Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA
SOCIAL FEATURES DISCUSSED BY
Alexis ALADYIN.

Social conditions in Russia were explained
to the members of the University Club last
night by Alexis Aladyin, leader of the oppo-
sition in the duma. 1t was the most
largely attended meeting the club has ever
had. The ground floor was packed to the
"standing-room-only'' point, and number
of the late corners listened to the address
from the vestibule. Mr.. Aladyin spoke
English we'll, having been banished from
Russia for ten years and thereby given a
good chance to study the language. He
spoke of the duma constituted at pres
ent. what the members had done in the
face of obstacles, what they hope to ac-
complish and ended with a warning of what
probably would happen If their aims were
frustrated by military force.
In speaking of the constitution of the
duma, he explained the significance of the
most of the parties, though between come
as, for instance, the Octoberists and the
peaceful revolutionaries-he said the lines
were so finely drawn that even a Russian
was at a loss to distinguish However, the
constitution of the duma had changed since
the first meeting, and the left is numeri-
cally strong enough to carry any measure
in the course Of uninterrupted parliament
tary procedure. AS to the first session, he
said 1t would hardly be fair for an Ameri-
can to judge the men and the work they did
without knowing something of the condi-
tons by which they were hampered The
ministry, he said. was not a responsible one,
and the ministers had the say as to any law
that should be introduced. Even when a
law was presented to them they had a
month in which to consider it If they so
desired before even returning a reply as
to what course it should take and they
invariably used all the time in the most
diplomatic way to block legislation.
Demands Of the Left.
10 -le af laff 1,n caf1
not excessive. They wished first response
BILE ministry. They did not care about its
political complexion-whether it was con-
sentative, radical, liberal or socialistic-just
so it was fairly representative of the people
and stood for unhampered legislative
action. He said they demanded political
amnesty, the return of the innocent suf-
ferers from Siberia and the political prisons,
and for the inviolability of the Russian sub
ject and immunity from unreasonable ar
rest.
Mr.. Aladyin said the car is in large part
not responsible for the things that were
done in his name. He is surrounded by
keep him in ignorance of real conditions.
But this state of affairs could not last.
The present duma is better constituted for
active work than was the first one, and 1t
proposed to work. If 1t were dissolved
there would be a general strike-not such a
strike as we were accustomed to in Ameri-
ca, but one of deeper significance that
would be the presursor Of more serious
things to come.
After the talk on Russia Mr.. Aladyin
held an informal reception. Then there were
"a number of musical selections on the
Cecilian by Mr.. Edward Droop. This was
the Victor talking machine. some of them
instrumental pieces and other vocal operate
selections, all of them uncommonly clear
and well rendered