Evening star., 1906-02-04
POLICY Of THE CAR
May Intend to Tire Out the Rev
oIutionists.

| ST PETERSBURG, February Sit be-
| gins to appear as though the policy of the
czar is to tire out the revolutionists. This
| policy can perhaps better be understood II
| 1t is remembered that it is the policy which
| Is sometimes adopted by big manufactur-
| ers and mill owners the world over when 1t
comes to dealing with strikers and rioters
| There are only three days between the
best of us and anarchy wrote a German
| Philosopher In referring to the fact that
| mans stomach after remaining foodless
seyenty-two hours might induce even high
| class citizens to smash plate glass windows
| for the purpose of attracting attention,
bringing about an arrest ana securing some
| thing to eat. And three days of anarchy
are enough to make any man turn conserva-
tive again." remarked a Russian phil
osophic writer the other day referring to
tho fact that revolutions fill no empty stom-
achs, and that about all that the average
| man cares for after all is home and fire.
side--a few holidays thrown ina chance to
live and work and enjoy the sunlight with
out any reference to the fate of a nation as
decided by camps and courts. The excite
ment of a war and a. rough, rude form of
military discipline may hold even peasants
In line for a time but there are few men
willing to suffer serious inconvenience over
long continued period of time for mere
abstract principles.
The Russian character Is such that the
average peasant WOuIQ not vote II given
| the opportunity of doing so. That the av--
erage Russian neither understands nor
cares for political rights is demonstrated
| by the fact that in Moscow fewer than ten
| per cent and in the provinces not more
| than two per cent of the qualified voters
| ever take the trouble to register.
Money Talks World Over
| II. Russia as In England-the United
| States--in fact the whole world-money
| talks and the peasants who have hungry
mouths of their own to feed as well as
| wives and children to look after are
surrendering to the influences of those who
| have wealth. This may not be right, but
It Is Russia. And perhaps it is hardly fair
| to say that this disposition to bow down to
and surrender to the power of gold is a
| trait of character essentially Russian. The
| fact that M. Witte, the prime minister. has
| just procured q loan of several hundred
| millions of dollars In Germany and the adj
| ditional fact that M. KoItovtsoff the ex-
minister of finance. has succeeded in OBJ
| tanning an additional loan of hundred
millions in Paris and that these loans are
| to be used in public improvements arc
| Strengthening the hands of the govern
| ment. That the sight of the gold will
| strengthen the hands of the government
| there is no doubt.
In answer to the question. What then
becomes-of the French revolution parallel? ?''
there is one reply, Russia Is not France
and things have changed since the eight
eenth century-even in Russia" 1t may be
true that there are many ways In which
conditions here may be said to parallel the
conditions of France century and quar-
ter ago. But on the other hand the power,
of modern finance, the railroads, the ma
chine guns-all. of these things go to show
that If Russia is to progress at all 1t must
be by evolution-not by revolution. The
Russian railroads alone must in themselves
prove powerful factors for the maintenance
| of peace and order.
Acute Forms of Disorder