The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-05-18
LOWER HOUSE OF RUSSIAN PAR
LAMENT DISCUSSES REPLY
TO CARS SPEECH.
MOST DANGEROUS ELEMENT
LEADERS HAVE MORE TO FEAR
FROM RADICALS THAT ANY
OTHER FACTION.

afternoon spent in discussion of rules
of order, the lower house Of parlia-
ment Tuesday evening began debate
on the address in reply to the speech
from the throne, adjourning at mid
night after speeches by M. Roditcheff
and a dozen orators of lesser caliber.
The discussion, which was not end
ed, showed that the main attack on
the address will be delivered from the
Left. The leaders of parliament have
more to fear from the radicals than
from the conservatives. The evenings
debate was tame. Even the periods of
NJ Roditcheff, the best orator among
the Constitutional Democrats, explain
ing and defending the address, brought
only faint ripple of applause. The
only scene of real enthusiasm was due
to reference to the absence from the
address of plank on woman suffrage.
Other radical members demanded
paragraph asking the punishment of
officials guilty Of excuses in past acts
OF repression and fuller and palmer
statement of the demand for a con-
stitutional order.
Seven Conservative members es-
sayed to speak, but the house was in
no mood to listen to them Prince
Volkonsky, a leading Octoberist, re-
fused to continue his speech and left
the rostrum with a bitter fling at de-
NAL of the right of free speech.
Two features developed outside the
regular debate. The first was the
adoption of rule relative to the prev
bers may prevent the stoppage of a
debate, opening the door for success
full filibustering by one-tenth of the
membership. The other was the ap-
pearance of a conservative peasant
group, forty-four members signing
motion for postponement of the de-
bate The
Meaning of the Maneuver
was not comprehended at first, but
when the list of supporters of the mo-
ton was read, the name Yerogin,
government deputy and organizer Of
the scheme to provide for peasant
deputies in lodginghOuses, created
low whistle of surprise, and cOmpre-
hensiOn ran round the benches. Count
Heyden and other members of the
Right supported the motion, but it
was overwhelmingly defeated.
The draft of the address to the
throne consists practically of the fol-
lowing ten demands
First-General amnesty.
Second-The abolition of the death
penalty.
Third-The suspension of martial
law and all exceptional laws.
Fourth-Full civil liberty.
Fifth-The abolition Of the council
of the empire.
Sixth-The revision of the funda-
mental law.
Seventh-The establishment of the
responsibility of ministers.
Eighth-The right of Interpolation.
Ninth-FOrced appropriation of land.
Tenth-Guarantees of the rights of
trades unions.
The reply to the speech from the
throne concludes as follows:
Your majesty: On the threshold Of
our labors one question agitates the
soul of the whole Russian people and
prevents us as their representatives
from calmly entering upon our legis-
lative work. The first word pronounced
in parliament was amnesty. 1t was
met with cries of sympathy. The
country is thirsting for it. 1t is de.
mand Of the peoples conscience which
it is impossible to refuse or delay.
"Sire-The parliament awaits full
political amnesty as the first pledge
Of mutual understanding in the flu
ture and concord between the emperor
and the people"