New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-10
Peasants Will Back Gov
eminent That Gives
Them the Soil
Division Is a Problem
Moujiks Opposed to Paying,
While Nobility Demand Full
Return for Holdings
By ISAAC Don LEVINE

The acceptance By the Constitutional
Democrats that the land ought to be
handed over TO the working classes,
announced in a dispatch from Petro-
grad yesterday, is perhaps the most
momentous development in the Russian
situation since the revolution. The
Constitutional Democratic Party Is the
controlling political power in the Duma
and the government. It represents, 10
a large degree, the progressive and lib
eral elements among the nobility, which
is Russias chief land proprlctory class.
The party's stand on the land question
is equivalent to decision by the new
government
The question Of the distribution Of
the land was more responsible for the
spread Of the revolutionary movement
among the peasantry than all other
factors combined. To the moujik. with
his primitive communal self-govern-
ment, purely political theories and
considerations never appealed much.
While Russia's industrial classes joined
the Socal-Democratic party, whose
main aim was the overthrow OF Car
ism and the establishment of a repub-
lie. the peasant masses had their own
parties.
Eliminate Cause Of Unrest
These parties were dedicated TO the
solution of the land problem mainly.
Thus the Social Revolutionists stood
for the appropriation Of all privately
owned lands TO be distributed among
the peasants. Way back in the early
period of the revolutionary movement
in Russia il was the land question
that overshadowed all others in the
movements existence.
To distribute the land 70 the work
ing classes means TO eliminate the prl-
mary cause of unrest and dissatisfac-
ton in the empire. The governments
position would be secure from all at
tacks on the part of the labor element.
For, 10 win the support of the peas
antry, means to have the backing OF 81
per cent of the nation. The army IS
largely recruited from the rural
classes. Especially is this true at the
present moment, when all skilled work
men are left at home to engage IN the
production of war materials.
The process of transfer naturally
will require a great deal of precaution
and labor. For the land which IS now
not in possession of the peasantry con-
sists of several categorles. First, there
is the land formerly owned by the
Car and his family. Second, there IS
the land owned by the state. These
two divisions, comprising mostly land
unfit for agriculture, can be given
away easily.
Nobility Demands Compensation
But the 200. 100000 acres owned by
the nobility cannot be appropriated
without mourning the hostility to the
new regime Of the 100000 land own,
ers. The millions Of acres controlled
bv the Church constitute another diff
ficult problem.
Both the moujik and the workman
would take away the land of these two
classes without any compensation. On
the other hand, the liberal middle
class. represented by the Constltu-
tional Democrats in the new govern
ment will never acquiesce in such a
policy. o...,
Democrats therefore will lead to some
internal strife, but this probably will
have no serious consequences.