Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-21
him-'the little father"-and dooms
them to live their lives in misery and
worse than in slavery.

them to live their lives in misery and
worse than in slavery
How long will the civilized world al
low these conditions to exist? 1t ap.
pears that the people are too weak to
throw from thei. shoulders the gall
Ing yoke of oppression. Such spas.
modic uprisings as took place recently
in st. Petersburg and later in Poland
represent the height to which they
can carry their demonstrations against
the bureaucracy that rules the nation
But cannot the world of nations, in
the interest of humanity and right,
step into the case and force Russia to
yield enough to the prayers of her
people to afford them at least the
right to live as they wish?
A correspondent writing from st.
Petersburg makes the statement that
millions of Russians do not even
know war exists between their coun
try and Japan. Amazing as this may
seem, there is reason to believe it.
This correspondent, too, takes view
which carries at least a little encour.
agement to those who, looking on at
Russia's condition, the struggle of her
people for a measure of independence
are ready to welcome any small gain
the oppressed people may make The
correspondent in question points out
the fact that while the riots Of the
past few weeks were not in reality po.
litical uprisings but more In the ma.
ture Of emonstrations by laboring
men in the hope of securing better
economic conditions, they extended
over a greater area than any similar
demonstrations ever have. He says
the uneasy. Nihilistic class of Russians
is being joined by the laboring classes.
the more substantial men, who have
a practical view of the conditions.
Their enlistment in the cause of free.
dom would indicate that they have
hope for it's success
The system of the Russian govern.
ment is inexplicable to foreign observ-
ers. 1t assumes a species of paternal.
ism, The czsr is called the 'little
father" 1t would be supposed that it
would care in some degree for the
welfare of its common citizenship.
That 1t does not do SO Is irreconcilable
with its professions. And this is the
way the paradox is explained by tht
correspondent quoted above:
TO forward industrialism and yet
be disappointed when the pressure Is
increased; to favor education and yet
resolve that 1t shall bear no political
fruit Ito raise the nation industrially
and Intellectually and to repress it pc.
litically; to admit liberty here and
there and yet to think that it can be
inclosed within prescribed limits; to
emancipate the serfs and yet be as.
tonished at the new spirit Of individu.
alism and independence; to be at once
modern and medieval, Chinese and
American, an autocracy at the top and
communistic at the base-that is the
grand experiment in contradictory op.
posites that czardom is making. And
1t explains why cars must always
take back with one hand what they
offer with the other"
We see here explained not mere
contest between wanted liberty on. one
hand and autocracy on the other. 1t
is conflict between the principles
enunciated by the government itself
that is sapping the strength Of the
throne and leading the people on to
a. revolution. The government is de-
feating itself by what may be called
straddling-getting on both sides of
every proposition. By Its own acts it
is failing faster than any revolution
at this time could make it fail Every
uprising, though it fails, gathers in it's
forces more and more workers, for it
shows the utter weakness of the czar.
The absurd conflict between pretense
and practice will, sooner or later,have
it's effect and will send the throne of
the cars crumbling to dust beneath
the feet of the common people, awak.
ened to victory after generations of
oppression and slavery.