Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-03-24

.nd district councils freely elected by all
classes of the population 80. .,d henei-
ON addition to these great anu p Si
IN , auor,.o' n,eans we're taken for deVel-
opins more rapidly the vast nature l $50 oi,,o5
of the country, pubic lhs'i 49, a,siderable
an unprecedented impetus eo' ~ nress
amonnt of liberty was accorded TO the press
a strong spirit of liberalism perVanea iapl a,
" all sections of the educated GLASSES; s ..
msainative and critical literature deaHng
with economic, philosophlcal aAu ,d for a
questions sprang into e is fnnd,v imagined
that Russia awakening from her tradluohal
ietharey. was about to overtake' and soon
to surpass, in the path of natIonal piosie"7'
the older nations of western Europe -.
"These sanguine expectations were not
fully realized. The economic anu I'o ;n-o,nd
dition of the peasantry was lttle llnpronra
hv freedom and in many districts there "ele
signs of positive impoverlshment anu IN
moralization. The local sef-goVernnleill m
stitutions after a short period of feVerish
and not always well directed activits, sh ~
ed symptoms of orgaplc eSha iloa,nnarabIy
reformed tribunals, though lncoipai aois
better than their predecessors, did not give
universal satisfaction
ruption and long-established abuses when
had momentarily vanished began 10 leap
near Industrial enterprises did not always
succeed Education produced many ulii9 rha
seen and undesirable practical results ne
liberty of the press not lnfrequehtly uesen.
Grated into licence. and sane Liberalism was
often replaced by socialistic dreaming
In short, it became only too evident
that there was no royal road to national
prosperity and that Russia like other ma
lions must be content to advance slowly
and laboriously along the rough pain OF
painful experience. In these circumstances
sanguine enthusiasm naturally gave way 10
dependency, and the reforming zeal OF me
government replaced by tendencies OF d
decidedly reactonary kind. Partly from
disappointment and nervous exhaustion anu
required rest in order to judge the practical
results of he reforms already accomplished
the car Trained from further initiating
new legislation. and the government gave
it be understood that tfe epOCn OIL lHe
great reforms was closed.
I'm the younger ranks of the educated
classes this state of things produced keen
dissa tisfacton, which soon found vent in
revolutionary agitation. At first the agita-
dealt with by the press censure: but it grad
ually took the form of secret associations,
and the police had to interfere.
For a time the propaganda had very
little success because the uneducated peas
ants and factory workers could not under
stand the phraseology and abstract prlnci-
pies of socialism: but when the propagan-
dists descended to lower platform, and
spread rumors that the car had given all
the lind to the peasants, and was prevented
by the proprietors and officials from car
irving out his benevolent intentions there
was a serious danger of agrarian disorders,
and energetic measures were adopted by the
authorities Wholesale arrests were made by
the police, and many of the accused We're i'm
prisoned exile,l to distant provinces, some
by the regular tribunals and others by so
called administrative procedure without
formal trial. The activity of the police and
the sufferings of the victims naturally pro-
duced intense excitement and bitterness
among those who escaped arrest, and a
cret organization. calling itself the
tive committee, announced in its clanIestine-
ly printed organs. that the functionaries who
distinguished themselves in the suppression
of the propaganda would be removed
"A number of prominent officials We're
cordingly condemned to death by this
cret terrorist tribunal, and in cases the
sentences were carried out. Gen. MeZentsov,
the head of the political police. was assassi-
mated in broad daylight in of the prin-
cpal streets of st. Petersburg. and in the
provinces a good many officials of various
grades shared the same fate. AS these acts
of terrorism had quite the opposite of the de-
sired effect, repeated attempts made on
the life of the emperor, and at last the care
fully laid plans of the conspirators sue
cessful. On the 18th of March. 1881, when re-
turning from military parade to the Winter
Palace Alexander II, terribly wounded
by the explosion of bomb, and died shortly
afterward.'
From the EncncIODnedin RI-itnnnico