The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-09-18

Stockholm, June p, 19O6.-There is
at least one man in Russia who has
reason to feel that his political judg-
ment has been vindicated and his pre-
dictions verified by the assembling of
the duma. 1t is Count 1gnatieff, who
at the age of % framed the Peking
treaty and who, as minister Of the in
terror (the highest cabinet position at
that time), in 1881 formulated q plan
for a national assembly.
His scheme was to ave 5000 rep
r~esentatives elected by the people.
these representatives, gathered from
all parts of the empire, to meet at
Moscow and confer with the emperor
in person in regard to Legislative
measures. In order to avoid the OBJ
jcctiOnS raised to so large an assem-
bly,, he proposed to divide the body
into groups of 100 each, these groups
TO meet separately. He secured the APP
prevail of the emperor, but the other
members of the cabinet We're 50 siren
uous in their opposition that the en-
perOr decided not to attempt the re
form, and Count Ignatieff resigned
from The ministry. He warned them
that q failure to recognize the de-
mands of the people for representa-
ton in the government would simply
delay the change and that it was bet
te" to yield before the demands be-
- liA'h a ~ nv -
of the bureaucracy, deaf to the APP
pealS of the people and blind to their
own interests, resisted. and as q re-
suit Il duma is now ii session at st.
Petersburg and the bureaucracy finds
itself ar object Of contempt and lOath-
ing. and the present emperor, like his
predecessor. has to bear the sins of
his advisors.
l called upon Count Ignatieff and
found him still vigorous in spite of
his gray hairs and aVancing years. !
was interested in him. not only be-
cause he is friendly toward our coun-
try II speaks u language fiuently.
but more especially because he was
q pioneer in i great movement and
fOreSaW what many of the nobility
even now fail to recognize, viz, that
there is no place where arbitrary pow
er can Justify it's existence. The tide
Of progress has swept past the count
and he is now classed among the con
serVatives, but he deserves to be re-
membered because he had the cour-
age to speak out when it required
bravery to propose the taking of q
step in the direction Of popular gov
eminent.
The duma is the result of the labOrs
Of hundreds, yes, thousands of Rus
sian refOrmerS, q few conspicuous but
the most Of them unknown to fame,
VINO Tor more IMAM 10 years have been
insisting upon constitutional govern
ment. 1t is one of the most remark
able bodies of men ever convened in
q national capital, and / have been
a~bundantly repaid for coming here.
The duma must be seen to be ap-
preclated; even more, to understand
it one must not only. see the mem
berS but must know something of the
Htruggle through which they have
passed. | am satisfied that the car
himself is more liberal tina his ad-
ViserS and that, left to himself. he
would long 3 have made concession.
which would have brought the throne
and the subjects nearer together, Blu
he has yielded so slowly and giver
50 grudgingly that the people have
'ecome very much ~eStranged. Tt
illustrate this | need only cite TIVE
faCtS. First, rs to the election. St
Petersburg and Moscow are the 20
iitical centers where the officials an
the nobility have the strongest rep
rcsentation, and yet, in the election
The constitutional democrats won al
overwhelming victory in both theS
cities. In st. Petersburg the tickle
which Represented the emperor re
cefVed only 1900 votes out of a tOta
of $4,000, and in his home precinct
where 800 voters We're sent to tn
polls in court carriages, his ticke
received only 50 votes, Could any