Mr. Tchertkoff's article in the Fortnightly, noticed in another column,
contains a passage on the labour troubles in Russia which is curiously borne out by the Times correspon- dent in St. Petersburg. " The factory workmen of Russia," writes Mr. Tchertkoff, " have begun here and there to combine for mutual help in their struggle against their oppressors, and to exhibit the spirit of unity and co-operative enterprise which accompanies all vital energy." He goes on to describe the occurrence of strikes, some of a peaceful character, others in which the troops were ordered to fire on the strikers. His statements are fully confirmed in every respect by the Times correspondent, who, in Thursday's issue, foresees grave trouble in a movement "which," as he significantly adds, " will demand all the skill of Russian statesmen to guide it clear of the ultimate goal towards which every movement of discontent in Russia is sure to tend if only brutal measures of repression are resorted to." That such brutality has been em- ployed there seems little doubt, while on the other side Socialist papers and revolutionary proclamations are exten- sively circulated in all the factories and industrial centres, and the students, infected by the example of the workmen, have organised strikes which have led to the clashese of all the Uni- versities for several weeks. The movement is described by its leaders as Social Democracy, but the Times correspondent labours under no illusions as to its real character, and asserts that it has already developed into a revolutionary agitation.
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