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but friendly. The animosity of the former against the
exiles (from which the politicals and the sectarians must
of course be excepted in this connection) is founded, not
only on the natural antipathy to criminals which is common
everywhere, but on the heavy burdens which this system
lays on the shoulders of the real inhabitants of the land.
Besides the indirect losses to the Siberian population
caused by the 100,000 brodyagi, who live by begging and
stealing; the expensive police-establishments in the villages
which these bands of loafers and robbers necessitate; and
the numerous sick and poor exiles, which the communities
have to support;[1] the Siberian peasants are compelled
to perform an immense amount of unpaid work in the
shape of transport, escorting prisoners, hunting up and
watching runaway prisoners, paying the arrears of taxes
of the exile-colonists, etc. In cities the cost of maintaining
the prisons puts a heavy burden on the inhabitants.
In their turn the Siberians try as much as possible to
exploit the exiles, and in other ways to make up for their
losses. Life is thus made insupportable even to the better
classes of the exiles, who are trying to make a living by
honest work. The exiles are really and in fact outside the
protection of the law. They have often to do manual labour
for nothing—“varnak-wages” are a byword, meaning
starvation-wages—their hay, their building-material and cattle
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