The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-24
rHs DUMA DOINo coon WORK.
Russia's Home AmairS IN BETTER alaps
Defeat Of tiae Navel Fbureanrraan.

-Drteat 81 uae Naval hureanrrAea-
: Sr. PErKRsBURo. April i2.-Recent IA
- velopments have combined 20 give IN
Z Duma a good reputation with the nnsHlal
business world. Even tho Gear has aske'
its former Speaker. Nicholas HomiakoH
and il now Speaker. Alexander 0outoh
ko6. TO tell the members that their worl
for the fAtherland Is Appreciated. I
10 juse four years this month since tn
first DumA was brought into existence
al a concession 70 public anger owe
the failures Of tho Cars court and bu.
rsauoracy. Despite itS stormy beginning
tho great mass of Russians are convincec
now that IL will live and gain strength.
The immediate occasion of the com.
plimonts that are being paid To the electeC
House 10 It's expeditions and elfectivs
handling OF the imperial budget. II
has passed the estimates for the Govern
ment's total expenditures in 1870 nj ~ .3ss..
SIS. 7O7 and calculated tho revenue TOT
the year at 81 .3ss.s0s.OaO. The Duma
has passed the budget within the first
three months Of the year and released
the Government from It's obligation %
draw monthly instruments OF one-twelfth
OF the total Of Last years sanctioned ex-
penditurcs until les accounts have been
ratified by the Legislature. Last year
tho expenditure was not sanctioned until
the latter end OF July.
Prime Minister Stolypin took the initial
step toward q smoother working between
the Administration and the DumA. He
a@sentsd to the cutting down u tho ex-
psnses In his own department OF the
interior by $4,000. the reductions being
made chiefly In" the appropria ton for
surveillance OF persons sentenced by the
courts TO compulsory residence in remote
provinces. Later he agreed 70 the do
mand OF the DumA 20 have a standing
committee Of ten ofitS members in SESSION
all the year round and entitled 90 SUPER
vision Of accounts.
Some % tho Prime Minister'S good viii
In ascribed 60 his friendly feeling toward
Mr.. Alexei cnko. chairman Of the Duma' q
budget COMMITTEES and q member Of the
Octobrist party. who owes his seat 20 the
Russian electors in Warsaw; but the pre-
vailing influence In bringing about the
appeasement between the House and the
Executive has been the adoption by the
Duma Of the Prime Minister'S settlement
with the court last year in tho matter Of
the control OF the navy. A. IL was ques-
ton Of principle. MIR. Stolypin's position
was shaken during the budget discussion
twelve months ago by the ulfra-mon-
archists In the Durna. who declared that
he had betrayed tho Cars soterei gnty
In allowing the House 60 initiate scheme
for a naval general star.
The Premier's enemies combined to
put him In a difficult position with the
Gar; the officers OF the household kept
reminding him Of how close q hand his
neighbor Emperor William keeps on
the initiative over all matters Of military
and naval organization. The Gar did not
sanction the general stan project. but
referred Co Mr.. Stolypin the task Of in
terpreting Article 70 u the Fundamental
Laws Of the Empire. which defines the
procedure and tho sovereign's share
In organizing the national defences
Rather than commit himself to the
dangerous attempt of putting ON paper
any theory affecting the powers Of a mas
ter who still sometimes calls himself
autOcrat. tho Prime Minister preferred
70 come To am understanding with the
Duma on tho actual requirements OF the
naval situation. Before entering on this
course he saw his friend Alexander
GoutchkoR elected To preside over the
Duma in place OF the amiable and pliable
Mr.. Homiakof. whose inability "a keep the
Extreme Right. the absOlutist Tory sec
ton % the House. from dragging in the
Cars status as a factor in debate had
brought on his troubles a year ago.
Mr.. Goub hkoH. as chairman Of the
army budget committee OF the Duma
has shown his capacity for cleaning up
by the stand Ice took for the sr,Ile that
officers holding high command in the army
ia time OF peace should be those desig-
mated 10 lead it in war. His unbending
procedure drove out most OF the Cars
relatives and their protAgss.
The plight Of the navy was vastly
worse than the army's had ever been.
Enemies and critics agreed that the
rank and file OF Russia = land forces fur !
nished good raw material for an army !
but they viii not concede even that Judi |
mentary merit To the navy. Yet there |
are more Admirals in Russia than IN all the |
other European navIes put together.
The reformeIs confess with despair |
that the navy has no tradition to live /
up TO. andfhat they do not see the makings /
of an esprit de corps.
The present Secretary OF the Navy, |
Noyevodsky did make the effort /
to clean up the Admiralty Department.
He APPOINTED Capt. GrammatschikOn to 1
conduCt = revision which should establish \
" hat officers were responsible for placing
the orders for material and for passing I
ihe material and what were the conditions
In the AdJutant's Department under
which officers have been promoted and
qualified for command. The revision
had not gone far before combination
Of Admirals and naval bureaucratic APP
pealed TO the Gar TO interfere. and the II
inquiry was stopped. In the interests Of II
the service" Capt. Grammatschikod was
sent on To Nladivostok.
AZ his audience with the Gar on becon- II
ing Speaker II the Duma, Mr.. Goutc hkon
said that the navy problem could not 4
anOrd To be longer neglected. What
are you going TO do about itg- represented
the Cars frame Of mind. The Speaker II
said that they could not begin to build
Ip a navy until the Admiralty Depart Il
mene was ovsrhaulsd by a civil court
empowered To direct prosecutions on the
lines Of the revisions now proceeding in
the Commissariat and Railroad depart
menes.
what does my Prime Minister sayr-
leked the Gar. II
Mr.. Goutchkof promised n find out.
In the result after a conference between
he Premier and the Speaker. the Durna
'efused 20 ratify even the minimum 70
luirements of the present board Of
and voted unanimously that
he Department be subjected To a revision
~ a senatorial court. IL was the first
unanimous vote that 'the Duma had
III
The scheme for the expenditure during
period Of ton years OF $3.50 OOO. 600 ON the
~ Il.