OPPRESSED FINLAND.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11043, 4 September 1903, Page 4

OPPRESSED FINLAND.

IiL T ssiAJ^s" l pursuing with relentless vigour, her attempts' to , crush Finland. 1 Nearly all the ancient liberties of the people,' W far 1 as customs and forms of government !ure concerned, have; been suppressed, and oven liber jty of spee'eh is denied. For the'^UTpose'- of sxip^ressing speech and , stifling cries that disturb , the. peace of Russia, General Bobrikoff, who in 'the name -ofthe Czar exercises dominion and'auth6rity in Finland, has issued a decree condemning to exile anyone whom he finds guilty of such offences. TJhc latest oppressive edict is that contained in our cable messages to-day, to the effect that all teaching in the Lyceums shall be in Eussian. Bussia evidently intends to stamp out, ,if possible, any - idea of freedom that still lingers in the hearts of the' people. v Th(2 Finns have appealed in 'vain for the continuance of their liberties and for protect tion against a lawless despotism-; but though "too weak to grapple in fight with their oppressors, they yet have the courage to speak out boldly, as will be seen from the following letter addressed as an appeal to ( ' mankind against the wrongs inflicted: — '''"Some of the most promineWb" citizens of Finland have in these days been deprived of a, right particularly sacred^to the..inhabitants of every civilised country, and.i according to Finnish law, not forfcitable under any cirfcninstances—^the" right Of' living in 'their' native ,land. , None of .them wore* ipfqrniesiof !the offence, laid to their charge. It eeems that the selection' of victims has been determined chiefly by personal v ra,hbour on the art ,of. the Russian oflieialSi/i^ based upon /unconfirmed accusations made by irr'csp^pnsjblc sines. It- has even occurred that tlie space reserved for the name of the exiled in the order of expulsion had not boon filled up when the document was pi'esented to him. The receivers of these orders have, moreover, beon subject to domiciliary visits, 'connected with brutal violence and destruction of property, the police, in the absence of the owner, forcing their, way into offices, warehouses and industrial establishments. We are no such optimists as * to believe Hint tliis tide of evil deeds

from which Finland is suffering, at prcscrit Cbuld be stemmed by any exp^r^ssfdn "of opinion in thcpressi- But wo feej-a-^esirc .. to lay our case before all those who have V hitherto taken a sympathetic in'tere'stf* in' ; ' our country and to acquaint ' the'tt|'."^it» the latest and most glaring display /efV a . regime which aims at the completp , d.c- t struction of our existence as a nation.^ln * the name of civilisation we protest against ' this barbarous attempt to devastate, afield 1 ' of western culture and to demolish aiS|sijc-. ture of law and justice built up >hfitsLe exertions of centuries." • - • ' '.\. " '