The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-05-14

to AZ acres. Therefore the MAJ.
were compelled to rent land from Y
landlords at fabulous prices y
aggregate value Of the redemntlo,
land taxes often reached lS5 : y
per cent Of the normal value !, 4
allotment. not 10 speak of Tho :,
for recruiting, the churches, roads 1,
local administration, chiefly Ias
from the peasants. The peasants n.y.
sunk deeper into debt every wear n a
scheme was q quicksand-the bo,,. 4
they worked and struggled the aaaas
into debt they fell. Increasing ar,os.
have driven one-fifth of the lnb,Is #
ants from their houses. Every i.
more than half the adult males N #
some districts three-quarters Of 4.
men and one-third of the women, 7,
forced to quit their homes and v,,
der throughout Russia in search
work. In the governments Of 4,
black earth region the state Of NJ.
tiers is hardly better.
The phrase "class distinctions v,,
more than rhetoric In Russia--lt VI,
part of the chains. II handcuffed d.
tiny. bolted the door of opportunIr
The great mass of the people, Sls
per cent peasants; 10 per cent mad
up the nobility; 8 per cent IN u
clergy; o.3 per cent the burghen
and merchants; 6.1 per cent the Mil
tary; thus 147.000.O00 of the Russan
were peasants.
The slavery In Russia consecras &
by law in 1909 was partly abolishe
in 1861. The Act only pretended 1
Iiberate the serfs. Even under In &
best landlords conditions continued ID h
be terrible. Household servants or Be-
pendents attached to the personal seF Il
ice of their masters were ri
leased. They Joined the town pro
letariat. The peasants were given al h
lotments of arabic land. These al /
lotments were not given to the Ind
vlduals, they were given over to The
rural commune called the Mir, whid
was made responsible as o whole ia
the payment of allOtments. II was
sort of land communism, except that
the title did not pass even to the Min
The enormous charge against the land
made them tenant serfs. The Nix
was mortgaged community. The re
demption charge was not calculated
on the value of the land, but was con
sidered as payment for the loss Of The
compulsory labor of the serfs. TM
enslavement of the peasant was rec
ognized In the Act which pretended
emancipation.
Peasants systematically Cheated
Many proprietors of land saw to y
that the allotments did not give tne
peasants the needed pasture land'
around their homes. This crafty CAR
culated scheme compelled the peasant
to rent pasture land from the lana-
lords at any price. The LANDLORDS
HeIu tneiH up
1t was only as late as 1904 that the
landlord was forbidden by law TO w.
flict corporal punishment on che peas
ant. Even this law was winSed "
and the practice of treating hulnan
slaves as brutes treat tired domesus4
animals, continued. The peasant was
a chattel and the cheapest farm o.
ture. There were plenty of peasan's
Notwithstanding the barbara me Y
Russia, the population continued =
grow. ~
The peasants only participanon Z
government was in the assemVg
called the Mir. With its quaint eu'
toms, it is Of immemorial antlquy
The assembly of the Mir conslsleeu
all the peasant householders OF the y
lage. These elected a head man =
collector of local taxes. 1t was tne n ~.
est Russian peasants ever got y -
dom. 1t was the clearing nouss Z
the troubles, a socialism OF sofiv III
touch of local self government VIZ.
gave no rights; 1t simply provlus 's.s
means of cooperating in pu'u'7
bearing. ~,
Copyright, 1920. Western Newspaper