The Washington herald., 1908-07-22
A Patriots Protest.

On August q Count ToIstoi VIII reach
his vlghtleth birthday, and. as If to prove
that It is not true that "a prophet IS
without honor in his own country men
Of letters and men OF note in art and
science IN Russia Joined together in a
movement 10 send a delegation to his
home bearing the fluctuations Of the na-
ton But Count ToIstoi, who has
given many striking evidences OF the fact
that he is not as other men. begged that
his birthday be.aIlored to pass unnoticed.
and. being thus ,in the public eye. he has
taken occasion 10 give vent to a bitter
protest against the frightfuI injustice
under which the people Of Russia are
doomed 10 suffer.
In 2 letter 10 a London newspaper
Count Tolstoi takes as his text q tele-
gram bearing the news that twelve peas
ants had been hanged because OF an at
tack upon the house OF a landlord This.
Of course. sis only one small item OF the
record Of slaughter Of peasants IN all
parts OF Russia. but II seems that this
particular atrocity aroused the aged au-
thor's ire 10 the boiling point IN a
frightfuI arTaignment Of the Gar. he tells
Of how the government robs the youth Of
Russia Of his senses with s4o0.OOoO00 worth
OF vodka every year: he tells how the
government brutalizes the youth by
wholesale slaughter. under the very thin
~.rr-
the children. made caIlous by the crime
with which they are surrounded. play
games IN which robbery and murder are
an intesraIs part, and thus learn easily
Ito proceed 20 these crimes when they
ireach manBood- He tells how the public
.,execuuoners ain various towns IN Russia
.ihave grown prosperous through the
tCzar's misruEe. and speaking OF the ex-
4ecuuoner he says:
Yes the ezecltioner knows he does vrone and
he is afraid q men. and think this feeling Of fear
atones al lsas- IN part. for his guilt But you
Car. prime uiniste-s and Judge. you indirect exc
c1tiane-z you DO aot 70 feel your glt or you-
shame Low As that nan has faIlen. I think he
sands higher thza yoa, who authorize these awful
crimes
II may sound meIOdramatIc. but It Is
evider4Iy iupassloned With truth. that
Count Tolstol offers himself as a sacri-
fee toe the cause Of liberty. which he 50
dearIyfIoves. and he cries n his philippe
70 the Gar that a rope may be put
/ around his meek and hs be hanged. rather
than forced 10 live longer in a land that
reeks with injustice
t II is'plain 10 be seen what Count TOlstoi
means by his offer Of sacrifice Some
[ years ago. when crime and Injustice were
/ rampant IN Ireland Robert louis Ste
velsOn seriously broached the project OF
going 70 Ireland. IN The hope that he
would be made. the victim q assassina-
T ton. and thus, by his prominence. would
[ public opinion tbe aroused to remedy the
wrong It IS in the same spirit. evi-
I IDENTIFY. that Count Tolstoi offers his neck
TO the hangman's moose. While the VIC
/ tins OF the Cars misruIe are humble
/ peasants throughout the empire. the pro-
Z test IS neither very loud nor sincere. per
/ haps; but Il the Gar should take Count
Z Tolstoi at his word-imprisoa him. o.
/ otherwise 'naltreat hirn-pUblic opinion
might be aroused into such a stream OF
/ protest that even the Russian autocracy
must heed Il