Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1883 — Siberian Exiles. [ARTICLE]

Siberian Exiles.

George Kennan, author of “Tent Life in Siberia,” delivered a lecture on “Siberia,” in New York, recently. He said that if the United States and every oomitry in Europe except Russia, were put into Siberia there would stili remain 1,000,000 square miles uncovered, and that a broad bel} of land extending from the southern part of Siberia to what is known as the Central Forest was one of the most fertile and genial places in the Russian Empire. The idea that exile life in Sitaria is one of suffering in dungeons, and that political agitators suffer untold miseries in mines is all a mistake. “The Russian government,” he-said, “in the beginning sent at its prisoners to Siberia in order to settle the oountry. Good homes were provided and farming utensils given to the exiles, and such is the case to-day. There are two divisions in the exiles, the first of whioh we will designate as convicts, and the second as simply banished. The first class work in the western part of the tract I bare alluded to. There are no exiles in any of the very cold parts of Siberia. The only convicts who work ip mines are men who, had they committed the same crimes in America, would either have been hanged or imprisoned for life. The second have farms whioh they cultivate for themselves in the eastern district. Most of the inhabitants are descendants of exiles, who were banished ong ago for very small offenses. The number of political prisoners is very small. From 1867 to 1872 64,225 people were sent to Siberia; 5,800 were sentenced to hard labor, and the rest were only banished. There are annually about 443 political offenders transported, two-thirds of these are nobles, and one-third of the other classes.. So this proves that Nihilism is not a popular uprising against thd Russian government. Tomsk and Omsk are two of tho wealthiest places in Siberia, and most of the political prisoners are sent there. Omsk has 20,000 inhab itants, 452 merchants, a public library, a boys’ military school and a ladies’ seminary. I visited one of the political exiles, who, as a photographer, had made money there. He was living in a fashionable house, adorned with pictures and works of art. He spoke bitterly of the practice of transporting prisoners, but almitted that qe was living well. I know that there have been crimes committed in Siberian prisons, but crimes as bad have occurred in our own land. Transportation there is a great and growing evil to society. The prisoners are, however,very well treated. I think that the custom of transporting prisoners will be slopped in a very few years or greatly modified.”