Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-18
DESPOTISM IN
WORST FORM
In the Caucasus the Limit Seems ia
Have Been Reached by the
Russians.
ARMENIANs ARE LOSING FAITH
Acts Of SpoIiation Have Driven Them
to Distrust the Government
Other Complaints.

Moscow, Aug. 17.-Here in Moscow
which in some respects is regarded
as being nearer the center of things
than st. Petersburg itself, it is quite
generally admitted that the regions
OF the Caucasus have probably sui
fered more from the autocratic and
despotic government than even POLAND
itself, or any other section of the EN-
pire, for that matter. The discomfort
and lawlessness which have spread tc
almost the whole of that region are
due to the repressive measures en-
forced against the people of the eau
casus by the representatives of the
central government.
The exceptional outbreaks of racial
luminosity which recently turned Baku
and to a lesser extent Erivan, into
shambles are attributed by the Ar
menians largely to the campaign
which for many years has been car
ried on against them by the govern
ment press. The strikes of railway
employees, factory hands and even the
clerks and tradesmen, which have TAX
en- place in the towns, arise from the
same causes that have produced sim
liar demonstrations in all parts of Eu
ropean Russia, and are undoubtedly
fOmented and encouraged by the so
cialist and revolutionary organiza
tions.
1t is no longer denied by the Ar
menians that their loyalty to Russia
to whom they have looked as theil
protector and champion ever since the
days of Peter the Great, was serious
ly shaken by this act of open spolia
ton.
On the other hand. the appointment,
OF Count VOrOntsoffD ashkOff as vice
roy OF the Caucasus was received with
great favor The Armenians have nc
desire whatever to cease to be Rus.
sian subjects; they are fully aware
that they have no alternative Accord.
ingly, when Count VorontsOff- Dash.
koff passed through Nakhitchevan on
the Don, he was waited upon by a
deputation, which thanked him fol-
his expression of confidence in the
we'll disposed majority of the inhab
tants of the Caucasus, and assured
him that, so far as the Armenians
were concerned, he could rely upon
their cordial cooperation, if only he
would regard as lawful their natural
desire to remain Armenians, to con
fess their ancient faith, and to pre-
serve their ancient tongue and would
do away with exceptional and repres
sive laws, which, while lowering the
dignity of the Armenians as human
beings, do nothing to enhance the
glory of the Russian empire"
Discomfort of Mohammedans.
The discomfort of Mohammedan res
idents of the same region is scarce
ly less marked than that of the Ar
menians. In a petition recently ad
dressed to the committee of ministers
they point out that The unhappy sOci
al, political and economic condition:
in which millions of Mohammedans
in the Caucasus find themselves dem
onstrate clearly that during the las
century the fertile soil or the Cauca
sus has not been utilized to the full
but that, on the contrary. every eff
| fort has been made 10 retard by artl
| fetal means the prosperity of the reg
ion and to prevent the mental devel
opment and material welfare of it,
| inhabitants
Like the Armenians, the Mohamme
dams complain of their exclusion from
the organs of local self government. OF
the persecution to which their relig
ion is subjected, of the total absence
of any organs of public opinion-the
only Russian Tartar newspaper being
the Perevoiomik, which is published
at Bakheisaral and censored in Sin
feropol-and of the determined efforts
made to deprive them OF their land
and to give it TO Russian immi
grants. Both Mohamedans and Ar
menians are in favor of the introduc
ton of local self government. and the
concession of political rights. Meth