The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-09

thought Of the duna He glanced
around, Went and shut the door. Then
ne looked worried and said he did not
know what to think He was the kind
of a man who in America would have
enthusiastically expressed opinions and
nave talked them on the street corners
Every newspaper man in ST. Petersburg
who amounts to anything has been IN
jail several times and If he has really
written something good on politics can
tell of his experience IN Siberia
1 have sketched briefly the organiza-
ton and power of the bureaucracy.
which has the army, the money and
great army of men bound firmly to-
gether. On the other side the professors,
the journalists, the labor leaders, the
agitators, the professional men, some
business men but not many, for it IS
ruInous to business to think Of politics,
and, 1 am informed many of the clergy.
And between these two forces are prob
ably three-fourths of the people, uned-
ucated and uneOuth, not knowing whom
to trust more concerned about where to
get meal than about representative
government, accustomed for generations
to bow submissively and be punished
with the whip. The Russians will fight
if they are put at it, just as they fought
and died in the Crimea and at Mukden,
overpowered by superior numbers and
wiser generals But who will they fight
anu W4ACtA tAEH I6uAs - lAit 4QGEliOn
VIII they follow good leaders and strug-
gle for better government or will they
simply kill and burn and destroy? The
fear that they will do the latter helps
the bureaucracy with business men who
prefer despotism to anarchy.
am told that Car Nicholas is really
good sort of a man who wants to do
the best for Russia. The men around
him say if he does not retain autocracy
the country viii be turned over to saw
ages 1 suppose men who believe in
representative government have little
chance to get to him-the autOcracy
easily prevents that, and Nicholas nat
urally takes the advice of those around
him and whom he thinks are loyal
and probably they are. Perhaps by the
time this letter reaches The News the
duma will be dissolved and a crisis pre-
cipitated. There are 100000 soldiers in
and around St. Petersburg and so long
as they are loyal no revolution is posi-
bic. But some of these soldiers were in
Manchuria and some read the newspa-
pers and read them to their comrades.
AS Russian says: who can ten?"
Many of the mobiles by birth are
against bureaucracy. You see, if you
are not in it and know anything you
will be against it. The president of
the duma is a prince. ] think the no
bles generally want representative
government like Germany in which
they would have voice as well as the
people, and they will be found on that
side, unless they are afraid of a revo-
luton. They want a peaceful change,
but it doesn't look to me as if it would
come that way unless the autocracy
gives up at the last moment-when
the army goes to pieces and they jump
for their lives.
am not mailing these letter from
Russia for reasons which appear very
good. When we entered Russia we had
to have a passport. Then the St Pc
tersburg police took it, kept il for a
day, and added another certificate to
the effect that we could stop In ST Pc
tersburg. Then I Immediately sent it
back to the police to get the necessary
permission to leave the country. 1 am
told they Will give me this permit to-
morrow and it viii be good for six
days. | would hate to have the police
read this letter and like it so well they
would request the writer to remain I
don't want to stay in Russia long.
Paraphrasing General Sherman's re-
mark: IF owned Russia and hell. /
would rent out Russia and live in the
other place..
". Y. MORGAN.