The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-03-04


take possession of their territory, and
the armed retainers. who were won.
formerly to wander about as free
lances. gave up their rowing mode Of
life settled down permanently, be-
came landed proprietors and sought
to share as boyars the princes au-
thority
The greatest of these principalities
was Novgorod. Since the days when
Rurik had first chosen it as his head
quarters the little capital on the Vol
khov had grown into q great CONNER
cial city and brought under subsection
vast expanse of territory. stretch
Ing from the shores of the Baltic to
the Ural mountains. Unlike the other
Russian principalities it had n DEM
ocratic. rather than a monarchial form
of government. The republic of Nov
gorod was the first and only flicker
of freedom In the long night of Rus
sia. and 1t glowed but for short
moment.
Novgorod had a prince, but he was
engaged by formal contract. He was
merely the commander Of the troops.
All the political power remained in the
hands of the civil officials. They had
a popular assembly which was called
together in the market place as occa-
sion required. by the tOlling of the
great bell. The maxim Of the state
was: "If the prince is bad. into the
mud with him."
In Moscow a different state of af-
fairs obtained. There the supreme law
tho yrtf i'm, nf n n
Democratic Novgorod and autocratic
Moscow became bitter rivals. The fu-
ture of Russia was in balance. The
question was light or darkness, day
or night, freedom or slavery for the
future Russians. Had Novgorod won
out In the thirteenth century we
might not have the problem of boil
shevism in Russia today. But 1t was
to be otherwise, and with the success
of Moscow. autocracy was enthroned.
The Russian night came on.
Tatar Irruption.
Then came the Tatar yoke. The
conquerors built their capital at Sari
on the lower Volga. The Mongols pill
laged and robbed. Tax gatherers kept
the peoples backs bent in toll. The
first trail to Siberia was blazed, the
cruel road that was TO play such an
important part in the horrors of Rus
sian history. Oddly enough the first
wayfarers who journeyed on this rond
were Russian autocrats, the degener-
ate and corrupt descendants Of Rurik.
The grand khan, the chief of the Mon
gOl empire, lived with the Great
Horde" in the valley of the Amur In
Siberia. Russian princes were puppets
in the eyes of this autocrat Of auto
Gratis. He commanded them to appear
before him. Before making the peril
Gus trip the prince made his last will
and testament and gave direction for
the guidance of his children. Few ever
came back. The road to Siberia then,
as later. was n journey into the shad-
ow Of death. Some died on the trip,
others found execution the reception
at its end. The few who returned es-
capped the wrath of the great khan by
sycophancy and bribery.
The princes of Moscow were the
most willing and plant tools of the
great Ehan. They outraged and robbed
their own subjects to satisfy the Mon
gol court Muscovy grew strong under
the Mongol empire. The betrayal OF
the Russians was the price. This Is
the taint in the blood Of the czardom
of Muscovy; out of this line the czars
came. When the Rsissian princes be-
came strong enough they turned on
the Mongol empire. 1t was weakening.
At the battle of Kulikovo. 1880. the
Mongol yoke was broken.
Three czars. Ivan III, known as The
Great, his son Basil, and his grandson
Ivan ~, called Ivan the Terrible,
whose united reigns cover period of
one hundred and twenty-five years.
1902 to 1854, forged and fixed the
shackles cn the people of Russia,
shnckles which clanked until the exc
cution of the last Romanoff, Nicholas.
1t was Ivan III who snuffed out the
last spark of liberty In Russia. the
democracy of NovgorOd. Ivan Nv fin
ished the job; popular assemblies
were abolished, freedom of conscience
was killed. The complete doom of the
Russian people began.
copyright. 1920. Western Newspaper union)
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