Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-12

stances may dictate. Force is required in
all countries to suppress revolution, but
| gram. and that all reforms consistent with
the highest spirit Of liberalism shall be
carried out when the ground has been pre-
pared
| 1t is said that when the revolution was
! at its worst the court at Berlin interviewed
| and counseled Nicholas
Austro-0erman II to resort to immedi-
Intervention. ate repressive meas
ures. The counsel was
given in such a way that there. was no
doubt but that the government at Berlin
desired to undertake the repression itself
| In occupying the frontier provinces, as
Prussia had already occupied Schleswig.
as Austria had occupied Bosnia.
To the honor of Nicholas ii, be it said.
he understood the gravity of the peril. His
dignity. too. revolted at the idea of for
eign force governing his rebellious subjects
signed at Pilnitz In 1871 against France. so
disastrous to Louis XVI The car wisely
resolved to act by himself. But william II
did not despair. He attempted to induce
Austria Hungary to join him under pre-
text of holding up the revolution and form
thus the famous alliance Of the three en-
perors But the wise and prudent Francis
Joseph. the model prince. refused to engage
in the proposed adventure. At least the
Austrian army In no case would cross Rus
sian territory except called by the car ard
i within the limits which the latter would
assign it. Had the car yielded there is no
doubt that there would have been uni
versal revolt and the Russian land would
have been Redeemed with the blood. not
! only of her own people, but with that of
| the invader Certainly. the old Polish no
bility Is always anti-Russian: but It is still
more anti-German. While the Polish peo-
pie (excepting the Jewish element hold
the Russian in absolute horror. and this
because of the Communication and Russif-
cation of Poland.
policy practiced with method by the Rus
sian government, was maintained until of
late. The Sd of May. 1905. anniversary of
the liberal constitution. the streets of War
saw was the scene Of an imposing mani
! festation. 1t marked the organization of
a new party-the national democratic. 1t
was this party finally. organized for very
fear Of ultimate absorption by Germany.
that overcame the prejudices against Rus
sia and elected its candidates to the duma
at st. Petersburg.
The first congress Of the zemstvos as
sembled in Moscow in September. 1905. con-
voked the Polish delegates.
Russia and A law. it was well known.
Poland excluded them. The con-
gress nevertheless received
them, and better still. 1t passed a law de-
manding a constitutional reform applicable
alike to all subjects of the empire. THE
congressists never spoke to us Of pardon,
but of justice and duty" said Polish dele
gate "They did not extend only their
hands, but folded US In their arms, and In
their embrace we felt the warmth OF ira
ternal sentiment" And MOuromtsen was
heard to say: Il always dreamed of seeing
the day when could cry out to the Poles.
We curse the oppression Of Poland and
those who have been the cause Nicholas
Goutchkov, the actual president OF MOS
cow declared in the congress that the even
ing he had passed at the home OF Lednlcki'
talking of the future liberty of Poland, was
the best of his life.
The Russian government appears TO nave
broken with its former policy toward 70
land and accepted tacitly the fact OF 20
lish autonomy. The former system OF Rus
sitcation has been dsavowed indeed by the
adoption OF the principle Of religious lib
erty Poland was touched. A letter by
Henri Sienkiewicz. signed by 10000 OF all
| parties, repudiated all desire OF separating
| from Russia. 1t was plain If the Poles were
to be eaten by Germany or by Russia they
had decided preference for Russian sauce
NJ Wal.szewski has written an article In
the Rsyse ds fG n which, he says
Poland has already been autonomous I'M
der Russian domination; her new repre-
sentatives have declared that she snail De
so again: she will be- or she Will remain
what she is the maledictOn of Russia
'"The application of autonomy has many
difficulties and twice already has ended
badly. But since century the Po.eS nave
learned something and forgotten more
Russia is not yet ripe for a federal regime
and at a moment when she has had so
much trouble with a first attempt at par
liamentarianism the moment would be Ill
chosen to introduce into a machine already
complicated by local diets supplementary
complication On the contrary. 1t Is to be
supposed that she will put up with a
minimum of concessions which the realists
of Warsaw have already expressed. namely.
autonomy in administration in the judi
tial point is no more tchinovniks the dregs
of the Petersburg officers, playing satrap
in the small Polish villages; no more I'M
provised magistrates, ignorant almost al
ways of the focal law and with a record Of
misdemeanors at st. Petersburg or at Mos
COW; no more school teachers more apt at
extracting g5aft . than in teaching the n mys
would make of Poland something else than
a cradle Of contagion, moral miseries and
exasperated passions. it Is necessary to
commence by giving up Poland to the
Poles"
The London Times of the 9th ultimO con-
tains a dispatch from Berlin which says:
THE situation in Russia and
Germany's its proper development re-
Interest, mains the subject of general
discussion and speculation
in this country. The question is. What would
be the effect upon Germany Of the triumph
or defeat of the car? Thus the conserva-
tive and evangelical Reichsbote apprehends
that if Russian autocracy is overthrown
the German empire will be the next to CO."
Russian autocracy has not been over
thrown, but Ia now to be strengthened and
at the same time reformed under the iron
hand of NJ. Stolypin. And who will say
that this is not the best solution of the
Russian situation? The triumph Of the rev.
olutionists certainly gave little assurance
of peace or protection and this state of
affairs is foreshadowed in the dispatch of
late date from Moscow which reports that
"a band Of brigandS on bicycles is sys-
tematically robbtng village churches avow-
eddy to secure funds for the revolutfon:sts."
A band Of brigands on bicycles! The Rus
sian revolutionist thus is progressist
somewhat In advance of occidental imag-
nation IN such matters.
CHI CHAIII .E-I.0NCS