Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS In RUSSIA

and also Lieut.. Dournovc. The friends
who stood with the premier in the breach
in the first DAYS Of his administration had
Nasseitchakof, NJ. NJ. Ffiosofof. Chinof.
Tinieriasof. Loukianof. Isvolsky. Chau.
four Schwarz. Gen. RediRer and Admiral
D!kof. all Of whom had dropped out and
their places were filled by new
men
Between NJ. Stolypin and NJ. kokovtzof.
minister Of finance. there had risen a.
vergent views But notwithstanding this
situation. NJ Sto,ypin had acquired a
marked ascendency over them. which
even his adversaries recognized.
Since la9 the government proposed I"
institute tho zems,vos in the western
provinces. those. in fact. which had not
been included in the administrative re-
forms of 1863
The project created communal tnstitu-
tons which comprised a municipal coun-
ell and a president charged With the exc
cuton OF the councils decisions tn"
members would he elected for four years.
\ delegate OF the orthodox clergy would
he added. II it was desired The president
~ the council would he changed ere'y
year. Jews could not act either as prest
dent or vice president. The election should
be approved by the minister OF tn" IN
terror. the governor general ar governor.
according 10 the Importance or the COM
,nunes
The council was competent 10 appoint
funCtionaries. pay salaries, collect taxes
acquire and sell property. The language
OF official reports should be I'm Eussiail.
unofficial documents In Polish. Russian
! however. was only recognized In tho
courts.
1t was necessary to be a Russian sub
iect. twenty-five years of age. Ia be eli
gible to the municipal council. The cleo
tions were divided into three cssses
Russian. Jews and foreigners.
The ukase OF March -. SuSpending our
I 81, mo al
and the council Of the empire. created
p, CONSERVATION. That measure was based
upon articles 90 and 81 OF the funda
mental laws, the first OF which gives the
right tn the emperor to interrupt, during
a delay to be fixed by him. the annual
session Of parliament. Article 50 author
ICES. during such interruption OF the ses
sion OF parliament, the council Of min
| istry TO submit for imperial promul ga
| ton projects OF law upon condition that
| such projects do not modify the funda-
f, mental laws or rules Of the duma, the
council of empire the electoral re-
! gime OF the assemblies. According 10
| the terms OF article 81 the laws pror1ul-
gated out of session cease TO have fore"
1 if not submitted TO the duma In the Two
months following the reassembling OF tho
chamber. or il they are not voted by the
/ duma and the council OF the empire
The publication of the ukase caused
profound emotion, not only in the public.
but I'm the octobrist
| Opposition in group, which had al
ready declared its In
TIC Ouua. tention to oppose the
law in the duna. Furthermore the group
| would interpellate in the duma the
council of ministry upon the Elegantly o.
| the project. The group furthermore had
declared that as soon as the promuisa-
| ton had been accomplished the president
of the duma, NJ. GoUtchkof, would re-
sign his functions. The octobrlst nor the
| cadet parties would present a candioate
| ia replace NJ Goutchkof. AZ IL was
! threatened, NJ Goutchkof resigned March
| -.
apri, G the council OF the empire sub
mitted it's Interpolation. IT demanded. IN
/ the first place. to know the cause which
led the premier TO violate the funda-
mental laws concerning the rules edicteh
in the matter OF the Zemstvos IN the
| southwest provinces and against wh'cn
the council or the empire ids decidie"
its opposition.
In the interval of the premier's reply
/ NJ Rodzianko was elected TO the rresl
deucy OF the duma by IN? votes against
123 NJ Rodzanko. it is significant tn
note is a personal friend Of NJ. Stolypan.
and his election may be interpreted as a
desire for reconciliation with the premier
on the part of the duma.
81.
patrician and rich. He was in the duma
! in 1907 where he was one OF the most
active and devoted protsgonists OF agra
ran reforms. In October. 1910. he be
came the recognized leader OF his party.
and his election now is largely due to his
personal popularity in the duma. HIS
presence there at this moment may allaH
the bitterness which has been growing
since the PRONUNCIATION OF the ukase or
the 18th Of March.
On April Is NJ. Stolypin replied to the
interpolation which had been addressed
to him by the council of the empire on
/ April g. II should be recalled just hero
that on August 6. 1905. an elective state
council--"gosudarstve duma - was
created and on October II law was pro-
mulsated granting to the population the
i firm foundation Of public liberty. based
/ on the principle OF inviOla bility or the
i person and Of freedom OF conscience.
speech. assembly and association and es
| tablishing an unalterable rule that no
! law should come into effect without the
| approval Of the duma and that TO the
elected Of the people should be guaran
teed the possibility OF real participation
| in the control OF the acts of those ap
pointed by the emperor
The council Of the empire and the duma
would have equal legislative powers and
the same right OF initiative in legisls-
| ton and Of addressing questions to min
| listers. Every measure before being sub
mtted for the imperial sanction should
| be passed by both the dIlmB ana the
! council Of the empire and all such
were rejected by one OF the two legfsla
tive institutions could not be laid before
the ear at all
NJ Stolypin Is possessed of great ora
tor:cal ppvc"s and has frequently con
verified assemblies
Stolypin's Spell which have listened
Broken. MOI, seemed storn ~
its usual power His argument was bold.
but manifestly illogical. The rejection
by the council OF the empire Of the
zemstvos project, NJ. Stolypin held. was
equivalent to the abandonment from
national point OF view OF Russian I'm
terror policy. II was an evolution
surprising as extraordinary. The coun-
ell Of state, concluded NJ. Stolypin. had
because ii was a restriction Of the rights
and prerosarives of the crown. The in
terpelation was neither in conformity
with the rules nor admissible.
N. Stolypin. 1t was manifest. had VIC
lated traditions of constitutional polity.
The council Of the empire appears
present quite decided to maintain it's OPP
position TO the law OF the zemstvos. But
the election OF NJ. Rodzianko as presl-
dent II the duma may serve TO reconcile
a situation which for the moment ap-
pears irreconcilable. The situation is