New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-09-03
MELIKOFrS OrP0RTUNITT.

The administrative changes In Russia. of
which the general press dispatches had given us
only a vague outline, are fully defined i'll the
text of the Cars ukase. Tie Supreme EX-
ecutive Commission, of which General LOris
Melikoff has been the head, has been abol-
ished The military dictator, however. retains
his extraordinary powers under IA new title.
Henceforth he is Minister of the Interior, en-
powered to settle all questions raised in the
Supreme Executive Commission, to summon
the members of that Commission for n special
consultation in any great emergency. to re-
ceive official communications from governors,
generals and other authorities under the gen
eral terms of the February ukase, to assume
the supreme direction If all State prose-
cutions on the same basis as for
merly, and to reorganize the secret police
and the corps of gendarmes There has never
been any such Minister of the Interior before
in Russia or anywhere else. The Cars double
has simply been released from the obligation
to consult with his associates Of the Commits
sion and enabled to exercise supreme admin
istratve power as one of the Cars Ministers.
He does not seem to have any control of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some special
departments, such as the post office, the tele-
graphs, and ecclesiastical affairs, are separated
from the Home Office aud placed III the charge
of a new Cabinet officer. The other Ministers,
however, are practically subordinate 70 him.
Under this scheme he Is something more than
First Minister. He is virtually the head of
the administration, and remains what he was
under the ukase of February-an Imperial
proxy As Military Dictator he nominally had
power to remove any Minister, but, like the
prudent Armenian he is, shrank from exer-
cising it, AS the personal representative of
the Car in the Ministry of the Interior he
will exert commanding influence over his asso-
ciates and retain exclusive control over domes-
tic administration.
1t is premature. therefore, to conclude that
General Melkoff7s dictatorship has dawn to
a close. The clumsy machinery of the Com
mission has been dispensed with, but the SUI
preme authority in administrative government
remains in the same hands as before. As Min
lister of the Interior ne will continue the work
of surprising the outrages OF the Nihilists
and restoring the confidence of the people
in the Government. At the same time he has
received definite instructions to reorganize the
demorallzed and infamous Third Section. BY
the terms of the ukasc the Car DEGREES the
abolition of this Section OF the Chancery, and
the organization IN the Ministry of the In
terror "of n special department Of State po-
lice 10 conduct such affairs pending the fu-
" son of all the police bodies OF the Empire
sin one department." The director Of the
secret police becomes General Melikofl's dep
uty. and he himself is vested with the
responsibilities of Chief of Gendarmes.
He has the grand opportunity Of reforming
the whole system OF arbitrary arrests and
secret surveillance, with all the abuses and
exactions to which it has led. The Third Sec
ton has never been reformed. The beneticent
work which has been done since the reign of
Nicholas has never reached that abominable
centre of Russian corruption and misgovcm-
ment. If the Armenian soldier who has
achieved such signal success in quoting the
Nihllists and vndicaling tie authority of the
Car can level to the ground that Infamous
system and substitute for 1t a strong, elective
aud uncorruDt department of national and de-