BEES
Tim Commoner
j"
JBRUARY 5, 1904.
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RUSSIA AND HER CZARy
fCoDvriKht 1904. bv New York Journal.)
'. The man of Russia makes the otb.6r nation
'Europe look insignificant by comparison. Mos
fe'w in called "The Heart of Russia." and yet tho
Kins-Siberian railway Irom Moscow to Vladivos-
Mc is auout u.uuu miles long, nearly one-iuurm
i ch'fiiimferencR of the elobe. From St. Peters-
ferg to Sebastopol is more than 2,000 miles, and
Bt Kussias cermory extends mucn nirtner nuim
tan St. Petersburg and much fartner soutn tnan
ibastopol. In a book recently issued by author-
of the Russian government some comparisons
i madfi that eive an idea of tho immensity of
Eussia's domain. For instance, Siberia is about
io and one-naif times as largo as lMiropo, so
mea aa lame an Germany, and covers one-thir
tenth of the continental surface of tho globe.
ides having great timber belts and vast prair
i; Siberia has a hill and lake region ten times
, large as Switzerland, . and it is claimed tnat
ne of the lakes are as beautiful as those of
faio Mountain "Rfinnhlic." Lately the EOVern-
iBsnt has been encouraKine immigration into tho
jguntry opened up by the trans-Siberian railway
lid the success of tho movement is shown by the
ET , . -. . . . j ji.h
net tnat tne numoer or passengers carnuu on iuo
wi . . . Mf -i 1 j?- i-. n A AAA
r.estern sectirn or tne roaa mcreuseu, irum j.uu,uuu
1896 to 379,000 in 4898, and on tne middle sec
in from 177.000 in 1897 to 470.000 in 1898. with
Esimllar increase in freight traffic. The govern
ment gives a certain area of land to eacn setiier,
id when necessary advances sufficient money
n hnilrl homes and barns for the storage of crops
Sid for the purchase of agricultural implements.
he territorial greatness of Kussia is me uret
Sim? that impresses the tourist and the second
P'thnt. it r as vet so snarsely settled that it can
Kthout fear of crowding accommodate a vast
KnrnnRA in nonulatlon.
ffc Russia embraces all varieties of-climate and
sources.
My journey was confined to -the northeast
fftnn t nntprp.ri the rinuntrv below Warsaw.
Son- moot fr ATrcfnw then north to St. Petersburg
i'nri then pa RontheftBt to Berlin. This, with tho.
ir.nrHrm nf mv visit to Tula, cave me. my only
Opportunity to cee the people of Russia. They
limpressjsd me as Doing a.naruy race aua mo uw
ressities of climate are such as to G.ompeimuubuy
Und activity. I never saw elsewhere such universal
preparation for cold weather. As yet Russia is
Faimnat Antirp.lv agricultural, but manufacturing
lfoTitoTnri3Pa nm pnntinuallv increasing. The ueas-
lants live in villages and for the most part hold
.. . . i j . 4-l-.nl n fViatr nolntiir to
itneir lanas in uuiumuu mau id, mv,j mwwUC, ..
tho commune or village as a whole and not to the
fttrwuirfriufii wh(n Alexander freed the serfs tho
Hand was sold to them jointly on long-time pay
ments. These payments nave m oniy a lew w
stances been compietea, wnereiore uul muuy u
!i, moQonta own land individually." There is
'. rn-or muoh discussion in Russia about the
F method of holding land. Some contend that com-
Emunal holding tends to discourage inrut ana eu-
jterprise, and there is some agnation in tuvor jj.
rindividual ownersmp.
