The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-02-24
PRAYERS NOT ANSWERED.


II seems sacriligious for the nobility
Of Russia to offer up prayers Tor IL
vine assistance. They are the most
wicked and murderous people in the
world. They have brought the present
crisis upon themselves. Horrors ac-
cumulate upon horrors in unhappy
Russia and rise toward higher and
higher marks. Plehve was one OF the
foremost ministers of state. Sergius
was one of the chief grand dukes
Above him the czar. No wonder taat
the sovereign is terror stricken. The
horrors Of the tragedy is rivalled by
its ominous menance OF what may
come next The world may pray
that such omen may be absent. but
revolutionists, especially those OF the
bomb throwing type pay small heed to
prayers. There can be but little doubt
hut the threat of a few days ago is
being fulfilled. A reign of terror Is
coming upon Russia, directed at the
autocracy, and therefore at the czar
himself, so long as he is identined
with the autocracy. 1t remains 10 DC
sean how 1t will be met There are
two ways. One Is repression, the
other concession 1t may not be pos
sible to repress exploding dynamite
There may also be doubts OF the EN-
cheney of concessions now to tame
the tiger of Muscovoy" which mas
broken loose.
with the personal characteristics
Of Grand Duke Sergius, we need no'
concern ourselves. Ills traits were
such as have been common In Russia
since the days of Peter the Great. He
was a cold-blooded, hard-hearted snoo
who placed no more value on the life
OF a poor pheasant than he did on
flea. The revolutionists avenged th'
moral law upon him with bomb, and
he got all that was coming to him, and
he deserved it. He was killed because
he had administered autocracy witt
harshness and because he conspicuous
" stood for all that is worst In tn
governmental system of Russia Per
hans we may add that it was ais
because he was a grand duke, who's
slaughter would more nearly conceri
and AFFECT the czar himself than tna
of any man of lower hereditary rank
There was, too, a dreadful delibera
tion about the thing. We are toll
that sergius was sentenced to dealt
two months ago. 1t was known at In
time. or soon after, by himself and D!
the police that his death had bee
decreed by some death dealing circle.
Precautions, defences and all els
have been vain to prevent the fulnl
ment of the decree. Nor was ne aion
prescribed. 1t is said that the Gran
Duke Alexis, the Procurator Popie
donostseff, General Trepof and evel
the empress dowager were similar
sentenced. II so, they stand today u
the shadow of an awful menace. w
may easily believe it is SO, for
would be difficult to name four per
sons in the empire more general!
hated by the revolutionists than they
After the deed of the other day nobod
would be surprised at any fearfu
thing tomorrow's Russian tiding
might disclose. But where is It a
to stop? For 25 years the Russia
autocracy has been striving strenuous
ly to stamp out nihilism. 1t has nc
succeeded nor even made progres
It's lethal enemy is still in existenc
and more active and potent than eve
before. It is passing sentence at WI
upon the rulers of the land and
executing its sentence with inexol
able zeal and with inevitable precision
Practically It is a sentence again
autocracy through the autocrats them
selves. The only reply thus far ma
Is a sentence Of repression and OF OF
preston against the Russian peopl
But surely there must be some wis
course.