New-York tribune., 1906-07-26
THE TERROR.
Of both.

Ihar We are tO,see reign Of terror in Russia
mas been probable ever since the Emneror tool
the desperate step of abOlishing the parliament
tary body which he himself recognized to no ron
resentatlye Of the Russian nation and of restor-
ing the old bureaucratic absolutism If NAV
now be regarded as certain. In fact that state
OF affairs has already begun. The government
rs applying repression as relentIessly as in the
Gays OF Alexander III. The press is muzzIed
the mails are stopped, meetings are prohibited
the prisons are filled. The peOple are NOT nor.
inltted TO know what is going on in the world
whaC Is said Of'them by the British Prime Min
'sler Or WhaC lssaid TO them by their own elected
representatives. But in spite of the utmost Of
IOrtS OF despotism, information will he extended
throughout the country, and large part Of tho
hauon Will, in one way or another. seek what
Seems 10 II the last resort Of a desperate people
Ahe'rlslng will cOme-it has come-in various
""Ss' some are passiTely refraining from work.
hoping mus TO paralyze national activities nv a
universal strike With such tactics no fauI+
could be found, II only they could be success
Iuliy maintained without injury to the innocent
ana Wllhout leading to eXcesSes The trouble
Is tnat much suffering is thus Quickly i'm.
hlcted upon harmless and helpless persons: the
strlkerS soon get out Of funds and cannon
longer maintain themselves in idIeness. and in
the END violence is committed. That has been
the story Of the former universal strikesn in
Russia, and there seems no prospect Of ANYTHING
else Tor tnls one. Others are employing at once
more strenuous tactics. We hear Of riots and
pillage. Such doings are not surprising in srcb
country. But it is obvious that they do not
help the cause Of ordered freedom
Still another line of action is taken nv an
other faction, the avowed TerrOrists-the nibiI-
ists anarchists, socialists and the like Some
Of them have been levying blackmail through
bomb throwing. That is to say they demand
cash contributions 'for the Cause" and if these
are not forthcoming they destroy with dynamite
the property OF the unyielding capitalist. II is
simply a wholesale application of the cutpurse's
practice "YOur money or your lifel" And.
despite all palaver about 1.-THE Cause" it
needs TO be dealt with in the same way. AS for
the extreme menace of the Terrorists- murder
the Emperor and a number of his oficers-to
mention il is TO brand &c with infamy, and with
something more. To execute that threat, at any
rate upon the Emperor, would be not only de-
testaDle crime, but also colossal blunder. Moth
ing could more set back the wheels Of progress
and delay the coming OF freedom. The history Of
the last imperial murder in Russia should give
ample warning against a repetition of the deed
There is no life in Russia which every real
friend OF Russian freedom should more earnestly
desire 10 have preserved than that Of Nicholas IT
The Terror is come and the end Of IL Is NOT IN
be fOreseen, save that we must believe order
will be restored and freedom will be established
after what time and at what cost 1t would
not be profitable TO tarry over academic discus
siOns of responsibility and culpabllify The mis-
chief has been done and cannot be undone Il
Is too late TO talk of the preventives that might
would, could or should have been applied. The
practical question IS, what cures can be applied
TO shorten as much as possible the duration OF