The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-16

As the ave taken an active part
in the agitation for constitutional reform.
all Of the parties are committed to woman
suffrage. -,
THE LAND QUESTION PARAMOUNT.
Just now the and question is paramount.
About one-third Of the entire amount Of
land in the empire is in the hands OF the
Gar. the Government. and the nobility.
and the peasants demand that il shall be
turned over TO them. At this time they
are willing to rave compensation made
to the owners, but the more they think about
it and the more vehement their demand
becomes the less they are likely to con-
slider compensation.
There is no doubt that there are enough
cases Of injustice and contemptuous in
difference TO their needs 20 arouse resen-
ment among the peasants il we take human
nature as we find it. They tell Of instances
where whole villa ges have been compelled
to pa toll generation after generation for
the priv ilege Of crossing some nobleman's
land to reach the land farmed in common
by the people Of the village.
Powerless to condemn land for roads,
az it can be done in other countries. they
nave grown embittered year by year until
3OInO Vi luCLh lCCl bhdL HhtlOuSO "a ooacCN
to be a virtue. 1t is now animated that
the Government will offer a partial dis
tribution OF and as a compromise.
INDIVIDUAL LAND
The opponents Of appropriation seek
shelter behind the excuse that the peasants
attack the principles OF private ownership.
While it is true hat there are Socialists
in the Duma who prefer communal hold
ings to private ownership. the object Of the
peasants il not to dispossess small holders.
but simply to give the peasants access to
the large estates.
The situation resembles, in some respects.
the situation 10 Ireland. except that in
Russia the land IL to be turned over to the
communities. made some inquiry regard
ing the question Of joint ownership and
learned from one Of the best informed
men in Russia that there is a growing senti-
ment in favor Of individual ownership.
Ownership in common does not give to BAG
individual that stimulus to improve his
land which is the important element in
individual ownership.
In riding through a country one can dis
tinguish with considerable accuracy be-
tween the farms cultivated by their owners
and those cultivated by tenants because
the tenants as a rule are unwilling to make
permanent improvements. One Russian
economist estimates the income from the
owned lands Of Russia at 80 per cent. above
the income Of the same area OF communal
lands.
He attributes il to the ability of the land
owners to supply themselves with proper
tools and to furnish or borrow at low rates
the money needed for cultivation; but it
is possible that this difference may be in
part due to the fact hat ownership makes
the incentive to labor greater and offers a
richer reward to superior effort.
THE UPPER HOUSE.
Their 10 an upper mouse or Council of
Empire, as it is called, which shares the
legislative power with the Duma, but IL
does not receive much attention because
its composition is such that it cannot reflect
public sentiment and cannot oppose the
will Of the people except at the risk Of it's
existence.
Half Of the members Of this council are
appointed by the Emperor and the other
| half elected by different interests. The