The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-26
Are the Cars Concessions shams?

There are already signs that the po-
litical, religious and economic conces.
sions made by NICHOLAS II. during the
last three months were intended merely
to allay the discomfort which threatened
to infect even those masses of the Rus
sian people which. as having been hith-
erto impervous TO Liberal ideas, had
come to be looked upon as the firmest
props of the throne. Concessions, how
ever, IL prompted by fear rather than by
sympathy, are, of course, apt to be re-
GREETED and recalled when the terror has
abated. For several reasons, namely,
the discovery that the procurement OF
foreign loans is still practicable, the
belief that Vice-Admiral RoJEsTvENsKY
will succeed in carrying most OF his
warships to VladiWostoll, and the as
sumption that Gen. ,LINlEvITcH will es-
cape disastrous defeat at tho hands OF
Marshal OYAMA, the Russian autocrat
and his advisers seem,to have recovered
temporarily from the species Of panic
into which they were thrown by reverses
abroad and commotion at home. Tho
result has been such a. change OF attitude
toward the advocates Of reform as is
stigmatized in the well known lines:
The Devil was sick, the Devil . monk would be:
The Devn 60, well: the Devil monk was he"
We pointed out at the time when the
concessions were made that some OF
them were in the nature, of promissory
ha lotn 81 xryh mo-
considerably deferred. land that In the
case of others that ostensibly we're
Immediately operative 1t would prove
possible for reactionary Ministers to
take back piecemeal what their imperial
master had professed to bestow in block.
This is just what has occurred in the case
of the ukase issued March 3, from which
30 much was hoped, because it granted
the Russian people freedom to petition
their sovereign through the Committee
OF Ministers on all matters relating to
the general welfare. ltwas naturally as
surned that the right OF petitioning, if
it were to bear substantial fruit, involved
the right Of assembly and of discussion
Otherwise. how should the Cars sub
jects be ableto decide upon the object
of IL petition. In pursuance of this rea-
sonable construction Of the scope Of the
ukase, the zemstvos or provincial coun-
ellis and the doumas or municipal coun.
ellis have been meeting all over Eu-
ropean Russia, and engaging in debate
preparatory to the adoption Of resol,l-
lions suggestive OF such changes in the
existing system OF government as may
seem likely to promote the general well
fare The most important of all these
assemblies, the conference of delegates
from all the zemstvos, which has been
sitting in Moscow, essayed no less task
than formulation Of the representative
institutions which in their judgment
would be best adapted to the country
The scheme included as we have pre-
viously noted. b-cameral parliament
one chamber Of which should be chosen
directly by the people, while the other
should be the outcome OF indirect cleo
ton like the Senate Of the United States
or that Of France.
Now, however, while as yet the details
OF the project ore still under discussion,
MIR. BUL1GHIN. the present Minister OF
the Interior, applies gag to the Moscow
conference and all other popular assem-.
blies, by a circular declaring that dis
cussions about notifications Of the form
of government are not warranted by the
ukase of March 5, granting the privilege
of petition That privilege, according to
the Minister. was only given to the peo-
ple as individuals, and organized insti-
buttons like the zemstvos or doumas-
and, inferentially, their delegates to .
conference-must conflne themselves to
the local questions strictly within their
competence. Presumably the prohibi-
ton will be strictly enforced, inasmuch
az all presiding officers are made liable
to prosecution for permitting infrac-
tons of it. The obvious purpose, and
perhaps temporary effect, Of the circular
is to check, if not stiae, the political agita-
ton which for some time has been car
ried on openly from the yolga to tie
Nistula.
ihoie is rcason TO fear that the coz