Russia.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3216, 10 June 1879, Page 3

Russia.

Tho Standard in a leading article upua Russia and its present, position says :— The truth i», that the condition of Russia, is a theme with whioh public opinion will probably hare to busy itself for some time to come. It is humiliating to reflect that the physical miseries with which the East of Europe' has been cursed, and the political anxietiog with which both Europe and Asia .have been tormented during the last three years was caused by a Power whose internal condition is declared •by the cver,-multiplying testimony of its own people 'to'fie so extraordinarily uu-, satisfactory.' Every evil which can tor'ta&ent.a Bi;ate seems torbe rampant in the territories' of the „ Ruler who has been claiming to, be the reformer of .Turkey,' the friend of civilisation, and thesbenefactor of humanity. The Kussian Government, if we ar« to believe the Kussian peo. pie, possesses not one redeeming quality. It is;tyrannical, venal, corrupt, cruel, unintelligent. The army is an instrument of oppression; the police ,delight in seizing innocent victims, and exult in their torture ;-, plice and power'are'purchased with money and adulation ; < bribery 5 ami peculation riot in high places, and^the educated classes are dcniecTaH share in the manafcemenfjofrpublic affairs'. ' Bus-' sia, these fanatics tell us, consists of a Monarch, an army, a diplomacy, 1 a pqlice v and a nation of of terrorised nonentities. " Kussia," saythe'Eussians, " is 1 despised and scorned by the civilised world. Materially, Russia is ruined. Her system of education is- a system for killing the mind. The army ii a cruel and insatiable band of thieves. The tribunals ar,e a mockery of justice. Her governors are police directors, and her generals so many satraps." This, of course, it will be said, is the language of, revolutionists. Doubtless it is; but are its, assertions trueP There are revolutionists^ apd:revolutionists. In Ruisia' everybody who thinks is a revolutionist., Profound and bitter dissatisfaction prevails throughout the land. No Secret Society ever' made such progress among ,a> people as>Nihilism has done in Russia, unless a ,bad systemnof government had first prepared the field for its operations. The time was when the 3 Italians, j,W,bo were naturally an eaiy-jjoing people,, formed themselves in 4o.va fariety of Secret Societies in order.-" to>< combat the rulers who denied them freedom, human dignity, or even ordinary liberty of speech. "I have!been a conspirator all my life," ■aidJt3ays>ur; and.every non-official Russian seems half disposed to say the same. We detest, and have denounced, the attempts made on the lives of Russian j officials,'one after nno'the'r, during the last few months. But it is quite plain that the instigators of these deeds have got far beyond the influence of ordinary or conventional public opinion, and that, with, whatever repugnance they may be regarded in this country, they excite widespread sympathy in .their own. It would be impossible for ao many assassinations to be committed iwitb. impunity, unless the abettors of such deeds were to be counted by thousands. No one puraues the .assassin; every, one assists in his escape. We are informed that the heads of the Russian police are meditating the resignation of their, posts,, for, they find that most of their subordinates are Nihilists. If every murderous attempt in Russia, were to supceed,,tbe country would 'soon _be , without ,rulers'alto- (- gether. L '