Tivmow tho largest citv of Russia, has. a
trifle larger' population than St. Petersburg, tho
capital, which has more tnan a minion, Moscow,
tn,T.inii ia ViA pommero.ial center of the empire.
jfeives the casual visitor a much better idea of the
Characteristic lire and arcnuecture 01 .ttussm luui
FAnn at TotprRhnrc. St. Petersburg, however, is
Slald out upon a broader, more generous plan, has
rwider streets, more impressive public buildings
and private residences, ana mere is more evi
dence of wealth in the capital than in the cora-
..tni nnntnr Toth el Hen nosRonn admirable
museums and art galleries . The chief gallery of
Moscow devotes nearly all its wall space to pic
tures by Russian artists, and they are sufficient
in number to prove Russia's claim to an honorable
placo in the world of. art
The Hermitage at St. Petersburg, which is an
annex of tho emperor's palace, contains an ex
traordinary number of masterpieces of modern and
ancient art. The museum of the academy of
sciences possesses a remarkable collection of fine
specimens of prehistoric animals, among them
mammoths, the largest and best preserved of
which was found only a few years ago in-tho
footjof a Siberian glacier. .
VTho visitor, to Russia comes away with con
flicting emotions. He Is impressed by the won
derful possibilities of the country, but is op
pressed by' the limitations and restrictions which
the government places upon individual action and
activity. As soon as the traveler reaches the
border Of Russia his passport is demanded. It is
again demanded the' moment he arrives at his
hotel, and it is demanded, and inspected "at every.
place he stop. When he is about to leave the
country h must send his passport to tho police
office and have it Indorsed with official permis
sion to depart. Not only is a passport demanded
at ovory placo from tho foreigner, but native
Russians, high and low, must also bear passports
and bo prepared to submit them for inspection
upon demand. Not oven officers of tho army are
exempt from this rigid rule.
Tho censorship over tho press and over pri
vate mail is very strict I brought away with me
a copy of Stead's Review of Roviows which had
been posted to a subscriber in Russia and which
had passed through tho hands of tho censor. Its
pages boro abundant evidenco of tho care with
which he scrutinized forolgn publications, for ob
jectionable cartoons, articles and even paragraphs
had been mado illegibilo b an obliterating stamp.
The government of Russia, as tho world
knows, is an autocracy. All power is vested in
tho emperor, and all authority emanates from
him. Being an autocracy, Russia has, of course,
no legislative body, such as is now a part of tho
government of nearly every civilized country on
the globe. It has not trial by jury and it knowtf
not tho writ of habeas corpus, Tho custom of ex
iling or banishing without trial persons objec
tionable to the government is still practiced! A
large number of Finns, -mony of them persdtts of
prominence, have been deported from Finnland
since the decree of 1899, which limited tho self
government which tho Finns had enjoyed sine
Russia annexed their country.
While in St. Petersburg I was, by tho cour
tesy of the American ambassador, Mr. McCormick,
given an opportunity of meeting and chatting
with tho czar of all tho Russias, Emperor
Nicholas II. I found him at his winter residence,
the palace of Tzarskoje Selo, whic'i is about an
hour's ride from St. Petersburg.
Of all the emperor's paiaces, Tzarskoe Sclo is
his favorite. It stands in a, magnificent park
which at this time of year' is covered with
snow. The emperor is a young man, having been
born in 1868. He is not more than five fiet seven
or eight inches in height and. apparently weighs
about 160 pounds. His figure IeT slender and erect,
his face boyish and. his eyes a light blue.' His
hair, which is blonde, is cut rather short and
combed upward over the forehead. The car wears
moustache and short beard. The general expres
sion of his face is gentle rather than severe and
he speaks English perfectly. He informed mo
that about '65 per cent of the adult men of Russia
can read and write and that the number is in
creasing at tho rate of about 3 per cent a year.
