The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-16
BY William Jennings Bryan.

stride through it going TO and from
sessions In another part OF the build
ing there are ample dining rooms.
where the members of the douma and
the press may secure meals at very
moderate rates. The assembly hall is
large enough accommodate the $50
members, but is badly lighted. The
windows are all back of the speakers
Platform, so that the members sit with
theic faces toward the light. II would
be much better If the light came from
above, but IL is really surprising that
the accommodations are as satisfactory
as they are considering the short time
the worllmen had TO make the neces-
sary changes.
Back of the president is a life-sized
painting of the car in uniform; OH the
left is box occupied by the ministers
when present. and beyond the ministers
is still larger enclosure occupied by
the representatives of the foreign
press. To the right of the president
are seats for members of the council
of empire who may be i'm attendance,
and beyond them the enclosure occu-
pied by representatives of the Russian
press. Just in front and q little below
the presidents desk is the rostrum
from which the members of the douma
address the assembly, and just below
this rOstrum is the reporters table
where the stenographers take down the
proceedings. Besides the rooms already
mentioned. there are committee rooms
cloak rooms, rooms for the home press
and for the foreign press, etc.
In word, the duma building looks
very much like an American legisIa-
ture or a European parlament--a
likeness still further emphasized by
the presence ; of men and women
clerks. doorkeepers. pages and speetat-
ors. One thing only was out of har-
mouy with Legislative body and that
was a company of soldiers stationed
i'm wing of the building as if i'm anti
cipation OF possible trouble We were
present at two Sessions of the duma
and found them intensely interesting.
The morning session is at present
given up TO speeches on the land ques-
ton, more than a third of the mem
bers having expressed a desire to be
heard on this subject. The speeches are
usually short and often read from ma
nuscript. Handspring is allowed,
and there was always applause at the
close of the speeches. Occasionally
the president announced that some
speaker on the list surrendered his
time and this statement also brought
forth applause, the discussion of the
NNNJNNt aAceN MS Wy NiiiS AtiiAC BCCOiic
tiresome.
By the courtesy of our ambassador,
Mr.. Meyer, we were admitted to the
diplomatic gallery, from which we
could survey the entire body. There
is probably no assembly like it on
either hemisphere.
1t is made up of all clysses and
represents every shade OF opinion.
There are members of the nobility
rrrl,s e., L. a. A.
people; lawyers, who have temporarily
left their practice to devote them
selves TO the larger interests OF the
public: professors fresh from the uni
versities, business men from the cities,
laboring men from the factories and
there are, more numerous still, pea
SAINTS from the farms Some of the
members are near the end of life, and
command attention by their years as
well as by their words, and there is
sprinkling of young men who have
become the spokesman OF their COM
munities; but the majority are middle
aged men who have years OF experience
behind them and are yet strong for the
battle. In garb there is also q great
variety, the black frock coat. the bust
ness suit, the belted blouse and the
clerical robe are all to be seen. The
smooth face seems TO be at a discount
in Russia; one would suppose, so plen-
tiful are whiskers.. There are many
heavy heads OF hair, too. sometimes the
locks falling to the shoulders, some
times cut square about the ears.
The lobby is better place than the
gallery TO study features; sitting on
one Of the visitors seats IN this COM
modious hall. we watched the members
passing to and fro and were introduced
to number of them by the American
newspaper men who are reporting the