Bisbee daily review., 1905-03-12
By the
 Russian Editor Alexander StOIypin

the same noble class. but from less in.
 dependent less self-reliant members,
 nobles who have deteriorated in the luxurious enjoyment of government offices and emOluments On the oth. CT hand the opposing force is com posed of men of energy, of principle and of ideals. forming a minority of the nobles which has realized the Ibanefulness of bureaucratic routine and sees the salvation of Russia in the untrammeled growth of free insti. Iutions.
 Tt is none the less a family quarrel between the liberal and reactionary parties of the dominant class. The mass of the people remains c passive spectator Of this conflict. Hence. It'lehve. by reinforcing the nobles in the Zemstvo only increased the nun, Der of his liberal opponents. who fought him not within the narrow walls of parliament. but in an enor. nous arena. They had the whole provinces; he had his Petersburg of hces, and consequently notwithstand- ing all his despotic power, he was doomed to defeat by sheer force of numbers.
 When, however, the inevitable vic tory of the Zemstvo is finally won. when it's united forces succeed in ob- taining some form of constitutional government, or Zemsky Sobor. we may expect a transformation of the political struggle such as few foresee.
 The main point in this Zemstvo | nm self-government. This will give the peasant ! prepOnderant vote, and at once give rise to an agrarian move ment; the peasants seeking to in. crease his holdings from the land be. longing to other classes and to the State. Of course this can be settled by means Of gradual appropriations. put it is difficult to expect such a peaceful adjustment. This interest. ing social question is destined to as- sume unexpected forms in Russia. Tn concluding this review of the lZemstvo's role in the political devel- Iopment of Russia, I think it of inter- est to give few facts regarding its organization. The Zemstvo institu- tion exists in 34 provinces of govern lments of European Russia. The mem- oers of the provincial Zemstyos are elected by the members of the district IZemstvos which number SIS; the
 members of the district bodies are lelected &y direct vote in the electoral colleges of each class of the communi- ty. The contingent of members re-
 turned by the peasants is strictly linn
 ited, and as the number of peasants
 electoral colleges is in excess of this
 contingent the governor makes a selec-
 ton. The ukase of December 25.
 1904, provides for the creation of small ZemstvO units which will repre- sent the villages and bear the same re lation to the district Zemstyo that the latter now bears to the provincial body.
 i There also exists a secret organi- zation which virtually unites the 34 | iZemstvos in clandestine national as sembly. Quite recently this organl- zation was treated as illegal and sub jected to persecution by the govern ment, but now, it is not directly in iterfered with. although still unrecog- nized by law.
 Besides building and endowins schools, the Russian Zemstvo has de- veloped and organized a number of other public enterprises, including sta -ustical, veterinary and, most import ant of all national medical services. One of the reproacheS constantly brought by the government against the Zemstvo is that it employs outsid- ers--clerks. statisticians, teachers phy- sicians and other representatives Of the liberal professions, who form an imposing army of revolutionary work CTS. Although unenfranchised they none the less acquire the character of members of the Zemstvo and exercise great influence among the people. In justice it must be said that these men the third estate as they are called are the personification of all that IS strong, energetic and businesslike in Russia. And the failure of the gov ernment to bring these men to it's side IS great mistake"