The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-09-19
STOLYPlN DIES OF his WOUND


| Of remarkable enlightenment and clear
ness OF intellect; he saw the inevitab BILE
drift OF the age toward the rule OF the
people and the overthrow of arbitrary
government. When he came into power
he made his policy the guidance OF this
inevitable tendency. Thus it came to
pass that he had the people for his ene-
mics because he retarded the develop
ment OF the parliamentary system for
Russia and put down popular violence
and disorder with ruthless severity
At the same time the reactionary ele-
ment in the empire were his deadly foes
because it was plain that under his leader
ship the parliamentary system would
gain a position in the government from
which it could never be thrown down
and that the people of Russia were COM
| mencing real practical education for self
government.
! Stolypin first came into prominence as
the Governor Of Saratoff. post which he
held through the early years of the GEN.
| fury. 1t was there in 1905 that the q rst
attempt was made to kill him. Three
shots were fired at him Ivy a Terrorist as
! sassin. but he was not hit. Speak ing later
OF his own service in this post he told how
! it had been his aim 10 cultivate class Of
F, peasant land owners and to give them real
weight in the local government of their
cOmmunes He was reproached for estab-
fishing new university in this province
He replied that it was only by introducing
the higher education into the provinces
; that the work Of developing law and order
could be successfully advanced in Russia
In May. 1905, the Car called him to 81. .
Petersburg and made him Minister of
the Interior in the Goremykin Ministry
He only remained three months in this post
but that was long enough for him to be
| savagely assailed on the floor of the Duma
as tyrant. murderer a but cher. a
monster of cruelty unparalleled in history
| The fact was he came into office with the
rising wave of the revolutionary terror
| ism which deluged Russia with blood and
| filled it with ruin from Archangel to the
Crimea. He opposed terrorism with terror
ism. The police and soldiers had free
! hand as respected repressive measures in
the disturbed districts and where suspects
were convicted of rev olutionary or terror
| ist crimes. executions Wholesale execu-
tions were mercilessly carried out.
So far from the Duma attacks impeding
the progress OF the new found statesman,
it took only three months for the Car
to conclude that his best hope was 10
place the entire empire in Stolypn's hands
He became Prime Minister in july. 1904
and despite annual rumors Of his impend-
ing downfall, he weathered every political
storm and remained at the time of his
death more firmly entrenched in ONCE
than ever before. The first Duna with
its large popularity chosen and radical mem
bership. having proved totally unmana ge-
able, it was dissolved on July %, 1905. A
second one was elected and met in March
1907 but IL had been plain even durinr
the course of the elections in January and
February that this body would be oniy a
small Improvement on its predecessor
from the imperial point OF view, In
June Stolypin accused most of the Social
let members Of being parties to the rev o.
lutionRvy. propaganda in the army and
navy and he demanded their immediate
suspension, The Duma refused to aot
without an investigation. Thereupon the
Car dissolved his second Parliament 40
summarily as the first.
For the choice of the third Duma
Premier Stoiypin prepared an electoral /
law which while it stiil preserved a sem
blance OF general franchise still guar
anteed that the membership would be
representative in the main Of what NAV
be called the conservative classes OF the
people. Such body was actually chosen
AZ fhe elections In September, 1907, and al
though 1t proved by no means as rr,ena BILE
to Ministerial dictation as it's PROJECTORS
may have hoped. it has still on the Whoie
worked well. While opposing Govern
ment projects and insisting on powers os
investigation and audit suoh as the Car
and his Ministers have not been fully will.
Ing to grant. 1t has still kept SO far within