Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29
Not Work, but Conflict.

I'm entering upon new political life we
must not close our eyes to the fact that
we have before us not only work. but con-
fiict. Among those eng4ged in the public
life of the country there is a very consid-
cradle group. closely united, and strong by
virtue of the personality of those who
compose it, which looks favorably upon
the theories OF constitutional government
existing in western Europe. There can be
no doubt that this group will endeavor to
give strictly constitutional direction to
the forthcoming political reforms. This
tendency must in orr opinion be resisted.
We do not believe that the existence Of
forms of government familiar to western
Europe excludes the possibility Of all 9TH
er forms. There is no reason to suppose
that the creative power of nations has said
its last word in the matter of political or
ganiZation. We affirm that the greatest
empire in the world both can and must
work out an Independent form of govern
ment, intimately bound up with the pc
cular conditions, spiritual, social and geo.
graphical, of it's existence. We assert
that no form of government can be
permanent which does not closely corre-
spond with the life and thought of the
bulk of the population. We declare en-
phatically that only the autocracy sup
ported by the active cooperation of repre-
sentatives Of the nation Is capable of sat
iSfying the needs of the many races repre-
scented in the Russian empire, and of it's
many interests and classes the peasantry
above all.
The representatives of the nation referred
to in the imperial Tescript must be the me-
dunn through which the czar IS brought
into immediate contact with the thought of
the nation and with public opinion. They
must not limit his autocrdtlc power after
the model of the constitutional forms of
government. They must put an end to the
arbitrary procedure of government officials
by faithfully informing the monarch of the
pressing needs of the people and the coun-
try. In addition to the right of discussing
all proposed laws elaborated in the minis
tres, the representatives of the nation
must themselves be empowered to initiate
proposals for the making of new laws or
for the repeal Of laws already In force. In
orGer TO guard against any violation of the
laws by the executive authorities and for
the security of liberty of conscience. of the
person and of speech, they must have the
right 20 lnterpellate ministers who remain
responsible to the emperor They must
have the right to discuss the imperial
budget and to control expenditure.
A ''rejoinder," signed by twenty-three no.
bles TO his memorandum furnished by M.
Khomiakoff, of the principal spokes-
men of the party of Nj. ShipOf with OPP
portunity for further calculating the views
of his political friends NJ. Khomakoff is
a shrewd and practical man, an excellent
speaker, a man who Is not likely to fail to
play an important part IN the Russian rep
resentative assembly whenever that body
may meet. Two interesting questions were
raised by the twenty-three mobiles. In the
currence of the word right" in the mem-
oyandum, pointing out that the imperial re-
script speaks only of duties and that If the
representatives OF the nation are to have
rights" the authority of the car must of
necessity be diminished. To this NJ Kho-.
miakof replied that duties" and rights"
are correlative terms and that If the repre-
sentatives of the assembly have not the
rights suggested In the memorandum 1t
is absurd to speak of them as cooperating
in the work of legislation. Secondly the au-
thors of the ''rejoinder'' suggest that It is
difficult for an elective assembly to con-
tinue to bear purely consultative charac-
ter; that 1t will inevitably come into col
lison with the supreme authority and en-
deavor to enforce its own will. M. Kho-
m,akoff answered that such a collision is
certainly possible, but that there Is no pos
sibility of providing against 1t in any form
Of government. The authority Of the auto
usurped by his own servants. In speaking
OF IAN autocracy supported by the active
cooperation of representatives of the ma
tion," the marshals of nobility were in
huenced by the considera ton that the pres
ent disorganized state of Russia was due,
mot to lack of good will on the part of the
autocratic czar. but to the fact that his au-
tocratic power was unduly limited by an
irl esponsible. arbitrary and Anticipated po-
litical machinery, wholly foreign to the life
of the Russian people,"
The principles formulated In the memo
rer dunn of the narshals of nobility ana
elucidated In M. Khomiak0fks reply to the