The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-21
NO LAW In RUSSIA; NONE SAFE
lRBITRlRI LOCAI DEGREES
Ctl SE GENERA TERROR.
Z 'susllS Enforced several Days Before They
Are signed or PrOnmlx ated
dated Orders Cover Excuses by the
Police Strtk 70 Called s0T Fsss:scs.

romeo StFthes snttru "" F~ssssSF'
special Cable Despatch 10 The srx.
LONDON. July 20. An extraordinary Ell
Of the complete resumption Of the reaction
airy policy in Russia is well described 10y a
Moscow correspondent. who says:
The law OF the land is in allegiance =,
total and absolute, over all the populated
provinces Of the Russian Empire"
Instead Of the law Of the land. the gov
eminent Of a nation Of 100, 900, 600 people
is now carried on by means Of a series Of
compulsory DEGREES issued by local au-
thority and enforced by the simple methods
Of military discipline without troubling
about legal forms Of any kind.
Every few days the wretchei Russian
wakes up to FIND his walls placarded with
another series of compulsory DEGREES.
which, as they are only published a few
days after receiving the signatures Of the
local Governor and enter into operation
on the day they are signed. give ample
opportunity to the active secret police.
Yesterday. for instance, there was
signel a compulsory decree ~forbidding
You TO do or say something after next Mon
day that you had done and said for years.
Blu, to-day the police seize their victims
for violating this compulsory decree OF
which no one has yet heard. This seems
bad enough in form, whatever may be the
substance Of the decree, but in fact the
matter is a good deal worse. for the officials
who draw these DEGREES take care hat their
provisions are enforced not only for a day
or two, but ever before the decree or de-
crees are issued and signed.
Therefore, no resident OF Russia knows
when he may or may not he committing
a crime. The secret police practically
can arrest anybody az any time. Further
more, il is always possible to cover any
excess Of secret police oppression by the
issue OF an antedated compulsory decree.
The annual extension Of martial law
has been omitted and apparently for
got ten for two years in succession in Mos
COW province for a week or ten days. but
the omission was duty made good by an
antedated order"
The strike Of textile workers which was
begun by II 900 men in the mills belonging
10 the Sava Morosof Company near Mos
COW. is spreading rapidly and threatens
to embrace the entire Moscow region.
Al kostroma the workmen OF four great
mills have joined the strike. making alto
gether 80. 200 workmen who are out. Judg-
ing from their demands. the strike is pO-
litical and an echo of the last decisions OF
the Social Democratic party. This may be
gathered from the sweeping character Of
the demands. to comply with which is
impossible for the employers. That the
leaders OF the Social Democrats have again
decided TO Use the workmen IA chair d canon
for their own political purposes is obvious.
However, nothing but seriou damage
10 the workmen themselves will he the
result Of this attempt
The strike Of the crews OF towboats on
the Schluesselburg and adjoining canals
is increasing, and the entire canal up TO
Neg l.adaoga il blocked. Men on newly
arriving vessels are compelled to join the
strikers The Governor-(iensral Of NJ.
Petersburg HIS gone to Schluesselburg
TO takye' charge Of affairs.