Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-01

Michael Petrunkevich,
One Of the Leaders of the Constitutional Democrats
in Russia.
which destroyed more than half of the
worlds metropolis; and, without profanity,
1t is perfectly proper to predict that by the
province of God hell is likely to break
loose all over the Russian empire at any
moment. People in the country are fleeing
to the cities to escape the vengeance Of the
distracted and disappointed peasants, who
are burning and killing everybody above
their own class because the government
has not given them more land. The people
in the cities are fleeing to Finland, Sweden,
Germany and Austria to escape an impend-
Ing cataclysm-they don't know what is
wake to find st. Petersburg, Moscow and
all other ,sjties in the hands of mobs.
The outlook at present Is very discourag-
ing. The storm may blow over or it may
destroy the government. Nobody can fore
tell events under existing circumstances,
and therefore it seems almost useless for
me to be writing letters concerning affairs
here now when the situation Is changing
a summer thunderstorm. Before these lines
can be printed there may be peace or there
may be anarchy in Russia. Prophets take
no chances with the present situation.
Stolypin in Fix.
In the meantime Mr.. Stolypin, the new
prime minister, has discovered that his
office is not a sinecure. No government
official has ever been In a worse fix. On
one side he has a sovereign who Is as un-
stable as water; on the other is a turbulent,
historical people. with whom he cannot
DEAL and he is unable to get the men he
needs and wants to help him. Here are
some of the difficulties confronting him:
1. An impending strike of every wage
Garner in Russia, including the railway,
postal and telegraph employees.
2 The threatened mutiny of all the sailors
and troops
8. The devastation of the farming country
by the peasants.
4. The refusal of both liberals and con-
servatives to accept office.
8. The lack of purpose and the instability
of the car.
The opposition to the government is so
diversified and scattered that it Is impossi-
BILE to put the hand upon it or to find any
one responsible person to treat with 1t is
like fighting half a dozen armies under as
many different commanders representing as
many different interests. If Mr.. Stolynin
should surrender to one enemy it would not
satisfy the others, and he cannot make
friends with them all because they disagree
about conditions, and no one can guarantee
The most serious phase of the situation is
that the most mischievous political factions
have no fixed policy, are making no definite
demands and have no permanent purpose,
so that everything is in the air
1t is also impossible to locate the trouble
among the troops. The mutinies are spas
modic and scattering. They are due often
to local grievances; sometimes to oppres-
sions and injustice suffered in the past
and again to intangible causes. There is
no central authority to deal with, and al
most every outbreak has occurred without
previous complaint, SO that 1t could not
have been prevented.
The strike which Is said to have been
called in every occupation throughout the
entire empire Is not industrial, but purely
political. 1t Is not intended to relieve the
wrongs or improve the condition of the
workmen, but to demoralize the govern
ment. The leaders of the labor party and
the social revolutionists who are working
1t up are using the labor unions to create
anarchy by which they hope to destroy the
empire and erect republic upon it's ruins.
That Is about as near as any one can guess
their object. but not two per cent Of the
workmen know what they are striking for,
and the revolutionary leaders cannot rely
upon them any more than the government.
They have no intelligence. and there is no
discipline; the unions are new, the officers
as well as the men are without experience,
and they have no funds.
Strikers Hopeful.
The revolutionary committees are deter
mined, by calling a general strike. to rem
der the position of the ministry impossible.
They have been contemplating such a move
duma. Every employee and workman in
the empire was to lay down his tools ST.
multaneously about September l, but the
mutinies at Helsingfors, Kronstadt, Odessa
and elsewhere seemed to make a favor
able opportunity, and a hurry order was
sent out to the headquarters Of every trade.
The conspirators hope to paralyxe Russia.
as they did last October during the great
railway and telegraph strike, but 1t is
doubtful whether they succeed.
hav NJ iroo
to be writing on these subjects when the
world may come to an end, so far as Rus
STA Is Concerned, before this letter can be
printed. but 1t may throw some light upon
that event II 1t does happen to say that
the Russian workman receives very small
wages He lives from hand to mouth; he
has no money laid by; there are no savings
been In existence only q few months, have
no funds whatever In their treasures. The
masses Of the workmen. therefore, cannot