The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-12
DUMA TO DEMAND MORE POWER
HOPELESS WITHOUT CONTROL OF
BUDGET, SAY LIBERALS.
Plan to Make Fight for Revision OF the
Cars Manifesto at the Very Start
Belief That f Russia Gets Big Foreign
Loan Later Duma Might Be Dispersed.

Special Gable Despatch TO THE sun.
ST. PETERsBUHo, April 1l.-Negotia-
tions are proceeding among the leading
Liberal members Of the Duma to make
the revision Of the imperial manifesto
convoking the Duma the first act Of the
new assembly.
One reason for this important develop
ment in the progressist progra NINE is
that the Liberal leaders regard the arrange
ments the Government is making for a loan
abroad as being of the greatest consequence
to them. They ask all the Constitutional
Democrats and the bulk Of the peasa mt
members to consolidate as revisionists
on the financial authority Of the Duma.
The Cars manifesto permits only that
the Dumas res buttons may be adopted
as suggestions in framing the departmental
budgets for the following year.
The Liberals believe that if the Govern
ment succeeds in obtaining a great foreign
loan it will. under the favorable i'm preston
created by the peaceful elections. alb
solutely refuse the Duma any degree OF
financial control. and that if the Duma
insists on an immediate revision Of the
manifesto in this direction it will be dis
persed and the Government will continue
to administer the country with the bor-
rowed money.
The great success Of the Constitutional
Democrats, however, has created the belief
among their leaders that they will be too
numerous in the Duma, and will have too
much prestige among the peasant men,
bers for the Government to resort to such
a desperate extremity as to suppress the
Duma in the first week of the session.
VI. Federoff, a Liberal member for st.
Petersburg, who will be remembered as the
spokesman of the Progressists' deputation
to the Car last summer before the mani
festo was issued, publishes a declaration
to the effect that great obstacles must be
Immediately removed before the Duma
can attempt constructive work. The Duma
cannot deal with any urgent questions if it
remains within its existing limits, FOR lts
only effective weapon against the bureau
cracy and for reforms is the right of franz
ing the budget, Of which it is absolutely
deprived.
NJ. Federoff foresees that peasants enter
ing the Duma will come with a demand
for land. which must be satisfied, for the
agrarian question is an outstanding feature
in the national crisis. Their demand will
Immediately raise the greatest financial
and economic issues. with which the Duma,
as now constituted, will not dare to deal.
To solve the question would require
large funds, and the Government is likely
to reply that it has The Govern
ment can moreover turn to the peasants
and say: You demanded rational repre-
sentation. You have it, and now it can
not help you
NJ. Fsderoff is convinced that the Govern
ment will follow these tactics in attempt
ing to destroy the con stitutional move
ment, and his collea que, NJ. Kodrine, who
is also a Liberal member designated for
St. Petersburg, while concurring in the
belief that revision of the mantle sto should
be made the first act of the party pro-
gramme, personally expects hat the Duma
will DO dispersed.
NJ. Kutler, who is the third member for
the ca pital, and who was formerly Minister
of Agriculture, believes that when the
Government is brought face to face with
the Duma it will yield to the majority.
The raising of the revision question as
the first issue has greatly extended national
interest in the Duma.