical services
)ne OF the reproac heS constantly :
'rought by the government against :
he zemstVo is that it employs out (
iders; clerks statisticians. teachers, 1 I
physicians. and other TepresS natives /
the liberal professions, who form an I
army OF revolutionary work /
rs Although unenfTanchiSed. they
zone the less acquire the character of
members of the ZsmStVO. and exercise
reat influence among the people In |
ustice it must be said that these men
tine third estate, as they are called
re the personification of all that lis
trong, energetic and businesslike in |
tussia- And the failure of the govern /
nent TO bring these men to it's side is
great mistake