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Show THE NEW RUSSIA. If the vigilant sentry on the outposts of Mukden could know what wa transpiring in St. Petersburg If the soldier of the czar at Port Arthur could hoar the hymn of freedom resoundijig in the capital of "Holy Russia." Then, indeed, would they fed thrice armed in the knowledge th-.it iigh-ing for the-czar the-czar they were fighting for n new Russia, and for all its people. j A mighty change, is about to take place, is al- j ready taking place. ' It would not happen had it not'! been for war and the crushing defeats of war. Russia has been brought. to its senses through adversity, ad-versity, and lucky indeed is the autocracy that yields dependence, albeit reluctantly, upon the common com-mon people. . Ever since "the minister of the interior was removed" by an anarchist's bullet, emancipation and reform in the government of Russia took a practical turn. Reform was emphasized by v!ie appearance ap-pearance of Sviatopolk-Mirsky upon the scene, a man the opposite in everything to the powerful tyrant removed by assassination. Courage was imparted im-parted to reformers by the czar's manifesto, very Jiberal when we consider Romanoff obstinacy as synonoiuous with oppression. But the real work of reform' was initiated by the- Zemstvo. and if carried out successfully, to them and to the new minister of the interior must, new Russia testify its birth. , , The Russian zemstvo is a provincial assembly. madc up of representatives of the peasants, the landowners of the towns, and the landed proprietors, proprie-tors, the noble landowners being the influential members. It has been the aim of the bureaucracy since tlie zenistvos were created to cut down tho limited powers originally given them, to prevent their i'scussion of other than purely academic quests, s, and above all to prevent any attempts at unity of action among them. The bureaucracy has ,bcen successful in this and the provincial assemblies have been made, from its point of view, quite harmless. It is, indeed, startling to witness even an "informal "in-formal gathering" of delegates from the various zenistvos. A year ago a conference of that kind would have been impossible. It is still more startling start-ling that the members of the conference should prepare pre-pare a memorial to the czar in which they say it is necessary for national development that there should be national representation in the form of a special elective body to enact laws for the country. The memorialists condemn the bureaucratic system. sys-tem. They ask that rural elf -government be released re-leased from administrative tutelage; that a greater measure of civil and political rights should be conferred con-ferred on the peasants, and that conscience, speech; and press shall be free. Tiussian censorship is not so rigoTous as it ha-i been, but it is stated that the St. Petersburg papers have printed neither the conclusions nor the discussions dis-cussions of the conference. They arc not sure of their ground. They are by 'no means certain that the czar will act favorably on the memorial. While the papers print nothing, educated Russians know all that is going on, and those amoug them who long for freer institutions are in a state of ill-suppressed ill-suppressed excitement. They can think of little else. The Chicago Tribune is of opinion that the czar will not grant all the memorialists ask for, and that, whatever influence the autocracy and the church may have will be exerted to prevent his complying with a single' request. But if he-grant anything, that will be progress. Th fact that the memorial emanating from the quarter that it does, is to be presented is progress. ! The proverb, "He who goes slowly goes safely," applies with special force to Russia. Ra'pid and radical changes might spell revolution' and anarchy.-What anarchy.-What most Russians need is education in the elementary ele-mentary principles of government, and that can best be given them by the grant of a larger measure of local self-government than they now enjoy. The zenistvos should be given greater power and brought into closer touch with the people. |