This increase, the czar said, was shown by the
recruits to the army and as these came from all
provinces of the empire and all classes of society,
ho believes it to be a fair test of tho people a3 a
whole. The czar declared himself deepJy inter
ested in the spread of education among the peo
ple and seemed to realize that opportunities for
education should be extended to men and women
equally. I referred to a decree issued by him
about a year ago promising a measure of self-government
to the local communities. The czar said:
"Yes, that was issued last February, and the plan
is now being worked .out' He manifested great
gratification at the outcome of the proposals sub
mitted by him which resulted in the establish
ment of The Hague court of arbitration and it is
a movement of which he .may justly feel proud,
for while it is not probable that The Hague
tribunal will at onco end all wars, it Is certain
to contribute largely to the growth of a senti
ment that will substltut6 the reign of reason for
the rule of brute force. The czar spoke warmly
' of the friendly relations that' had existed for years
between Russia and the United States. He said
that the people of his country had rejoiced in the
growth and greatness of the United States. Then,
speaking with considerable feeling, the czar said:
"The attitude of Russia n the Kischint'ff affair
has been very much misrepresented by some of the
press and I wish you would tell your people so
when you return to tho United States."
The Russian officials deny that tho govern
ment was in -any way responsible for the mas
Bacro .and I was informed that tho government had
caused the prosecution and secured tho imprison
ment of many of those implicated, . The emperor
showed in his conversation that he respected pub
lic opinion in the United States .and was anxious
that his administration should not rest under
condemnation. It seems to be the general opinion
of those with whom I had a chance to speak
In Russia that the emperor himself is much more
progressive and liberal than his official environ
ment If ho were .free to act upon his own judg
ment, it Is believed that, he would go further
and faster than the officeholalng class surrounding
him in broadening tho foundations of the gor
ernmont, and from his words and manner during
my conversation with him I am inclined to share
thi&'Oplnion.
What Russia, most needs today arc free speed
and a free prcss-J-frco speoch that those who have
tho wolfare'of tne country at heart may give ex
pression to their views and contribute tholi wis
dom to that public opinion which In all free coun
tries controls to a greater or less qxtend those
who hold office. To dony freedom of speech Is to
question tho ability of truth to combat error; it
is to doubt the power of right to vindicate itself.
A freo press would not only cnablo those in office
to see their actions as others see them, but would
exorcise a wholesome restraint. Publicity will
often deter an official from wrong-doing when
other restraints would be insufficient and those
who are anxious to do well ought to welcome any
thing that would throw light upon their path.
With freo speech and a freo press it would not
be long before the participation of tho Russian
people in government would bo enlarged, and
with that enlarged share in tho control of their
own affairs would come not only contentment, but
tho education which responsibility and self'-gov-crnment
bring. It is impossible to proparo people
for self-government by depriving them of the ex
orcise of political rights, As children learn to
.walk by being allowed to fall and rise and fall
and rise again, so people profit by experience and
learn from tho consequences of their mistakes.
That tho Russian peoplo are devoted to their
church is evident everywhere Every village and
town has its churches, and tho cities have cath
edrals, chapels and shrines seemingly Innumer
able. St. Isaac's cathedral in St. Petersburg is an
immenso basilica and Is ornamented in nave and
transcept with precious and semi-precious stones.
The superb portico is supported by a maze of
granite monoliths seven feet in diameter. There
is now in process of construction at Moscow a still
more elaborate cathedral. Russia is not a good
missionary field for two reasons: First, becauso
the people seem wedded to their church, and, sec
ond, because no one Is, permitted to cover his
connection, with the church. , r '
The child of an orthodox Russian becomes a
member of the church of his parents and If ho
desires to enter another church ho must leave tho
country. If one of the orthodox church marries
a member of another church the children must
of necessity be reared in the Russian faith. It
will be seen, therefore, that the church Is very
closely connected with the government itself, and
quite as arbitrary.
De Tocquoville some, fifty years ago predicted
a large place for Russia, among the, nations of
Europe and my visit to tho great empire of tho
northeast convinced me that Russia with uni
versal education, freedom of speech, freedom of
tho press, freedom. of religion and constitutional
self-government would exert an influence upon
the- destinies of the old world to which It would
be difficult to set a limit W. J. BRYAN.
The District of Columbia is offering some
superior Inducements to corporations. The laws
are much easier than those of New Jersey, and
besides this there is tho added inducement of hav
ing the corporation headquarters right where the
legal representatives are talking for the Congres
sional Record.
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