The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-11
FATHER GAPON WAS
TEMPTED, AND FELL
Question of Russian Priests
Treachery to People Pre-
sents Problem.

ST. PETERSBURG, June 1O.-The
full confirmation OF the execution of
Father Gapon by representatives OF the
people gives certain dra amatlc point
to the demand of the douma for am
nesty for the political prisoners. Some
at least OF the hundreds of people at
present lying in the dungeons of st,
Peter and st. Paul and other Russian
prisons doubtless owe their incarcera-
ton to Gapon's treachery. and IT is not
unreasonable to assume that among
these may be few whom the Russian
police have netted for crimes" which
are not crimes In any well-regulated
State.
Many Peasants Prisoners.
One Of the Polish members of the
douma, Father Trasun, mentioned that
he had seen four hundred hapless peas
ants In prison, and heard from them
recital of the brutalities of which they
were victims for no other crime than
refusing TO pay toll TO the police. That
is phase of the bureaucratic system
on which Father Gapon threw consid-
cradle light In his remarkable auto
biography. For the sake of human
nature one hopes that the singular
book, with its strange condolences, was
written before the fall of its author.
II Is impossible to believe that Gnpon
was traitor from the first. He was
very clever man, but II would re-
quirc more evidence than is likely To
be forthcoming to convince one that
the immense influence which he ac-
quired over the working classes Of st,
Petersburg and Moscow had It's root
from the beginning In treachery, or
that he was police spy when he
marched at the head OF the demonstra-
tlon Of January %, 1905.
Fell Prey to Police.
Then he ultimately fell a prey to
tho temptations which the police de-
partments are able to present with
lavish hands Is beyond doubt. but one
would rather regard him as in a sense
the victim OF q base system than as a
despicable creature who had wormed
himself into the confidence of the peo-
pie with the deliberate purpose. from
the first, of accomplishing their undo
ing
One OF his most intimate acquaint-
ances Is authority for the statement
that Gapon was never a revolutionary;
he never belonged to any Of the revo-
lutionary societies.. he was never
trusted by the revolutionary leaders;
he never indeed, had sufficient intel
ligence to understand the revolutionary
propaganda.
Work Among the Poor.
His work among the poorer classes In
st. Petersburg was also opposed by the
Socialists, and his teaching amounted
to little more than the incubation Of
the belief that trust In God and the
Car was the only method for the bet
terment OF the Russian conditions.
1t was this belief that led him to pro-
ceed to the winter palace on the Ill
fated January %, a date which Will live
In history as Nladimir's day. and there
seems no doubt that the massacre that
took place In the st, Petersburg streets
destroyed Gapon's faith and left him,
as II were. mere hotsam and jctsam.
floating rudderess through the world.
Grew Suddenly Rich
After the sanguinary repressions in
the Russian capital Gapon fed to
Paris, where the money he received
from the writing of his life made him
rich beyond his widest dreams of
avarice. and this sudden wealth fin
ished the work of decentralization that
his loss of faith had begun.