Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-25
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RETRoGREssIoN

WEARS ago the mind of some fellow
whose powers of observation had
been rendered more than ordinarily
acute by his varied experiences and
practical knowledge of those abstract
things which make the world go round
gave birth to thought which civiliza-
ton has come to accept as an exiom.
He expressed himself in words some-
thing like these: Revolutions never
go backward" Had he undertaken to
be trifie more explicit he probably
would have enlightened the world by
explaining that what he meant was
that revolutions always result in ad-
vancing the welfare of the people
among whom they occur; that revolu-
tons always make for social and
economic progress forward.
During the past three or four years
the falsity of this time-honored saying
has been proved by the case of Russia.
The third duma, which recently entered
upon its deliberations, illustrates the
retrogressive character of the Russian
revolution. 1t is true that the revolu-
tion is not ended, that in reality il is
little more than begun. The bloody
scenes enacted in st. Petersburg upon
the opening of the tragedy and the or
ganization of what the czar and bureau
Gratis of the Muscovite empire promised
should be representative legislative
assembly comprise the first act in what
may be a long drama. But this is
60 :
upon the real character and status of
the Russian revolution, which, judging
by the tone of this third dunla, is retro
gressive. not progressive.
The first and greatest evidence of the
extremely conservative character which
this fruit of horrible massacre has
assumed in three short years is to be
found in the personnel of it's members
The first duna was probably the most
picturesque legislative, quasi-legisla-
tive or advisory congress which the
world has ever seen. 1t was far from
being parliamentary assemblage.
Among it's members. which more truly
represent the vast Russian empire than
either of its successors has, were Mo-
ha1nmedan mullahs. Circassians, Co.'S
sacks, Tartars, Lithuanian peasants Of
the poorest and absolutely iiliterate
class. Poles, Roumanians and prelates
of the church. For the first time since
the foundation of the autocracy men of
these classes rubbed elbows and dis
cussed questions of government with
the sanction Of the czar and his
naughty mobiles. But this third duma!
If the press accounts are to be relied
upon a spectator might easily imagine
himself to be watching session of the
house OF lords or OF our own frock-
coated, silk-hatted, smug, self-satisfed
executive committee of the great Amer
lean system otherwise known as the
United States senate.
II there are any fire-eaters. any revo-
1utionists who want to see the ball
kept revolving, in the present duma
Their voices are not heard; their arms
are at rest. Perhaps they are there,
but II SO they appear to be satisfied
with the status of the reform move
nent- Without so much as veiled
threat they permitted the election Of a
president of liberal proclivities. man
who was formerly marshal Of the
nobility. Though not an avowed advo-
cate OF q pure autocracy he is believed
to favor coalition between the mod
crate groups and the Constitutional
Democrats, with a tendency to leave
the real power in the hands of the
former. So the present duma is con-
servative--very conservative for Rus
sian congress-and it is a parliamentary
body. But it is even less representa-
tive OF Russian sentiment than the
United States senate is representative
of American sentiment. Hence, we
say, the Russian revolution is progress
ing backward.