The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-10
and help run the machine like sthe third
house, does IN Kansas.

and help run the machine like the third
house'' does in Kansas.
The members OF the duma looked
very good to me. Very few are law
yers, but editors, professors, teachers
and priests represent the professionals
and q great many are peasants, put
practically all men Of affairs in Russla-
The crowd would stack up reasonably
well as against g. state convention n
Missouri These fighters for freedom
have their personal Jealousies and am
billions, the same as do the brethren IN
America, and the effect each move VIII
have upon his fortunes is considered
by a leader OF group in Russia much
as it is in Kansas, All Of these things
were told me by an American who IS
in close touch and who knows Wei
the prominent personages and the in
I kept asking people what they
thought would be the result Hardly
anyone had an opinion for sure. The
duma viii not amount to much but It
VIII break the ice. What viii happen
afterward would require a prophetic
vision to foretell, for any number Of
things can be figured out and practi-
ca1y everyone is bad. I am somewhat
of a man Oe peace myself but il looks
to me as If Russia is sick of disease
that VIII require Old-fashioned bleed
ing. It reminds me of Kansas city
when the town row had gotten so bad
and the knockers SO numerous that
when a newspaper offered q prize for
the best answer to the question, w hat
does our town need to make 1t better
place in which to nve?" the judges IN
animOusly gave it to the boy who
wrote, a few frst-elass funerals
But these friends Of the duma and
representative government shook
their heads sadly when I asked them
what We're their plans. They are up
against this The autocracy has an
army of more than 100000 men, S00.
900 soldiers are quartered in and around
st. Petersburg and they do not come
from this vicinity but are CosSacks,
Tartars and suchlike, who don't care
two Whoops in a hot wind about rep
resentative government.
Against them are the people, lot
of poor, ignorant. superstitious folks
who have always Venerated the car
Last year a lot of them formed a pro-
cessiOn and marched to the winter
palace to see the car. They wanted
to present their petition. They were
cut down and killed like so many
sheep and took their treatment like
sheep. They didn't fight back. The
Russian people have got to get over
the superstition which surrounds the
car as ssthe little father and the
head of the church. Some day they
viii. They are probably not more sub
missive than were the French under
Louis XIV and the children of that
generation cut off the head of Louis
grandson.
In every house and in every store
hangs an ''fkOn." never was quite
sure whether an 'ikon" was a bird or
a flag. 1t is neither 1t is the picture
of a saint of the Russian church.
have no fault to find with the Rus
slams for being religious. They can
keep their "ikons'' in every house. But
# they would hang a loaded gun be-
side the "ikon' they would be better
men and just as good Christians. I
would like to suggest this to the du-
ma, but I might not be understood.
I watched closely the talk and the
movements Of the duma leaders in
the lobby as they smoked their cigar
cites and drank tea, for all Russians
have both vices They are very green
at their business for they have had no
experience in parliamentary bodies
But their bosses have good controf
and I would say that the first Russian
congress is intelligent and reasonably
patriotic and that the car viii make
a mistake if he turns it down at the
command of the bureaucracy which
he viii do if he gets up mis- nerve.
w Y MORGAN