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Show THE RUSSIAN DEMONSTRATIONS. It Is probable that more importance may be given In this country to the alleged al-leged demonstrations In Russia In denunciation de-nunciation of autocracy than the facts Justify. As affecting the Government of the Czar, those demonstrations are as Impotent as were tWo Coxey armies In this country upon the form of government gov-ernment of our Republic. The chief difference is In the manner of dealing with the exponents of the discontent. In Russia the authorities seek to suppress sup-press the shouters, and to disperse the gatherings; too often brutally and In streams of blood. In this country, the "armies" were merely told when they got to Washington, to "keep off the grass." Of course, there Is no close analogy between the desperate conditions in Russia and the Industrial discontent which led to the formation of the "armies" "arm-ies" referred to; nor between the frenzied fren-zied Russians who denounce autocracy and the mild-mannered men who followed fol-lowed Coxey and other leaders of the unemployed at that period In our history. his-tory. Yet the two are sufficiently alike to point the relation of their absolute unimportance as affecting any material chapse In the Government as constituted consti-tuted In the one country or the other. The demonstration of Sunday in St. Petersburg was evidently not a vicious ono; the masses of the population thronged to see it as to a show; the police po-lice and mounted gens d' armos came out, not to kill but to disperse. It would no doubt have been better not to have mcddleil with the crowd at all, as long as no damage was being done; but with the fatality of blundering so characteristic character-istic of Russian officialdom, the demonstration, demon-stration, which might well have been allowed to pass.as a temporary ebullition ebulli-tion of no importance, was magnified into a national event: and a gathering which was meant aa a support to the , zemstvo programme was turned Into a reaction against it, so far as the police po-lice could make It so. This does not appear to have been meant by M, Mlrsky, the Minister of the Interior; but neither was the official notice to the people to keep away from the Nevskl Prospect meant to attract the people there, which was In fact Its effect. By reason of these contradictory effects ef-fects from Inadequate causes, It Is difficult dif-ficult for Americans to sense the real significance of reports from Russia, of this character. But of one thing there can be no doubt; the reports of the demonstrations dem-onstrations are mlsundci-stood; the acts have no such Importance aa might be thought, and the Czar is absolutely un-qulre un-qulre about It, while to call It In ques- ahakon upon his despotic throne. What Is had of popular concessions In Russia, will he In the way of grants from the" despot, and not by means of the. uaaecr tlon of popular rights. That the Czar seema disposed to such grants is' the really significant word that comes from Russia. . |