tific agriculturists 17,400
4. Agricultural industries 26,700
5. Improving breeds of horses and cattle 45,300
-------
150,300 pounds.

If you ask a zealous member of the Zemstvo why it has not done more
he will probably tell you that it is because its activity has been
constantly restricted and counteracted by the Government. The Assemblies
were obliged to accept as presidents the Marshals of Noblesse, many of
whom were men of antiquated ideas and retrograde principles. At every
turn the more enlightened, more active members found themselves opposed,
thwarted, and finally checkmated by the Imperial officials. When a
laudable attempt was made to tax trade and industry more equitably the
scheme was vetoed, and consequently the mercantile class, sure of being
always taxed at a ridiculously low maximum, have lost all interest in
the proceedings. Even with regard to the rating of landed and house
property a low limit is imposed by the Government, because it is afraid
that if the rates were raised much it would not be able to collect the
heavy Imperial taxation. The uncontrolled publicity which was at first
enjoyed by the Assemblies was afterwards curtailed by the bureaucracy.
Under such restrictions all free, vigorous action became impossible, and
the institutions failed to effect what was reasonably anticipated.

All this is true in a certain sense, but it is not the whole truth. If
we examine some of the definite charges brought against the institution
we shall understand better its real character.

The most common complaint made against it is that it has enormously
increased the rates. On that point there is no possibility of dispute.
At first its expenditure in the thirty-four provinces in which it
existed was under six millions of roubles; in two years (1868) it
had jumped up to fifteen millions; in 1875 it was nearly twenty-eight
millions, in 1885 over forty-three millions, and at the end of the
century it had attained the respectable figure of 95,800,000 roubles.
As each province had the right of taxing itself, the increase varied
greatly in different provinces. In Smolensk, for example, it was only
about thirty per cent., whilst in Samara it was 436, and in Viatka,
where the peasant element predominates, no less than 1,262 per cent.!
In order to meet this increase, the rates on land r