Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-27
REIGN OF 0UTLAWRY


Special Cablesram to The Star
ST. PETERSBURG, June 27.--The reign
OF outlawry appears 70 have begun once
again In many sections OF the empire A
single Illustration may be mentioned as
TYPICAL
| A band OF six men entered Messrs. Deer
ing's establishment at Riga at noon. shot
the cashier. and made on with the contents
of the safe. The robbers were pursued
and opened fire with revolvers upon the
pursuers, shooting wildly. and killing two
civilians. a policeman and q woman. Only
one. OF the robbers was shot, the rest max
ing good their escape
Messrs. Deering are an American Arm,
manufacturing harvest machinery of all
kinds. Their branch At Riga has been open
some ave years or 30. their manager there
being Mr.. A.. H. Schwarzenbach. The
amount OF cash secured was not large. the
brarch having fortunately just deposited
Anarchy also prevails In the Baltic prov
inces. The robbery OF Lutheran peasants
Is OF daily occurrence. and the Windau dis
trict V completely terrorixed. The local
authorities have been threatened with as
sassination. The population of the Fried
richstadt district are covering In their
homes. being afraid to till the fields. Po-
lmica4 murder and robbery are rife in Riga.
Inirty-nve rural post Offices have ceased
to issue or honor postal orders, fearing at
tacks by revolutionaries, who are plumber
ing the country districts
Campaign Against the Douma.
There is evidence however. that the So
~ciaiists are beginning to realize that their
campaign against the douma on account of
us moderation will only prepare rope for
eneir own necks by furthering the cause OF
reaction. but they are still trying to in
veigie the peasants Into demands for whole
sale conftscation of private lands. They
nope 10 attain their ends by insisting on a
general debate upon the agrarian problem
before the committee which is to be ap-
pointed has an opportunity to draft a bill.
On the other hand. the constitutional dem
ocrats are determined to leave the COM
mittee run liberty toscarry out a careful
and thorough investigation with the aid of
extra parliamentary local committees be-
fore 1t begins to formulate a measure of
such vast and far-reaching Importance
rms would require many months and pre-
clude mistakes or unnecessary harshness
and would greatly contribute to enlighten
the peasants and inculcate them with the
principles of justice, equity and modera-
ton, so essential to the success Of the final
solution.
The following figures prove the impossi-
bility OF solving the agrarian problem with
out partial appropriation Of the owners of
private lands According to statistics for
1905. the peasants held under aliotments
S3.561 600 desiatins, or 10, $4,000 short of
the normal fixed in 1861 at the time of the
appropriation of the owners of private
lands for the benefit of the emancipated
serfs. The total number of male peasants
fnsuff1ciently provided with land in 1905
was 81 .567, 600 1t is evident that about
16O.0OO.OO0 acres the equivalent Of 1900.
GOO desiatins. are necessary to satisfy the
crying needs of the peasants. The total
available lands not under timber belonging
to the state amount to 3.503,0oo desiatins.
and those belonging to the appanages to
1.S6O.0O0 desiatfns, altogether 1898, 900
desiatins. altogether 1893 900 desiatins, or
about one-fourteenth of the required area.
Appropriation Of Forest Land.
The appropriation of all suitable forest
lands belonging to the state and the ap-
panages, leaving the area necessary for af-
forestation. would reduce the deficit to
about 10000. 900 desiatins. Monastery and
church lands could furnish only an infini-
tesimal fraction of this area. which conse-
quently is obtainabls only from private
lands, the area of which is %. 49,, 900 desia
tins arabic and 81, 961 600 forests. A partial
appropriation of the owners of private lands
Is, therefore, imperative. 1t Is evident that
even IL the peasants are willing to migrate
to Siberia, which Is out of the question I'M
til proper government Is established there,
1t Is quite impossible for any considerable
proportion of the 81, 5S7, coo to leave Europe
AN indefinite prolongation of the present
deadlock Is, indeed, from every point of
Nie" uiloeSiIdpie. IL CdH only StTeHBlHt
the hands OF the extreme revolutionaries
and diminish the chances, already slender,
of a peaceful issue to the great constitu-
tional struggle now in progress. The fnan-
cial crisis, averted for the moment by the
foreign loan itself based on the expecta-
ton of a satisfactory result from the con-
vocat ton Of the douma, will be bound to re-
eur at very great distance of time.
AS showing the faith of the peasant men,
bers of the Journals may be mentioned that
only the other day Interesting speech
was made by an old peasant named Popoff
who picturesquely applied the sacred invo-
cation Give this day our daily bread"
How could the starving peasant have bread
they asked him for bread, give them a
stone? They should should go to the Little
Father and ask. But the majority of the
douma were skeptical and did not cheer.