Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-23
CONSTITUTION IS
VERY IMPERFECT
ANDREW D. WHITE DISCUSSES
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
AUT0CRACY REMAINS INTACT
States That the Gar Knows Nothing
of His Country and Can Get No
Information Under Sys-
tenn in Vogue
AUT0CRACY REMAINS INTACT
BY Associated Press

BY Associated Press
BOSTON, Aug. y22.-The Advertiser
today prints an interview on the pro-
posed parliament with Andrew D..
White, former ambassador to Russia
Mr. White is spending the summer at
Gloucester. He said in part:
"While concessions made by the czar
are considerably short of hopes, they
appear to be the beginning of what
may prove a constitution suitable to
the empire. I never believed in estab
fishing a system of absolute universal
suffrage throughout the empire at the
start. To do that in a country where
ignorance is a rule with the peasantry
would be fatal. The natural result
would be all sorts of wild proceedings
which would soon lead to a reaction
and closing of any legislative body
elected by such suffrage.
What would seem first to be needed
III such an assembly is a body of men
who can give information to the czar
regarding his own country. Such infor-
nation he lacks, and cannot have,
under the system which has been in
vogue since he came to the throne.
He knows almost nothing of Russia.
having had no proper education for his
duties, and has, therefore, been en-
tirely dependent upon the members of
his family, countries and favorite adj
visers who happen dt get access to his
car.
There is no denying that the consti-
tuition foreshadowed in the reports
which have come to us thus far is very
imperfect. First of ALL absolute autoc-
racy remains and there is no guar
antee for carrying out what there is
Of good in the system, save the czar's
word, which it must be confessed has
not proved to be thus far a thing on
which those who have received it can
rely very firmly.
Gar Deserts His Best Men
''If he would stand by his best men,
such for example as M. Witte, in finan-
cial affairs, and De Martens in inter
nal affairs, we might hope for very
great improvement. OIlIOTluIdlely
there is no certainty that the same in
huences which have been so fatal to
Russia thus far In keeping these men
in the background viii not be equally
powerful in the future.
''The great dangers in the proposed
parliament are probably two. First,
dissensions among liberal Russians
themselves, arising from the fact that
there has been no discussion allowed,
either by the press or through public
meetings. The result of this is that
each thinking Russian develops his
own ideas with no opportunity to COM
pare them with those of anybody else
or to submit them to any proper discus
sion, and so virtually believes that
they are divinely inspired.
"The other main danger is that the
autocratic power may at any time,
either offended by such discussions or
under pretext of danger from them,
close the whole proceedings and re-
store the old order of things.
"Still we may hope that the conces-
sions recently made may. at any rate,
make it more difficult for the czar and
grand dukes, and the court party in
general, TO restore the old order. and
may AFFORD opportunities for bringing
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