New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-09-15
POLANDIZING FINLAND.

The crushing of the last remnants of Finnish
autonomy proceeds ruthlessly and rapidly. The
new military law which was decreed by the
Russian government on July II, despite the OPP
position of the Firms. has been put into force.
When the question Of publishing it came up in
the Finnish Senate four members OF that body
had the courage and patriotism to express their
opposition to such arbitrary subversion OF the
Finnish Constitution and accordingly voted in
the negative. For so doing they have just been
removed from their seats ''by order of the
Gar" the stated cause being that they opposed
the Emperor's command There is, therefore
no longer a Grand Duke of Finland, governing
the land in accordance with its constitution
There is simply Russian Car. whose will is
law.
The new law is harsh and despotic in both
matter and mannar 1t abolishes the Finnish
national army, vi hch has hitherto existed I'M
der the direction Of the Finnish Senate, ana
establishes CONSUMPTION for the regular Russian
army throughout Finland, under the control or
the Russian Minister Of War The regiments
drafted in Finland no longer to be COM
handed, as heretofore, by Finnish officers, but
by Russians; they will he expected to use the
Russian instead of the Finnish language, and
they will he required to serve not merely IN
Finland and in Russia. but wherever the Gar
1
not Finnish. For military purposes there is no
longer a Finland; there is merely another Rus
sian province. And this. as we have sad has
been effected in an aggressively offensive man
ner Some time ago the Finnish Parliament.
acting consttutionally. adopted the law going a
long way toward meeting the Cars wishes on
the subject. The Car, as Grand Duke OF FIN
land had the constitutional right to veto it, If it
did not satisfy him, and to cause the introduce
ton Of another bill, but he did not do So He
simply ignored the constitutional functions Of
the Finnish Parliament, and drafted at st.
Petersburg 4 law to suit himself which he
signed and issued as an imperial decree, and
then as an afterthought. sent on to Helsingfors
with an order for the Finnish Senate to ratfy
it under penalty of removal from office. 1t Is
an arbitrary subversion of the Finnish Consti-
tuition by n sovereign who not long ago swore
TO maintain it.
The incident and the attendant circumstances
are fine gloss upon the recent rumors of Rus
sian Intervention or mediation In South Africa
For, putting British operations against the Boer
States in the worst possible light. they are by
no means arbitrary, as aggressive and as
reprehensible as the Russian attack upon Fin
land. In the former there are many dis
puted issues. In the latter there is not one. No
one questions for moment the right OF Finland
to autonomy under its constitution nor the
duty of the Grand Duke TO maintain that CON
stitution, nor the absolute loyalty OF the Firms
to their sovereign Yet without provocation or
expressed cause that sovereign violates that
| constitution and transforms autonomous ma
ton into an oppressed province. 1t is sad spec
| tacle 1t puts two Polands upon the map of
Europe.