New-York tribune., 1901-07-14
FINNS ARE MOURNING.
YET RUSSIA HAS HAD MORE PROVOCA-
TION THAN Is GENERALLY BELIEVED.
,snsc,al corrssnonas,ca,

| st. Petersburg June 29-The recent stu
| dent riots here. and all that they have in
| volved. have for the moment overshadowed an
other question which, il quite so insistent, is
| of paramount Importance. The manner of it's
| solution will indicate to the world the nature of
| Russias internal policy more clearly than any
| thing else. / refer to the question of Finland.
Among other hereditary privileges of the Firms
are those relating to army service. They may
not be called upon to serve in the Russian army,
and their term of service is only about three
years, to Russias five. The officers of the Fin
nish army must all also be Firms, nor this
| army be called upon to serve outside of the
grand duchy. Briefly speaking. the Finnish peo
pie. as a whole, have more liberty and exist
| under social and industrial conditions far
| perior to those in Russia 1t is rich country.
| well cultivated and producing largely.
| So great are the privileges of Finnish subjects
| that many native born Russians go through the
formality of changing their nationality and be-
coming subjects of the grand duchy. This is
| naturally distasteful the Russian govern
| ment as we'll as the fact itself that Firms have
| a greater amount of liberty than Russians. while
the country is subject province. Then. too.
| Finland is un-Russian. a state of affairs which
| the imperial government has time after time
taken measures to overcome in other parts of the
| Russian dominion
| DIFFICULT TO MAKE CHANGES.
4
Uncongenal the Russian Government found
| its relation TO the Finnish State. there seemed
| to be absolutely honorable method by which
| changes could be effected The Car had sworn
| to protect the fundamental rights of Finland.
and these fundamental rights could not be
altered except with the assent of the four estates
| Of Finland. That assent could never be OBJ
tained. At this juncture Pobedonostseff the
Procurator of the Holy Synod. and other men
REM rfi he 4 he far
birth to the idea, that the fundamental rights of
Finland could be interfered with If these funda-
mental rights interfered with the welfare of the
Russian Empire. In other words. they discov-
cred loophoe which they termed legal. in the
principle that the parts should suffer for the
whole. and that this principle was an integral
part in the plan Of Russian government.
BY this decision the abrogation maintenance
of Finland's ancient rights would seem to rest
on the arbitrary Interpretation of which of these
rights interfered with the welfare of Russia. 1t
is possible that according to some individual
opinion, they might all interfere with the stan
dard of welfare which some individual had arbi-
trarily established to fit the occasion.
Acting according TO this precedent. the Cars
government has not abrogated the Finnish II
| stitution. has commonly been reported and
generally believed. 1t has simply made certain
inroads upon IT where it "interfered with the
| less some of these inroads have been tentative
and their extent has been exaggerated in the
foreign press. but the great grievance of the
Firms was not with what has been absolutely
done In opposition TO their ancient rights and
privileges. nor with the number OF their rights
which had in reality been curtailed but with
the fact that they have henceforward secur-
ity. The maintenance OF their constitution ap-
parently no longer depends upon the honor OF
their Grand Duke the autocrat OF Russia but
m IN Vh fs
given the task of reporting which sections OF
their constitution interfere with the welfare OF
Russia.
CAUSES FOR ILL FEELING.
As far as can be ascertained the actual present
causes for grievance in Finland are as follows:
The Finnish army is to be made about twice It's
prescribed size and Finnish soldiers have been
ordered into Russia for manouvres. The ap-
pontment of Russian officers in the Finnish
army is said TO be impending. well the
imposition OF exactly the same tariff as that
which prevails in Russia the end OF three
years. when the new tariff law OF Russia comes
into operation.
on account OF the so called persecution of
Finland by Russia. and probably chiefly to avoid
new regulations as to army service, thousands
OF Firms have recently been leaving Finland.
Many of them have gone TO the United States.
There has been great depression throughout the
Grand Duchy The intense feeling OF resent
ment which the Firms have naturally felt has
evoked from them expression of dssatis-
faction which has spread over the civilized
world. The Russian government has not been
unmindful OF this complaint. and II has had and
will have its effect.
The Emperor has already decreed that there
should be sort of last council Of appeal on
these questions, and a few delegates from the
Finnish Assembly members OF this council
They are, however. painfully In the minority.
They are said 90 look pale and hopeless More
over, his majesty has the right to change the
decree of the majority of this assembly In
favor of the opinion of even a minority OF one.
In justice to the imperial government IL should
be said that Its action toward Finland is prob
ably based on motives far removed from those
of the joys of persecution which are freely at
tributed to il. There We're undoubtedly many
projects of the Russian Government which were
seriously handicapped by the position of Finland
In the empire and from the governments point
Of view the un-amost antl-Russian nature OF
such provinces Finland and Poland must
prove aggravating In many ways Our sympa-
thy is always with the weaker and with the
oppressed. but the Russian Government has
probably had more provocaton for Its various
arbitrary acts than the world at large is willing
to believe.
So far the recent treatment OF Finland is
concerned 1t certainly as If the Russian
Government were making great mistake |
While II is possible that for the welfare of the
general government certain changes seem
advisa BILE in the government of Finland those
changes should not be arbitrarily made in spite |
of the Finnish constitution. Needing the popu-
lar clamor, the government has already paused
10 consider before II continues it's proposed
measures. and il Is the general hope that that
pause may be long enough to enable the Gar
and Ministry to realize the folly and lack of ,
feeling that the Gear has been acting conscien-
tiously In the matter. and that certain of his
ministers far more TO be blamed
The next few months will probably show
whether not the tide of genuine imperialism
will really overflow the Grand Duchy of Finland |
and wash away It's ancient hereditary privileges |
If this really comes TO pass. Russia viii have !
taken a decided step backward, and the Firms
indeed justified he