Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-15
The pouma,s Demands.

Judging from the first draft of the adj
dress to the throne, presented to the Rus
sian douma today by the commission ap-
pointed TO frame 1t, radical issues covering
every possible point In dispute between the
czar and the parliament will be immediate
" prectpitated. The address, as now drawn.
embraces ten demands. as follows:
One-General amnesty.
'Two-The abolition of the death penalty
Three-The suspension OF martial law anu
all exceptional laws.
Four-Full civil liberty.
F'iye-The abolition of the council OF the
empire.
Six-The revision of the fundamental law.
Seven-The establishment of the RESPONSE
billy of ministers.
Elght-The right of Interpolation.
Nine-The forced appropriation of land.
Ten-Guarantees of the rights OF trades
unions.
These demands draw the lines between
the parliamentary party and the bureau
cracy as sharply as it Is possible to imagine.
They cover the whole range of the quarrel
between the classes. Beginning with gen.
eral amnesty, which IS regarded by some
of the parliamentarians as the prime essen
tial to the establishment of constitutional
government, the demands virtually strike
at every cherished institution of the old
autocracy. If these ten propositions are
granted by the car and no violent reaction
follows. Russia steps forthwith into the full
light of civil liberty and administrative
liberalism. The old Russia disappears. The
bureaucracy is swept into subordinate
position. 1t virtually ceases to exist, save
as the creature of the parliament.
This is too much to contemplate. The
car will never yield SO much. But If he did
his own life would be In danger. His very
brothers and cousins would turn upon him
in a palace revolution that would deluge
Russia in blood For the demands them
selves are revolutionary to the last degree.
They are more drastic than the PROPOSE
lions presented to Louis XVI by the states
general.
If this draft is adopted 1t will probably be
on the theory that by asking for much the
douma may obtain a little. The demands are
so framed as to admit of possible compro-
misses For example, there is one of the ten
against which the whole power of the
bureaucracy will be thrown in opposition,
the fifth, proposing the abolition of the
council of the empire, which is the very
heart of reactionism. The czar could afford
in the last adjustment TO yield all the other
nine points in order to save this one, men
aced as he would be from behind by the
grand ducal cabal.
Amnesty, the abolition of the death pen
atty, a modification OF the privilege of
establishing martial law, a fuller degree of
civil liberty, some measure OF revision in
the fundamental law, a certain restricted
responsibility of the ministerial body. a
limited right of Interpolation, a modified
program or land appropriation and a guard
ed guarantee of the trades unions-this
much is possible and in view of the present
state Of the civic body in Russia it is prob
ably all that can safely be granted at this
time Too much power suddenly given to
the douma and through it to the voting
classes might precipitate a dangerous con-
ditton throughout the empire. The best
friends Of Russian liberty are hoping for
moderation and sure progress. The pro-
gram of demands is too radical to work out
practical results for the cure of Russian Ills.