Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-21
IN CAUCASUS
A Million Peasants Against
Central Government.


Special Cablegram to The Star.
ODESSA, January 2O.--It is estimated
that at least a million of the peasants in
the Caucasus have revolted against the
central government and are trying TO es-
tablsh republic in southern Russia. A
million of rebels, even of peasants, will
not be easy for the Russian government to
control. AS a general thing most or the
real serious troubles of Russia have here
tofore been confined to the army, the navy
and the workingmen. OF course, the peas
ants in a scattered sort of fashion have
joined in the revolutionary movements, but
not to the extent here reported in southern
Russia If it should be found that a syste-
matte socialistic propaganda has been sue
cessful among the agricultural peasantry it
would look as though the troubles in Rus
STA were even more serious than has been
heretofore anticipated. In Russia, as in
other countries, the interests of the work
ingmen and the farmers have never ap-
peared to be closely identified, and the
peasantry has been relied upon in the last
resort to stand by the throne. The fact
that they, too, are participating in strikes,
in anarchy and in revolution, means more
in an economical and political sense than
would the destruction of one or the cars
armies one of his fleets.
Originated in Tifis.
The social democrats have really been
taking the lead in the agitations in the
Caucasus. The labor movement appears TO
have originated in Tifiis about seven years
ago, spreading to Batum, Baku and Thia-
turf, the latter place a center Of the man
ganese industry. At first 1t appears to have
been purely economic in character, becom-
ing political only by force of circumstances.
The first socialiStic leafiet was printed at
the laboring mems May day celebrations,
on Nav I
time assembled outside Tiflis and the leaf
let in question, which urged cooperation
with the social democrats in western
Europe, was read and approved and revolu-
tionary songs were sung. The news of this
meeting excited much interest among work
men who had not yet been initiated into
the movement. In the same year the first
strike in the Caucasus took place at THIS.
The railway employees ceased to work as a
protest against the circular of the minister
of ways and communications, which
consequently withdrawn. The success of
this, the first strike in southern Russia, was
the more gratifying to the employees because
the circular TO which they objected affected
not only the employees of the Caucasus, but
those in other parts of the empire as well.
The Popular Party.
Until about three years ago the social
democrats We're the only revolutionary
party which had any standing in the eau
casus. The social revolutionaries about this
time broke into the field with a more radi-
cal program. In some respects, however,
the ideas of the socialist revoiutionaries
were more popular with the inhabitants of
transcaucasia than were those of the social
democrats. The social revolutionaries are
more along the line of home rulers, while
the social democrats are centralists. It
happens that all three of the chief native
races in transcaucasia-Geo Armeni-
ans and Tartars alike-are eager for au-
tonomy. Again the Specialization" of the
land-that Is to say, its transferreiice as
communal property to the tillers of the soil,
state. church and private owners being ex-
propriated-which the revolutionaries pro-
by peasant than naturalization along the
lines advocated by Karl Marx and the So
cial democrats. However. 1t is no unusual
thing for all of the anti-governmental
forces to act together. Only a few days
ago a joint proclamation was signed by all