Our Government, caring above all things for its own
interests and privileges, and putting all else in the back-
ground, acts according to the dictates of the grossest self-
ishness. It did not object to reforms in favor of the peas-
ants so long as the reforms could be effected at the expense
of the serf-owning nobility. This was very wise and per-
spicacious, and for a time won the Emperor Alexander^ II.
great popularity, even among extreme Radicals and Social-
ists. But from the moment when this was found insuffi-
cient, and a demand was made for the cessation of absolute
power, the Oovcrnment made up its mind and took the
opposite course.
The whole home policy of the two last reigns since the
Emancipation is nothing but a constant fostering of the
interests of the privileged classes at the expense of the
masses. Hundreds of millions — milliards — of money ex-
acted from the peasants are spent in '^ supporting the no-
bility " or the " landlords," or in subsidizing great manu-
facturers. For the sake of augmenting the profits of the
favored trades, prohibitive tariffs are levied, wars of con-



, 68 THB BUSQIAN PEASANTBT.
