The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-26

The Third DuBa . IhIng Apart FrSm
the Life 81 tae emplre.

fhe fhtrd Dunba q Ehlmg Apart fronh
the Ilre SG the EmDlre.
81. PETERsBURG. November IS.-In one i'm
pOrtant respect the history Of Russia'S Duma
repeats the experience Of other institutions
adopted by her Czars from the Western world.
When they have surrendered TO a democratic
idea u has been their habit TO swallow 10 In
It's largest fOTm and then to cast out most
OF it> parts hat disturb the perpetuAtion 81
the Old order. The names they retain. II
Ia the existence side by side OF The forms OF
progressive government with the actually
Of ab~OlutiSm In administration that has
given The cynical aud essimistic color TO the
minds VI M MANY educated Russians.
w education itself they have undergone
the same contracting process they see hp-
piled 10 their legislatures. AFTER the trimean
war the ears personal advisers were con
V'nced that The failures in the army tntcll1-
EenCe depart mPut and IN the understanding
Ot tactics nv the soldiers we're due 10 Wbhi
" rdu"aiiOu E%Orthwith theY scattered over
the country universities Of the European sud
Atneri'ant type, tull grow aud fiIllv equipped,
hut The controlling class refused 10 leave Tie
old road. They kept the family resident
tutor for their sons. With the military acad-
etny or a foreign tour 10 complete their teach
Ing The universities were left to struggle
on a. best they could. aud il was only when
the after lives Ut their output who we're
largely the prize boys Of The village schools
proved a menace 10 the machinery OF absO-
mte rule that the CZar's friends proceeded
10 clip their wings 10 the pattern that suited
government by nkasr. They were put under
the control OF The Governors Of The PROVINCE.
who could close them by psrpmptOrV order
on The advice Of the lOoal chief OF police.
The men Who have lived through this
process are watching IT. application tO-day
IN The third Dunn. The CZar aud his per
sonsl friends surrendered two years ago 10
the democratic idea VI an elected Legislature
aud universal suffrage. They took the West
cru inSi tuition. planted II IN ~. Petersburg
sud waited 10 see what would happen. Hut
they themselves never meant " should dis
turb their ancient absolute SWAY. Like their
university system. The new parliamentary syS-
tenn wss to struggle along rs bes' II could.
SO long as 1t did not struggle across their
path. Twice they thought It did. aud they
kicked II aside. This time they have taken
care that It's composition should give II =
humber. a more TespHctful mood.
Some people may think II unprinCiplpd that
the Cars absOluti-t friends should go back
an their bargain, that after cont racting To
maintain n machine they should proceed Ia
take out the works aud leave only the shell.
Not many Russians take this severe view.
They never expected he bargain To XOthrOugh
N nn open. direct aud binding way. Whether
Won call u MuscOvite cunning or the Nsisiic
touch. H. is sure that most educated Russians
Ia their contest with the Government we're
always waiting for a revoke by the other
side. aud hey have had several. The other
side acuults its revoke by announcing that
II viii frame all the rules and that II will DO
sO as the match proceeds and without pre-
viOus not ihcatiOn to ~ opponent. The IN
stinct OF the peasant has taught him 10
expect all this. moi that there is much ORR
entail fstalism left ia him. not much that
hears the legiOns thunder past. then bows
his head In thought again. lie rather comes
to sound conclusions by being OF essentially
the same stun as the cOteris Of Siav absOlu-
fists that make up the CZaT's mind. He is
GINNING. g~rasDiDg and good natured, aud
despite the merCiless slsuEhterinE on both
sides these are usually the flesh and blood
attributes OF The men whom the outer world
sees as the OppressorS.
This cotsrie OF court chamberlains has
won outright in this stage Of the contest.
They have bent the Dums to The shape they
wanted. and with the Premier. NJ. StOlypin.
they have lone likewise. He is in the posi-
ton OF chief of stan to a standing council OF
war. aud he shapes his conduct accordingly.
Vast quantities OF and detail
come from him. but not a policy. His cam
paiEn General KurOpatkin's work
in Msnchuria. Il was complained that that
soldier occupied all his time energetically
aud cOnscientiOusly In signing papers re-
latinR TO me ements Of troops and stores
wnen he should have given his mind TO think
ing out some large plan for overcoming his
enemy. So il il with ". StOlypin. He has
80 repeatedly and conTusedly manipulated
the electoral law that he and his masters at
court have got 4 Duma that they can dOmi-
nate. Hut. a. the Russian prOverb SAYS.
they are hitting the harness and not the
horse, They have overcome the wraok and
ruin that tod " represents the Russian ma
ton AZ large. In The process Of binding the
Duma TO the shape thar would make IL toll
erabIe'tO them even a. a nams they have
bent II quite Outside the scene Of the great
struggle where more than u hundred million
human beings are striving To Ind a solution
OF what Il mans life should he to him. When
Kipling wrote Of the pOachinR seaiers that
never "a law Of God or man holds north OF
irv-thrpe" he laid down one OF the con-
ditiOns Of life In Russia to-day.
The thinking OnlOokers are concerned very
little about the third Duma. should the
absolutist party persuade the Gar to wipe
IL out altogether it ia just possible that that
might give the supreme prOvOcation needed
to make the revolutionary chaos solid and az
gressiVe. But Of its opening II can be said only
that Russians in general regard II IA outside
their concern. a. being something that relates
TO somebody else. lts composition OF 20
per cent. Of hardshell tOryism IL 40 gro
tesuue a traVesty Of The public frame Of mind
that people outside Of Government employ
ment cannot be persuaded to give serious at
tention to ia debates. What many OF them
fear IL that while this mAkebelieVe In per
formed in the Russian capital the breaking
down Of the provinces into anarchy NAV sink
40 deep that the empire may fall to pieces
that the holding up Of the Cars claim to
absolute and divine right may come TO re-
auire all the time OF his administration that
il will fail TO prevent Siberia, the Caucasus,
Poland and the Baltic provinces from wrench
ing themselves out OF the wreckage and
starting each its own experiment in govern
ment. In ST. Petersburs that fear il in the
minds Of many people who would have
.couted il siK months ago.
a Proposal IN the Interests OF Private secta-