Show russians do not emigrate from george kenhans Ken nans account of the russian penal code in the april century we quote as follows 1 I have been asked many tunes by friends in america why intelligent and liberty loving russians do not get out of such a country many answers might bo given to this question but perhaps the most comprehensive and cogent of them will be found in sections of the russian penal code which are as follows SEC whoever leaves the fatherland and enters the service of a foreign government without permission of his own government or becomes a subject of a foreign power such parson for violation of his allo fience and his oath shall be deprived of all civil rights and expelled from the limits of the empire forever if he returns ho shall be exiled to siberia for life SEC whoever leaves the fatherland and does not return at the summons of the government sh all for this disobedience be deprived of all civil rights and expelled from the limits of the empire forever unless within a period to be fixed at the discretion of a court he shows that his disobedience was due to causes which were beyond his control or which mitigate his guilt ho shall make such proof he shall be regarded as missing and his property shall be controlled by the bureau of guar deanship SEC any person who without permission of the government and without adequate reason lives abroad beyond the period fixed by law for persons of his station shall also be regarded as missing literally absent without news and his property shall be taken in charge by the bureau of guardianship SEC any person who persuades a subject of the empire to emigrate to another country shall be punished with penal servitude in a convict company for not less than twelve nor more than eighteen months or be banished to siberia for life under one of the above quoted sections Turge while living in paris in 1863 was summoned to st petersburg to answer before the di senate for something that ho had written or said one can see from his letters to a friend P V an benkoff nen koff how humiliating and exasperating pe obedience was to him but he obeyed the government does not recognize the right of its subjects to go abroad or to live abroad without its permission and if therefore a russian takes refuge from oppression in a freer country he must face the prospect oro of expatriation outlawry cho loss of all tho property left behind him and exile to siberia if he ever returns few people are willing to separate themselves for life in this way from friends relatives home country and all that a man naturally holds dear what alternative then is loft to the oppressed when oppression becomes intolerable they must either submit or and if they are not willing to submit and are not able under the provisions 0 this code to oppose tyranny by peaceful collective action they will inevitably resort to violence and fight singly or in small groups as they are now fighting until they go to siberia in leg fetters or perish on the scaffold |