Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-04
EFFECT ON THE MASSES
Progress Made in Recent Years in
Many Directions.
HEALTH AND SANITATION
Improvement In Both Directions Can
not Be Overestimated-Wha Will
Overthrow Ducal Autocracy.


giving rise to all sorts of rumors. and the
only one which does not receive authentic
denial Is that the people of the empire are
learning day by day revolutionary doc
trines. II the Instruction against the auto
cratic government ever breaks out the unity
of ideals and action, greater today than
year ago. there will result more tragic
struggles than those of the French revo-
luton.
The demand for political freedom tends
for a freedom totally republican. The
declaration of the principles adopted by
the conference held not very long ago
and published in Sundays Star-shows that
the aim of the masses is for the abolition
of autocracy by replacing 1t with free
democratic system on the basis of uni
Yersal suffrage.
THE Russian zemstvo is an agency which
has actually accomplished much good for
the Russian masses. said diplomat to-
day, IN discussing the political troubles
of the cars empire. The Russians. singly
as whole are absolutely capable of
governing themselves, declarations to- the
contrary notwithstanding. Russia is today
well prepared for a constitution, to which
1t has looked forward for the last half
century. The zemstvo. in the opinion Of
most statesmen-eXcept the Russian grand
dukes-is real. solid foundation for popu-
lar government, with great adaptability for
development. The ZemstyOs too. have had
to labor under difficulties Prosecuted by
the mobiles and interrupted by the police.
the zemstvo officials have never peaceful
moment to fulfill their duties. What recon-
mendatons the body had to make to the
people were always deemed revolutionary
by the military or the police. Now, of
course, the sttings not openly inter.
fered with, thanks TO the ukase issued by
the car after the close of the war with
Japan. In spite of many encroachments
upon their rights. the zemstvos are more
than ever convinced of the Importance OF
their task.
nntiac of
The actual duties of. the zemstvo are
somewhat similar to the American city
councils. The questions 1t has to decide
today concern public education, hospital
and charity work sanitation, bridge and
road building. the regulation of naviga-
lion on rivers and lakes, the erection and
administration of local prisons, local pos
tai affairs. agriculture and the greatest
task or all-the most. just distribution OF
tho taxes imposed by the general govern
ment Despite its difficulties and the OBJ
stacles which the central government is
constantly interpoSlng, the zemstoo has,
beyond doubt, demonstrated that it really
cares for the Russian people.
Almost all of the public schools OF the
empire" continued the diplomat, ARE ad-
mintStered by that body. 1t is the duty
OF the school board chiefly to inspect the
schools. to employ and to discharge teach-
ers and 10 close schools whose tendency
Is not normal
Official statistics show what good work
the zemstvo has done, and taking educa-
tion as an example we get good insight
IA the progress OF Russia. In 1885, before
the introduction OF local self-government
as exercised by the zemstvos, there existed
In the entire empire ,134 public schools
twenty-five years later, through the GEM
stovos, these figures had been Increased to
,6o1- In 1898, the item OF public eduea-
zion In the zemstyo budget amounted to
sS27 coo ruoles. or little less than Is per
cent OF the entire budget In 1905 the fig-
SllbStaDtiallv DAD cl-
though their exactness could not be veri-
ned owing to the troubles arising from the
war
'tBy an imperial ukase of 1858 the zem
stvos OF one OF the governments was riyl-
Iegsd 20 assume the maintenance OF all
roads within It's borders hitherto In the
care or the state. The trial proved so sue
cessfm that very soon other governments
were permitted also TO look after their
own roads and lay out a good many new
o4eS. IN ioso-the last year of complete
onlclal statistics-showed an expenditure
OF little less than 100000 for the main
tenauCe of public highways
They also took charge of many other
pVoHc functions which are maintained by
private enterprise in other countries They
purchase, for example, tools and the prod
uets or agriculture for the peasants In
many cities also they are In the business
OF bookseHing-when the Imperial censor
VIII allow them. Fire insurance (AmerI-
can enterprtse) is also important OBJ
;eSI Vt ther activity; tue zemstvos act as
Public Health and Sanitation.
The greater part OF the activities of the
local Safeguarding bodies in Russia of
,sle, IS taken up with the care of the public
health and sanitation-txo Questions which
are uifhcult OF solution even in the we'll
regulated communities OF America France
ana Germany While it was difficult for
the bureaucracy to encroach upon the field
OF me zemstYo in this particular there was
sun the ignorance and superstition of the
people TO be fought against. The success
or the zemstvo In improving the public
health cannot be overestimated.
Inc hospitals in the several zemstvo
s2Vernments were left entirely to the care
or TINS institution. In these governments
which had a population Of approximately
8ooO0OOO. before the zemstvo law came
into effect there were only 351 hospitals
with nearly 1900 beds. OF which more than
one thousand were insane patients All OF
these. strange TO say, were without ex-
eeption. situated In the cities; there was
not one single hospital IN the country dis
tricts, and the condition of all OF then, baf-
fed description The majority of the pa
tients were either political prisoners or SOL
diers. II II were their misfortune to be In
country districts the only medical aid they
received was by inexperienced druggists
Throughout all Russia there were but 200
sick beds throughout the country. to be
used mainly, by government serfs Those
who were In slavery to the private land
lords had no medical aid.
But the zemstvos. instead. soon
given a free hand in carrying out their hui
name work built additional hospitals and
asylums. BY 1890 six city hospitals
had been built while the country districts
were honored with over seven hundred new
hospitals, with an aggregate CAPACITY OF
more than 1900 patients. Additional In
sane asylums were founded and large
staff of travelling physicians were In fire.
quent attendance
so the zemstvo." concluded the dlplo-
mat. is in reality body who has lofty
views and whose aims are for the benefit
OF humanity, whatever its peccadillos may
be. II has done much more Tor self-goy
eminent in Russia than has the central
government. 1t has been able to succeed
despite the ignorance and inability os Rus
sian officials. The employees OF the GEM
stvo, moreover. differ entirely from the
typical chinovnik or Russian official. In that
they are jealous and honest In their ,abors
for the welfare of their country
Therefore 1t is possible that the inan-
cree exercised over the masses by the sey-
eral zemstvos may be the means to main
tain the people quiet and to prevent a revo-
lutlon-or at least. an insurrection-but the
zemstvos must be given additional privl-
leges by the Russian government which.
by far, has not conferred liberty upon all