The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-11-28
..Three Days In a Village"
BY COUNT LEO TOLsTOI.

1
Besides the regular visitors and
petitioners, we have today several
of different class-a childless old
peasant. dragging cut his last days
in restitution, very poor woman
with a big brood~of children, and
another peasant who, l think, is
well-to-do. = All three visitors are
residents of our own village, and
all come for the same purpose.
Taxes are being gathered just be-
fore the new year, and the old
fellows teapot, the woman's sheep,
and the Weather peasants COW
have been confiscated. -sAll three
wish me to shield and aid them.
The Weather peasant is the
first to speak. He is tall, good
looking, and well along in years.
He tells me that the village elder
has come to his house, seized the
COW and demanded 81 rubles. He
needs the money for food, and it
should not be collected at this
time.
The old man whose teapot has
been confiscated is the next to
speak. He is a little, decrepit fell
low, poorly fed, and poorly clad.
His grief and amazement is touch
ing as he tells how the tax gather
er had come to him, and taken his
"samovar, and demanded three
rubles, seventy kopecks, which he
has not, and cannot get anywhere.
What kind of tax is it?''' l ask.
God knows! Government taxes,
suppose. Now, how can / get the
money, with my old -woman to
support? What kind of justice is
this? Pity our old age; help u.s.
/ promise to do what / can
turn to the woman who is ill-noui-
ished and worn with suffering. I
know her. She has drunken
husband and five children.
They've got my sheep. They
come to me and say: Give us the
money l say: My man is out
working Give the money!
Where will l get it?' Then they
take my sheep" She bursts out
weeping.
go to the elder, an intelligent
looking, powerfully built peasant,
with a long beard, just turning
gray. l ask why such sudden
.harshness He explains that some
one higher up gave the strictestI
orders that all taxes be cleared up
before the new year, including all
back taxes. i
but are you empowered to
seize teapots or cattle?" l ask.
"What else can do?' the elder
Irejoins, Struggling his shoulders.
'They must pay. There's Abaku-
Imoff (tfe well-to-do peasant whose
cav had been seized.} He has son
on the exchange who drives three
horses. Why shouldn't he pay?
And still he is trying 20 get out of
| it,
well, leaving him out of the
question, how about the peor?" l
ask, mentioning the old couple
whose tea urn has been carried off.
"They are poor, it's true, ard they
have no money to give us. But the
people higher up don't fiEd out
about these things"
l ask him how long he has held
this position and what there is in
it for him.
Eyes, l am paid" he answers.
He seems to guess my unspoken
question how he can be a party to
such an affair. 81 am consider
ing resigning. The pay, sir, is 30
rubles-but the weight of sin it
puts upon the soul!"
And they'll keep the sheep, the
fowls and the tea urn?"
Eyes, sir, of course. The dis
trict office will name a day for a
public sale"
And they'll sell the Nthings?"
Eyes. They'll get their share
out of it."
I drive over to the district Of
flee to learn more about this
method of tax collecting. which is
new to me. The chief tells me that
there are seven kinds of taxes,
back dues which are now being
gathered from the peasants; gov-l
eminent tax, land tax, insurance
tax, provision dues, provision cap
fital in place of compulsory work on
roads, district tax, village tax.
The chief tells the same story
as the village elder. Strict orders
from authorities higher up are re-