Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-03
RUSSIA'S ELECTION and DUMA.

second duma were closed on the 18th ultimo
and the returns. although
second not entirely complete. are as
Dum&. follows: OF the 52i members
of the new duma 463 are
elected-monarchists, 90; Octobersts, or
mederates, So; prpgressists, %: constitu-
tional democrats. "a; left, 173; nationalists,
40; independents II.
Thus no party has secured an assured
majority, but the character Of the duma
must depend upon its coalitions. The So
cfalists themselves are divided into two
factions, the one revolutionary, the other
opportunist, with. elements in each Of re-
volt against its proper principles.
Neither the experience of the first duma
nor the electoral campaign just concluded
appears to have developed a single leader
capable of leading the revolution to the at
tainment of any Of the vague purposes Of
the many parties in the field
The Bourse Gazette endeavors to throw
light upon the muddle which appears as
opaque In Russia as beyond the border. The
Gazette says: 1.-The constitutional demo-
Gratis won last year as the extreme opposi-
tfon party in the elections, but TINS year
the extreme parties themselves have en-
tered the lists and are in minority, The
success of the constitutional democrats
therefore proves that the extreme opposi-
ton feeling Is not predominant this year
and that success is ascribed to the peculiar
merits of the constitutional democratic pro-
gram which has obliterated the mistakes
committed by the party leaders, and the
Bourse Gazette adds, The constitutional
democracy is the only party that boldly and
energettcaily advocates the principle Of re-
sponsible government"
The Slave of the 9TH ultimo published
the declarations Of several prominent mem
bers Of the constitutional democratic party.
who say: The parliament should In the
first place combat the revolution, whether
the parliament shall be radical or revOlu-
ftOuarv. and In the hqR1nnfnU q q
such laws as will guarantee social reforms,
commencing by the electoral law with a
clause specifying the speedy convocation
OF parliament In case of dissolution"
Prof. Koyalevsky, IT is admitted, will be
chosen president. OF. the duma. with Prince
abolsorukon as vice president. -,
Il 4
I The agrarian question Is still firebrand
of discord. 1t contains elements which are
invisible to the occidental
Agrar1an and incomprehensible to those
Discord. who seek to comprehend all
the issues of the Russian
revolution. The agrarian disorders in the
past and the apprehension of their renewal
caused many proprietors to rent their lands
to peasants at much lower prices tnan
those which formerly obtained. The de-
mand was great, but the descendants of
the former serfs established the principle
that lands belonging to seignors should only
be rented to the children, or grandchildren,
of the ancient serfs of these seignOrs.
This pretension has been imposed so rig
idly that proprietors have been obliged to
acquiesce. The result of this situation is
that In certain provinces Moujiks, former
serfs, have more land than they can pos
sibly cultivate. while the former serfs of
the state have only their nadiels of land
which were given them when liberated.
In the south Of Russia there are ex-serfs
who possess only a poor horse with which
to cultivate fifteen to twenty dessiatines,
while their neighbors, rich peasants, who
with plenty of cattle cultivated formerly
forty to fifty dessiatines, have now only
three to four dessiatines. The latter de-
clare that If the agrarian question is not
settled amicably they will forcibly seize
the land of the former serfs. The civil
war which existed between peasants and
landlords will be changed to war between
the former serfs Of seignOrs and those of
the state. Thus the stranger is constantly
confronted in Russia with issues that chal-
lenge his understanding.
M. Kaufman has collected information
as to certain economical sacrifices endured
by Russia since the year of the constitu-
ton, and he furnishes the lugubrious report
that since the manifesto of October, 1905,
Russia has suffered q loss of 1892 persons
killed for political causes. On the other
hand. the statistician gives the number of
lives lost, killed in the late war with Japan,
as 31,187. The information furnished by NJ.
Kaufman constitutes a serious object les
son for Russia, and merits to be inscribed
in large letters in the Palace of the Tau
ride for the consideration alike of all men,
bers of the duma.
4
The correspondent Of the Temps Of Paris
communicates on the 7th ultimo an inter-
view with M. Schwanebach,
SITUATION whose authority is incontest-
Improved. able. THE situation" said
NJ. Schwanebach, 'is very
much better than at this time last year, it
Is relatively satisfactory. Society is visibly
tired of revolution and its excuses, and this
Is a great point. This state Of the public
mind Is reflected in the normal return of
the taxes and the recruiting In the army,
both of which are effected without difficult
ty. Besides, do not fail to remark the scope
which business has taken and compare 1t
with that of last year when it was In COM
plete decline. You may say that the ter
rorists continue to shake I'D our unhappy
country. 1t Is true and very sad, but the
terrorist action is only malady, painful
certainly, but passing malady.
1.-The ills from which we suffer-" continued
M. Schwanebach, ARE greatly exaggerated
In France. 1 fear for my part that this
manner Of judging in the first place shows
that the French do not understand US suffi-
GENTLY and judge what passes in Russia
by what takes place In France. The occi-
dent is accustomed to parliamentary forms
which have entered into the mind and GUS
toms of the people. A majority of votes
is considered as the faithful expression
of the sentiments Of the country. Such Is
not the case in Russia Look at the cleo
tions You will see that the voters neglect
very often their right to vote. You VIII DIS
cover the reason in the great distances to
be traversed, the lack of means of transpor-
tation and the rigorous climate. Besides, our
parties are not well defined and exist for
the most part in name only. They lack
direction and also program. Take, for ex-
ample the cadets, relatively the best or
ganized. What do you see? A party
which calls itself monarchist, whose
members signed the revolutionary manifes-
to at Vfborg, seeking today to ally itself
with the radicals Of the left. It is due to
their own faults and incoherence that they
lost influence and not to the acts of govern
ment. Today the cadets, in my opinion,
do not exist as a party. but nevertheless
they continue to exist as an expression of
a certain state of mind As for me, cadet
stands for Pathfinder. and there will al
ways be cadets. The name will change per-
haps-the ruling idea will be the same.
In the reorganization Of the army 1t has
been found necessary to make examples OF
those who manifestly failed
Plans for to perform their duties dur
the Army. ing the Russo-Japanese war;