Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-31

fury he VIII note that the carry p"te VI
that period, and especially the year lso''
vas characterized by the expression OF
general desire on .the part Of the civiiizeo
nations to avoid the disastrous waste OF
war and to cultivate the henehcent pros
perIty that accompanies long period OF
peace The second international confer
ence at 1.-THE Hague and the peace con-
xress at Washington of the five Central
American states were the two important
events Of the year. OF hardly less i'm
rortance were the establishment of con-
stitutionalisn in Persia and its develop
ment in China.
The elections for the first Filipino ma
tonal assembly were held July so, less
than 10 per cent Of those entitled to vote
doing So The natonalists. pledged to
bring about immediate independence il
possible. won by large majority. and
the assembly was opened October 16 in the
presence of 1.-THE father of the Filipinos.'
Secretary Of War Taft.
In only one quarter did constitutional
government receive setback. This was
ir Portugal. following a parliamentary
deadlock over the budget The govern
ment having no legal way Of occurring rum
ming expenses under the constitution. King
Carlos. invoked an unwritten Law, permit
ting the government in such case. to be
conducted for three years without pariia-
nientary sanction. Absolutism. therefore,
is in the saddle. with Premier Franco
virtually ministerial dictator, the while ru-
nfors of uprising for a republic and the
pretender are plentiful. -
40 ~
came constitutional monarchy. with a
parliament elected every
Persia and two years; two days before
rh; shah and crown prince had
signed the constitution. the
latter also agreeing not to dissolve parlia-
rent within two years. Shortly after
Nohammed Ali Murza, had assembled the
throne January .. following the death Of
his father, Muzaffa r-ed-Din. he was made
to grant the constitution all over again.
From then on until late in October there
followed more or less serious clashes be-
tween throne, parliament and ministry.
due mainly to the shah's failure to live up
to his constitutional promises. After the
vice president OF the national assembly
had openly threatened a popular uprising
and two members Of the ministry had
been assassinated. the shah gave his sane
tion TO the constitution as revised by par
Rament. The year closes with constitu
tionalism firmly rooted in the Iranian pla-
.teau. ---~ -
On March 4(the grand dukes Of Mecklen-
bergrSchwerin and Mecklenberg- Stretlitz
announced their intentions of granting
constitutions to their subjects.
But the greatest advance in constitu-
tionalism occurred October l. when the
Dovager Empress of China, in an i'm
perial decree. issued on the eve of her
l,1A< f~- ~ A~rt
DAY Of the Chine Sc New Year. declared the
of China to be a constitu
hInal monarchy. The decree also estab-
lAheA a legislative council and appointed
tEnpire's leading statesmen to draft a
ecnMitution. Later DEGREES provided for
PROVINCIAL legislatures with powers lin
BED. Nor the present. to debate and an
SpSper) and az lower national house. The
oS4-year bedueaths to the new the hercu-
lean task of starting nearly one-third of
the worlds people under a form of gov
eminent TO which they have been utter
strangSfE for twenty-five centuries.
Ctnsefy akin to the spread of constitu.
: ttona lisn was the testowal or extension Of
the suffrage in various lands.
\ In Finland, in March. in the first cleo
tion held u0der the new constitution,
Hhich gives women full political rights
Nth men folk. nineteen women were elect
ed to the handbag. whose membership is
2nO. These are the first women ever to sit
in national assembly. and they include.
besides the Baroness Alexandra Grippen-
burg, a PEASANTS wife. minister's wife.
fGtfory workers. Nine are socialists. In
HUEm4fors, the capital. only $1,000 men
voteL as against 5000 women; all
tnroagh the country larger proportion
Of the registered women than of the reg
istered men took the trouble to go to the
polls.
Probably Influenced by the apparent sue
cess Of female suffrage in Fipland. the
Norwegian parliament. on June Il. ex-
tended the suffrage to about 100000 wom-
en-. Each new voter must be twenty-five
years old and either she or her husband
must pay taxes on Sis II living in city,
or ss4 IL living in the country.
A quiet revolution. though one of far
reaching effect. resulted from the grant
ing Of universal manhood suffrage in AUS
trfs. The first election under the new law
was held Nay II, followed by the second
election. which greatly increased the
heavy gains of the socialist and anti
Semites. The reichsrath is no longer d.
vided by questions Of race prejudicai uni
vsrsal suffrage has brought party division.
as In Americs, and 1t Is believed that the
bane of Austrian politics for generations
will die out.
Not content with taking measures to
place China on constitutional basis, the
dowager empress in September decided on
certain reforms which. she hopes. will
wipe out all race distinctions between the
governing class, the Manchus and the
governed tens Of millions in "a decade.
She ordered the disarmament of the Man
chu banner troops. there is to be no more
foot-binding: upper class girls are eligible
to the imperial family; Manoflus are to
take summarizes like Cinnamon. A compul-
sorry educa tional decree has been issued
that the people may he prepared for the
advent of constitutional government
Imbued with determination TO run her
own business, the empire has assumed
control Of the post mails. practically ex-
polling the Japanese. and numerous rail-
road concessions have have been taken
over and are being developed by the Chi
nese.
Russia has been slowly advancing 10
the position of constitutional. repre-
sentative monarchy. To
Huss1s's the average Russian rep
New Duma. r.sen''tion in a iesisla-
strange as. to Chinaman. The parallel
in the experience of the two countries
will be watched with interest by the stu
dent OF history. January q Gen. Paw
10y, VAS killed at st. Petersburg by the
revolItionists. in the midst of the prep
arations for electing the new duma In
spite of this. Stolypin,' January 81,
promised perfect freedom In the conduct
II