Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-14
HISTORY OF DOU MA
How the Russians Regard Their
National Assembly.
SOME PULLING QUESTIONS
Administrative Punishment of Promi-
nent Citizens.
BUREAUCRACY ALWAYS FIRM
Defects of New Body Rapidly Over
come-Favorable Opinion
of the Press.
BUREAUCRACY ALWAYS FIRM

| Since Russia Is still claiming good part
| of the reading public's attention every day.
| and all her doings seem TO carry In its
| wake the mantle of mystery, there is an
| assurance that all that may be said of that
| country and its doings-at least for the
| present-are not apt to become either tire
| some or annoying. The great douma, which
| is doing so much every day, is yet a body
whose workings are not well understood by
| us. so far away from the scene. And the
censor, with his dark blue pencil makes It
much harder for us to know the truth,
| 1t has never been known what the Rus
slams think of the douma. whether they are
satisfied with It. and. If not, why.
| When national assembly was first de-
cided upon by the imperial manifesto OF
August 10. 1905. the mass of Russian peo-
pie hailed 1t with almost universal ap-
prevail OF course, the old-fashioned con-
| servatives deplored the change of ancient
| methods. which in their mind could not be
| improved upon. The reactionary side be-
| came especially attached to the great edict,
| while the more liberal democratic elements
| however, soon realized the inadeutfacy of
| the future assembly for correcting the ex-
| listing evils In the national government"
| So said prominent diplomat who has
watched the progress of the douna with at
| tention.
Democrats Suspicious.
why this dissatisfaction on the part Of
| the democrats?" he continued Probably
| on account of the very large number of
| citizens barred from the suffrage, the
| limited scope of the assemblys powers.
| The defects under this latter head have
been partially remedied by the emperor
| himself in the last few months, and others
will be remedied gradually. There is also
| reason to hope that a great many others
viii be done away With in the course Of
time The failure of the government to
grant fundamental rights of citizenship,
such as they are given in France and in
| the United States and to offer guarantees
that such inalienable rights would be re-
| spected, has also irritated the more intel
ligent part of the Russian population.
| Early in the autumn of last year, about
the time that the assembly was being def
nitely planned, those who had charge of
| the plans asked themselves questions. They
did not know If the electors could officially
group themselves into political parties
whether the prohibition against the discus
sion of state matters extended also to the
meetings called together for choosing rep
reSentatives to the national assembly; Il
public spirited citizens would be at liberty
| to convey to the rural population a clear
conception of the pending reforms, and
whether the distribution of copies of the
manifesto would be regarded as a breach
of the law. Besides these, hundred and
more questions were being asked and
! answered. BY the time the >douma was
| opened few months ago, a great many
of these perplexing problems were solved
Some were solved by the czar himself. who
in subsequent manifestoes explained
what he wanted and what the douma
| must do. Later on the wording changed
to read what he desired and what he
| preferred Whether this was diplomacy
or advice on the part of his cabinet a
willingness to be in a conciliatory mood, 1t
is hard to tell. But 1t is well known that
as soon the car stopped giving orders
the doun1a has been more tractable and the
masses less irritable.
Citizens Arrested.
For time" explained the diplomat
"the most prominent people elected by the
citizens to represent them in the douma,
such as Profs. Gordyeenko. Milukov and
Brandt. who were arrested the day after
the publication of the manifesto, and sub
Ject to Punishment to Siberia. or Prof. va
| roshenko and Doctor Svyatlovslc. became
| subject to administrative Punishment
These actions the Russian citizens did not
understand. The administration attitude
toward the then forthcoming elections was
| not at all calculated to disspate the most
| gloomy forebodings."
Press Asserts Itself.
The Russian press in general maintained
and maintains that the manifesto of August
| 10 ACSdiSSS anu DfoeiOcHS pOIlilCdI Ike
of the Russian people. Therefore, those
conditions without which such political ac-
| tivities are quite impossible. become legal
lied. Newspapers such as the Novoe
| Vremya. the Russkiya Vyedomosti and pc
riodicals such as the Techernaya Pechea.
the Mir Bozhi and the Obrazoyalie singly
| and collectively, declare that Russia can
no longer be deprived of the right to gain
| an understanding of the new order of things
| created by the publication of the edict con-
corning the douma All this was an i'm
possible achievement toward the end of
last year. when existing conditions deprived
the press OF the power or freely discussing
even the most vital questions in the life OF
| the nations. when ordinances establishing
martial law and other emergency regula-
| lions deprived Russian citizens of the eIe-
mentary rights of personal safety.
| After weeks and weeks of demands, fund
| amental conditions of free citizenship were
granted by the powers that be- not by aboI-
| ed-but by making their provisions more
| elastic and killing their autocratic admin
| istration on the part of those who did not
| know how to govern.
| Assembly, Not Complete.
I'VE must also remember continued the
diplomat. that while the douma has ex-
listed not quite six months great strides
toward advancement have been made. 1t
is true that It's powers fall short of that
completeness which should characterize a
| national assembly All the methods of
creative legislation remain unchanged be-
cause the bureaucracy preserves it's priority
/ and made the utmost use of its ingenuity
| and talents TO maintain, itself under the
new conditions
| But in spite of these drawbacks and 9TH
/ ers that have been gradually overcome.
| Russian sentiment today Is In favor OF the
douma- Its negative qualities at one time
/ almost gave rise to boycott against 1t,
/ which was seriously considered by the more
| Intelligent Russian classes"
Retirement of Col. Wallace.
By direction of the President Col William