The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-04
RUSSIANS NOW
FAVOR THE PLAN
New National Assembly Popular
With the People.
JEWS ARE WELL PLEASED
BUREAUCRACY HAS NEITHER
VOICE NOR VOTE.

St. Petersburg, Sept. 8, 1:24 a. NJ
Though the new national assembly dur
ing the first days after the issuance
of the emperor's manifesto calling the
assembly was given more unfavOrable
criticism than praise and the Russian
press through ignorance took far less
favorable view of the new institution
than did the foreign newspapers, the
value of the assembly. the extent Of its
powers and the long steps forward II
marks in the path of reform are now
becoming generally recognized through
out the empire. A flood of addresses
of thanks is coming in from all classes
and from all regions, the city doumas
leading the district, though the urban
population was supposed 10 have been
placed at a considerable disadvantage
TO the peasants and the nobility under
the electoral arrangement. A number
of doumas have coupled their addresses
with requests for freedom Of speech and
OF the press, but only in a few cities
were addresses rejected.
Studying 1t Carefully.
The project. the provisions of which
are difficult of comprehension by peo-
pie not experienced in parliamentary
institutions, is being taken up for care
full study and consideration and be-
cause of this much of the adverse criti-
cism is wearing away and the talk OF
a boycott of the assembly by the Lib
erals is no longer heard. Public dis
cGssion of the assembly and the steps
that are being taken TO put it into eff
feet are bringing TO light minor defects
rff hi
project. and the ministry of the interior
is busy answering questions and fur
nishing interpretations on doubtful
points. 1t is apparent that a number
of notifications, either by imperial di-
rection or by the douma itself, viii be
necessary before the assembly becomes
practical working body.
Remedying Defects.
Some of the principal complaints that
the border provinces were not to be
represented in the first assembly have
been removed by the prompt convening
of the Solsky commission for elaborat
ing a scheme for elections in these dis
tricts in which the system of local Or
ganiZation that prevails in the fifty I
governments of Russia proper and the
machinery of which was appointed by
the Bouligan commission for election
alton of the ministry of the interior
that the reports are absolutely with
out foundation.
The elections in the entire empire
must be ended by Dec. -. Since the
work of canvassing the vote and the
journeys OF distant representatives to
st. Petersburg viii occupy the month
before the date fixed by the emperor
for converting the assembly, the work
of preparation Of electoral lists is ac-
lively under way in the various cities
and in the country districts. and tele-
graphic orders have been sent TO the
dilatory heads of a number of gov
ernments to proceed Immediately with
the work.
Acting in Good Faith.
Accusations which are frequently cir
culated in many parliamentary states
that the government intends to manip-
ulate elections are heard here concern
ing the douma, and indeed, with
numerical preaominance of peasant
lectors and the peasants awe Of the
projects and other local officials. the
government is undoubtedly in a posi-
ton TO do so. This undoubtedly will
be the desire of many provincial Chin |
ovinks, who have been accustomed to
welding arbitrary authority with lit
central government thSEl TO the desires |
of the people of this district; but the
provisions of the project and election |
regulations and special orders issued |
since show that the government is act !
ing in good faith and is doing its best /
TO make the elections independent. A /
limit is out IN the activity of the prov |
incial administrative authorities, and |
the elections are placed in the control !
authorities v1sags IL al. .E-I
pointiYe.
Bureaucracy Has No Vote.
The bureaucracy has no voice in the |
arrangements and no vote in elections. |
a number Of computations have been /
made by enemies of the project for the |
purpose OF showing the peasants I'm the /
majority in the dOuma: but these prog !
nostications are groundless, as ii is not /
known what combinations the three |
classes of electors viii form among |
themselves in the various governments. |
and the inclination of the present elect
Ors is 10 use the plurality colleges TO /
secure an undue share of representa- !
tiveS and force the city and nobility !
lcctOrs to combine in self-defense.
The project is received WITH sltis-i
faction by Jhe Jews in Russia ;rimar- /
lily because it is the first general law
IN Russia in thirty years
not containing a clause discriminating
against Jews as a race. This is more
than they had hoped for. They arr !
granted political rights under the /
douma equal to those of all the other /
races OF the empire, but they are stili
without a large proportion Of the civil |
rights enjoyed by other Russians.
Ask your grocer for Burnett's Vanilla.