The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-16

he win proceed TO such extreme meas-
ures against them as have been taken in
the case OF the Social Democrats and
members Of the Group Of TOLL many
Of whom have been arrested, while others
are in hiding or have fed. The Govern
ment will stop at nothing to minimize in
the X DumA the strength Of the two
organizations last named so far a they
represent the proletariat, and v
pressure has been applied simultaneously
to prevent ~bureaucrats or representa-
tives OF the land owning CLASSES from
voting for Constitutional Democrats.
There remains the difficult problem
OF the peasant vote, which Mr.. SToLYPIN
hopes to solve by Precipitation, the pecu-
strained&o the utmost to procure by pur-
chase private estates for allotment in
addition TO the Crown and appanage
lands already set apart for the purpose.
Meanwhile Government agents are maxi
ing the village communes understand
that in the forthcoming distributions Of
lands those will be served first and served
best who return Deputies recommended
by the Premier. In other words, Mr..
SToLYPIN in dealing with the agricul-
tural voters on the one hand and with
the urban proletariat and the intellectual
classes cr the other IA EMPLOYING the
methods adopted by the Ministers of
NAPOLEON ILL.,, methods which proved
invariably successful, the last triumphant
plebiscite having occurred just before
the outbreak OF the Franco-German war.
Delude the peasants, coerce the rest:
that was the process which was followed
under the Second Empire and which ia
now to be applied in Russia. If the pre-
else date OF the elections for the new
Duma has not yet been fixed it is be-
cause the machinery Of Precipitation and
coercion is not quite perfected.
For the moment the enforcement OF
order by the institution OF q system
equivalent to martial law Is apparently
efficient in the greater part Of Russia,
though there are still signs Of revolu-
tionary activity in the Caucasus and in
Poland. 1t is said that the drumhead
court-martials during the first month Of
their existence put to death nearly 200
persons and that the daily average OF
summary executions is now higher.
Yet while it is a species Of White Terror
of which the subjects Of the Gear are now
the victims, it must be conceded that
Mr.. SToLYPIN has thus far been able to
avert fresh outbreaks OF religious hatred
arrosnot khn Tawra v-hsaL kn.,o kAA. Ak-ooA
ened in Odessa and elsewhere. The
promise given by him to Count HEYDEN
concerning this matter has hitherto been
kept.
Evidently Mr.. SToLYPIN is trying to
prove his qualifications to play under
NICHOLAS II. the role which EUGENE
RoUHER essayed successfully under Ma
PoLEoN III. There is this vital differ
ence, however, between their situations:
France vas rich and the Second Empire
found it easy to fill its treasury. In
Russia to-day, on the other hand, ma
tional bankruptcy threatens to paralyze
at any hour the work of the Executive.
Mr.. SToLYPIN is no more competent than
would have been NJ. RoUHER to unite the
functions Of a Minister OF Finance with
those Of a Minister of the Interior. The
Frenchman, as we have said, was never
troubled about money, but the Russian
Premier was compelled the other day to
hear his colleague in the Ministry Of
Finance acknowledge in a published let
ter his inability to make both ends meet.
1t is doubtless the fear that a financial
crisis is close at hand which accounts
for the rumor that Count WITTE may be
invited to enter the Cabinet. 1t is scarcely
credible that he and Mr.. SToLYPIN would
consent to serve in the same Administra-
ton. We may safely assume, however,
that the return of Count WITTE to power
would be witnessed with satisfaction by
Russian reformers Of all types, for they
can now appreciate the motives which
caused him to refrain from any interfer-
ence with the last general election.