Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-07
SUNSHINE FOR SIBERIA.
Russia Is Introducing a More Merci.
full Penal System.

IRON the Boston Transcript.
The world moves in Russia. perhaps not
at as rapid a gait as in more favored
lands, but still it moves. Russia may not
be gaining the civic-politicaI level of
other great European nations by "gigan-
tic strides but it is taking long steps
forward. Recently its government has in
stituted prison reforms which, when in
fun operation. will deprive the term Eek
lied to Siberia of its currency When
Russia has completed the great system
of modern. up-to-Gate prisons which 1t
is now planning criminals will no longer
be sent to Siberia. They will be i'm
prisoned near the scene of their crime
and will be usefully employed either at
some trade or calling or on public works
while serving their sentences. In a word,
their condition will be similar to that of
convicts in most European prisons. The
British system has been chosen as Rus
sia's model, and as Britain more than
half century ago gave up dumping
criminals into Australia SO Russia in 1913
has determined not to penaliZe Siberia
with swarms of murderers. robbers and
the small fry Of lawlessness.
In coming to the conclusion that Grim
nal exile" to Siberia no longer pays
Russia has been assisted by the crimi-
nal exiles themselves. The Russian crimi-
Only treason felony is punishable with
death. For murder and other felonies
criminal exile" to Siberia has been the
commonest form of punishment. The
theory of the law has been that when
the sentence of the criminal exile" in
Siberia had expired he would settle down
on the tract of land awarded him. Rus
STA dreamed that the convicts In Siberia
would follow the example of those sent
to Australia and become in time thriv-
i,,cr To- =
ferent. The convicts took the land and
then took French leave" The return to
Russia was not difficult and in so vast an
area it was easy for the refugees to Sc
never used the death penalty to deter es-
cape from Criminal exile" thereby re-
fusing to take a leaf from the British
book.
The failure of the Russian experiment
has been complete Siberia has made
great progress, but not by the criminal
exile" system. The political exiles.
men and women of superior character
and ability, have developed Siberia to the
point of prosperity it has attained. They
| would have accomplished much more had
| there been no criminal exiles" to bother
them by their vice and their general
shiftlessness. Today Exile to Siberia.
is no longer inflicted on political Offend
ers Those who think aloud thoughts the
government condemns are sent to under
| 60 cooling incarceration in Russia. The
| cars government still possesses power
similar to that the Bourbons in old times
| exercised by 'lettres de cachet. Its
executive decree is sufficient to consign
| political offender to prison, without
| trial and without appeal So long as this
| relic of barbarism survives the Russian
| code will be viciously unlike the codes Of
| European nations. but the progress OF
| prison reform gives ground for hope for
! progress in individual freedom.
The abolition of criminal exile to ST.
IBERIA ought to send more sunshine into
the lives of the Siberians. Siberia. though
but sparsely populated for its area. is by
no means "a great lone land 1t has
population of between 100000 and 9,OnO.-
coo, and at least one of its cities has
passed the 100000 mark. with others
pressing it close The schoolmaster If
| not exactly abroad in Russia is becom-
ing active. There are in the public schools
of Siberia not far from 100000 children.
almost as many as are found in the
schools of Russian Poland. Railroads
have opened up Siberia. Its products
reach European marts. notably its butter.
which commands ready sale. Altogether
there is a boom on in Siberia, and its
progress will be accelerated by the re-
moval of the stigma which has given
region not unfair in itself a, black mark
in the political geography Of the world.
If you want work, read the want col
umns of The Star.