1891; The Century Co. publishers, New York; two-volume set on heavy weight paper; Volume One: 409 pages; Volume Two: 575 pages, including Appendix and Index; gilt lettering on spines and front boards; full of b/w illustrations; Volume One very good condition with publishers inscription "Rev. G.J. Whipple, Compliments of The Publishers, Luzerne, N.Y. on inside page" (pic) and small additional picture of George Kennan pasted on same page as his photo (see pic for Volume One); very little ageing of pages and boards; Volume Two very good condition with little fading of pages and little wear of boards.
description -
Armed with a letter from the Russian Minister of the Interior, Kennan travelled through Siberia investigating the Russian penal system. Intending to disprove the allegations of brutality, Kennan, instead, produced a shocking exposé of the Siberian exile system.
excerpt from Chapter XI -
CHAPTER XI EXILE BY ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS THE colony of political exiles in Ust Kamenogorsk was the last one that we saw in the steppe territories, and it seems to me desirable, before proceeding with the narrative of our Siberian journey, to describe more fully and carefully the particular form of punishment that these offenders were undergoing -- a form of punishment that is known in Russia as " exile by administrative process."
Exile by administrative process means the banishment of an obnoxious person from one part of the empire to another without the observance of any of the legal formalities that, in most civilized countries, precede the deprivation of rights and the restriction of personal liberty. The obnoxious person may not be guilty of any crime, and may not have rendered himself amenable in any way to the laws of the state, but if, in the opinion of the local authorities, his presence in a particular place is "prejudicial to public order," or "incompatible with public tranquillity," he may be arrested without a warrant, may be held from two weeks to two years in prison, and may then be removed by force to any other place within the limits of the empire and there be put under police surveillance for a period of from one year to ten years. He may or may not be informed of the reasons for this summary proceeding, but in either case he is perfectly helpless. He cannot examine the witnesses upon whose testimony his presence is declared to be "prejudicial to public order." He cannot summon friends to prove his loyalty and good character, without great risk of bringing upon them the same calamity that has befallen him. He has no right to demand a trial, or even a hearing. He cannot sue out a writ of habeas corpus. He cannot appeal...