Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-30
BIR Demnnds for Nancy
WORSE THAN ISLAM
Continued from First Page.)

where one blackball excludes, and before
the sun was high all the seventeen had
somehow been selected without a dissent
dent voice, After working side by side for
half lifetime men get to know the stun
that each is made of.
Brigand Restored to CitIEenship,
When the election was over a matter OF
business still remained before the meeting.
One Of the young villagers had gone astray
and become an outcast. / could not dis
cover exactly for what reason, but GER
tainly it was not political.
He had taken to common brigandage in
the forests. and such brigands are killed
at sight up and down the valley as often
happens. In consequence he had been ex-
cluded from the village commune, had lost
his rights of property. heritage and vote
and was living the life of a hare or wolf
upon the hills.
He had now sent a letter of penitence to
the head Of the village, imploring to be
received back into the fold. Amid dead
silence, in notable contrast to the previous
shouting and gesticulation, the letter was
read aloud.
The writer admitted his errors and ex-
pressed his heartfelt contrition in simple
and unaffected words. He only asked for
another chance, and his petition moved all
hearts, for to forgive is human.
After brief debate It was agreed that his
repentance was sincere and he was for
mally readmltted into the community.
Then with a pleasant feeling OF good will
toward men the meeting dispersed and
stood about in groups waiting for two
wedding professions that were to pass that
way. For now the vintage is over, the
maize is dried. the tobacco is gathered,
and young men and maidens go marrying
in buffalo cars before the advent fast cuts
merTiment short
"Passive Resistance" Program.
Returning to the elections, l must lust
mention that further up the valley is n
village where they have refused to hold
any election at all.
Last spring" they say. I'VE had an
election. We helped to send members to
the Duma.
'They were good members, they did
what they could, but the Duma was dis
solved by the Russian government, the
members were exposed to all manners Of
danger and persecution. Some were i'm
prisoued, some sent to Siberia. some assas-
sinated by the Black Hundred, which calls
itself the loyal party
1--WE have had enough of that We will
not expose any more Of our friends to risks
70 terrible. II that is the meaning of a
duma We prefer TO be without one and let
the foreign tyranny at St. Petersburg do
its worst"
| II is a fine example of passive resistance.
for you may bring your horse to water,
but you cannot make him drink. So this
/ Sunday morning village green stands
empty, and autocracy will have to learn
new lesson in constitutional law before
/ the village votes
] Yet II ever taxation justified a demand
for suffrage It is in these villages The
! peasants whom l watched at the election
have e25OO scraped on their income by the
government year by year to maintain the
bureaucracy, 10 pay for enterprises like
| the Japanese war, and to supply the inter-
est on the French and English loans
! II they cannot pay they are flogged and
sold up. But they generally pay; for the
/ valley is fairly rich.
| your taxes ought 20 be twice as hiah -
said the late governor OF the province. az
though the sole object Of a peasants life
/ we're 20 feed the officials in St Petersburg
But when he shortly afterward as.
sassinated doubt II even an epitaph could
describe his as universally lamented.
II. w. NEVINsON.