The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-06-17

iSter St0lYpln residence, cOUIeEFlnB Us 10
whether to wait until Monday for the
Douma's answer to the governments de
msnd in regard to the Socialist members
or to take the final step Immediately.
The minority. comprising NM. Stoly-
pin. Kaufman. and Fllosofor. opposed
immediate dissolution. NJ. Stolypin tele-
phoned 10 the Gar. who answered that
the majority were right, and Immediately
the decision was taken 10 dissolve the
Douma.
orders were thereupOn sent TO the gov
ernors throughout Russia to take meas
ures 10 crush the least attempt at dis
order At o'clock this morning in
fantry arrived at the Tauride Palace,
where the Douma meets. and took pos
session. while seals were placed on the
deputies desks and the ukase Of dissO-
luton was posted on the doors
The dissolution. which was now formally
effected. was actually resolved upon by
the Car Immediately after the Doumas
refusal to condemn political murders.
Thenceforth a convenient pTetext was
only awaited. The greater part OF the
Ukase was prepared a fortnight ago. as
' IS proven by the fact that the first copies
issued were originally dated TsarskOe-
Selo, the word Peterhof. whittier the
court removed after its compilation, be
ing substituted in red pencil
Election Law a Long One.
Moreover, the new electoral law. pub
Iished this afternoon. fills twenty-four
columns Of the government Gazette. It
obviously needed considerable time for
its preparation. It greatly limits non
Russian representation in the Douma
Thus the Caucasus is allowed ten In
stead Of its former twenty-five members.
and Poland twelve, instead of thirty
seven.
Byraising the property qualifications the
representation Of the German land owners
in the Baltic provinces is greatly in
creased over that OF the Leftists. who are
Tevolutionists. The law in many respects
IS an approach to the Prussian system. /
In cities, the voters are divided into two
classes, according TO their property, and
the deputies are divided equally, the
wealthy minority thereby receiving the
same representation as the poor ma
3ority. The number Of cities with sepa-
rate representatives in each Of the
provinces and the number of their cleo
tors In the provincial colleges are greatly
diminished, by which means preponder-
snce is given TO the landlords In Kovno
and Wilma provinces three Of the thirteen
seats are given to the Russian minority.
and the Russian population in Warsaw,
1 81
deputy, leaving only one TO the Poles.
numbering millions.
Government Power Unlimited.
Furthermore, the minister Of the in
terror Is authorized, at his discretion, 70
divide the. voters in any district according
10 their property or nationality. whereby
the governments power Of interference
will be unlimited.
Such is the election system which the
government, with Muscovite cunning, de-
clares robs no man and no class Of the
franchise, without mentioning the total
disfranchisement Of the greater part Of
Russian Asia.
All the party groups met to-day in pri-
vate houses and decided to send their
constituents an account of the work done
by the Douma, but not to issue a col
lective~ manifesto.
The police visited the various meetings
and politely requested that they disperse.
which those attending did quietly and
smllingly. The police also searched the
dwellings Of the labor members
The government has not made any en-
ergetic attempt TO arrest the six
teen accused Socialists. allowing
them the fullest opportunities to
escape. Six Of them, however.
have been imprisoned. Prince Tsereteli
and NJ. SoltykoR deliberately put them
selves IN the way Of arrest, they desir-
ing to be tried.
Conservative Opposition.
The governments step Is not approved
by the conservative press. which points
out that the Social Democratic speeches
and outside propaganda were Ineffective.
but that now the government has given
them unexpected help and a valuable ad-
vertisement The deputies themselves
take the dissolution coolly, feeling that
the government has put itself in the
wrong by the action in dissolving the
House without first examining the COM
mittee's report. The Constitutional Dem
ocrats would hardly regret the dissolu-
ton If the electoral laws had not been
changed, as they long realized the i'm
possibility Of cooperating with the gov
eminent
The committees report would have been
ready to submit TO the Douma tomorrow
NJ Militikoff says it would have con-
tanned a recommendation that the House
Should not consent TO the exclusion Of
the whole Socialist party, but TO allow
the arrest Of any against whom reason
able evidence OF guilt could be adduced
The city to-day was entirely unexcited
The people spent the day normally.
Soldiers Patrol Streets.
Many regiments Of infantry and cav
airy have arrived 10 patrol the streets
and occupy the railway stations. There
IS no reason to expect any disorders in
the capital On the other hand. the dis
elimination against the frontier districts
may be followed by serious consequences.
as It is hardly probable that the Poles.
Let's. and Armenians will COnfne them
selves 70 those legal measures which the
FinlandeTs had in similar circumstances.
There are fears also Of trouble in the
rural districts. since the peasants. who
expected TO receive land from the first
Douma, and again hoped the second House
would give it to them. will despair Of OBJ
tanning 1t except by violence.
d.