The National tribune., 1907-12-19
THE RUSSIAN LAND PROBLEM.

The dispatches from Russia state that
the Douma is meeting its greatest diff
culties in the solution of the land prob
lem. The dispatches give us no inkling
the solution of what has always been
in every country the most vital of ques-
tons. 1t is impossible to understand
how the question can be satisfactorily
settled in Russia by the Douma alone,
since it has required terrific wars in
the rest of Europe to bring land owner
ship into even such an imperfect state
as it now is in the various countries.
The matter of land ownership was the
real cause of the French Revolution,
and the terrible wars which convulsed
Europe for a quarter of a century. The
first marvellous successes of the French
armies were due to the fact that they
went as deliverers, and were welcomed
everywhere by the people as rescuers
from the intolerable hardships of the
ownership of land by the nobility. The
first act of the Revolutionists was to
confiscate the lands of the Church and
nobility and re-distribute them among
the people. This program was carried
out wherever the French maintained
their control for any length of time.
The only way in which the Prussians
could be induced to rise against the
French was due to the inspiration of
Baron Won Hardenburg, who succeeded
bo To, a.
to the Government upon payments ex-
tending over 40 years. The actual
owners and tillers of the land were
then given 40 years time in which to
pay for those lands at the same prices
the Government had paid for them.
Being then the owners of their own
farms and homes, the Prussians had
something to fight for, and they rose
en- masse to drive the French from
Germany.
Some solution of this kind is the only
possible one for the Russian situation,
holders are reduced TO such straits as
to be willing to part with their estates
at fair price, and whether there is
thrift and providence enough in the
Russian peasantry to take advantage
of this scheme as the German peas
antry did in 1911.
1t would seem that the most unfor-
tunate part of the situation in Russia
Is that the peasantry has never been
educated into the knowledge and feel
Ing of private ownership of land, and
have consequently none of the land
hunger which characterize the Teu-
tonic and Kettle races. The education
of the Russian peasant has been COM
munistic, socialistic, to the last de-
gree. Even when a serf, he was a
member of the mir or commune,
which had the right of occupancy of
certain stretches of land which were
portioned out annually to the different
members of the community. This pro-
cess was in the highest degree injurious
to the land, since no man ever thought
Of improving his holding, and when it
was worn out he simply got an as
signment to a richer piece. So far, all
suggestions as to selling land to the
peasants Has ilicl Will
prise and resistance. The peasants
have no thought of buying land; they
want it given to them, as has been
done thru all of Russia's history. The
followers of Henry George could, if
they wished, see an excellent object
lesson in Russia where private owner
ship of land is of the rarest occurrence.
own land, but it's use is granted to
them by the Gar, and they derive their
immense incomes from what they can
squeeze out of the peasants who till
the land. In this important respect,
Russian society has not advanced be-
yond the feudal system of the Dark
Ages.