Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1905. RUSSIA'S OUTLOOK.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42771, 29 August 1905, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1905. RUSSIA'S OUTLOOK.

2his above all—to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day Jhou cansi not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

From: a date considerably previous to the outbreak of hostilities in the Far East, up to the present time, Russia has, at repeated intervals, made attempts to gain a little breathing time by practising a game of bluff. The latest, the Peace Conference in America, which Russia entered into with an apparent wish to come to terms wish sher adversary, now appears to be but another subterfuge to obtain second wind, for Russia has now flatly refused to pay any indemnity to Japan or to make any cession whatever. Japan cannot reasonably be expected to make any pretence of suspending hostilities when her reasonable offers are thus turned away. But what is Russia’s position that she can thus afford to ignore all hopes of peace ? Her treasury is reported to be exhausted, and if a paper currency is not adopted, the Government threatens the forcible appropriation of the wealth of the monasteries, for a war loan of £20,000,000 which the Minister for Finance endeavoured to raise internally, met with only feeble response, tenders being sent in for but a tenth part of the sum required. Such is the difficult position in which Russia is financially situated, and in orr’er to extricate the country from this unpleasant corner, it appears that the autocratic mind will have to exercise its powers to the utmost. Although great efforts are being made to keep the populace in subjection by promises of conciliation, and the establishment of an assembly wherein representatives of the people would assist in the Government of the country, yft the task of keeping the seething masses in hand is day by day proving to be an increasingly difficult one- Disaffection is rampant amongst tho Imperial troops at home on garrison duty, who, in some cases, have thrown down their arms en masse, declaring they would no longer continue to do police duty. Russia possesses a total population of about 141,000,000, of which 6,000,000 are Jews, treated with all the barbarity that an autocratic Government can invent and command. There can be no lasting peace in a country such as this, where not only this body of 6,000,000 human beings, but almost the whole population, is in revolt against the ruling power. With a long list of crushing defeats, the remnant of a navy, a disaffected army, and an empty treasurychest, Russia finds herself to-day, and in the agony of despair, would seem to be courting a final plunge over the precipice of destruction with the vague and longing hope of being able to drag her hated enemy down also. The present stage in the negotiations for peace will be an important historical turning-point of the whole question, and the turn of events at tlis juncture will be watched with interest by all.