Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-30

only OF duties and that II the representa-
tives of the nation are to have rights"
the authority of the car must of neces-
sity be diminished. To this NJ. Khomiakoff
replied that duties and rights" are
correlative terms. and that II the repre-
sentatives of the assembly have not the
rights" suggested in the memorandum,
it is absurd to speak OF them as CO.
operating in the work of legislation
Secondly, the authors of the "Rejoinder,"
suggest that It is difficult for an elective
assembly to continue to bear a purely con-
sultative character; that it will inevitably
come into collision with the supreme au-
thority and endeavor to enforce its own
will. NJ. Khomiakoff answered that such
collision is certainly possible, but that
there is no possibility Of providing against
II in any form Of government. The au-
thority of the autocratic monarch may, for
instance, be usurped by his own servants.
In speaking OF IAN autocracy supported by
the active cooperation of representatives
of the nation" the marshals of nobility
were influenced by the consideration that
the present disorganized state OF Russia
was due, mot to lack of good will on the
part of the autocratic car. but to the fact
that his autocratic power was unduly
limited by an irresponsible, arbitrary and
antequated political machinery, wholly for
eign to the life of the Russian people,"
May Avoid Dangers.
The principles formulated in the men,
| oranaum OF the marshals OF nobility and
elucidated in M. Khomiakoff's reply to the
twenty-three mobiles were still further de-
veloped in pamphlet which was written
by NJ Shipoff and M. Gerasimoff after con-
sultation with the principal members of the
a few days before the opening of the first
Moscow zemstvo congress. In this pam
phlet NJ. Shipoff maintains that the past
and present conditions of Russian life diff
| fer so fundamentally from those of the
| countries of western Europe as to invali-
date the assumption on which the "consti-
tutionalsts" base their case-namely, that
| Russia is now passing through that stage
of political development which was passed
| through by France at the end of the eign-
tenth century, and by most Of the other
countries of Europe in the middle OF the
nineteenth century. NJ. shipoff appeals to
the authority of Mr.. Bryce. Prof. Dicey
and De Tocqueville in support of his con-
tention that political reforms are bene-
fetal and permanent only when they are
based upon a careful study OF existing con-
dtions, and that any violent breach with
trous consequences. He quotes with ap,
proval Mr.. Bryces we'll known remark that
most of the best articles in the American
constitution were borrowed from the al
ready existing constitutions OF the separate
states, and observes that even a century
after the great revolution France was, po-
litcally speaking, still in state of un-
stable equilibrium. NJ. shipoff's party
maintains that the unhappy experiences OF
western Europe may be avoided II Russian
reformers will consent to abandon theory
and to follow the example OF Scion by de-
vising, not the best conceivable form OF
government, but the form which is bes
suited to the actual needs and conditions
of the Russian people.
The refusal of this party to accept the
principle of universal equal, secret and
Idirect suffrage" is the logical consequent,
of the view which they take of the roll,
which the future representative assembly
! is to play.