Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-31
RUSSIA AND THE. DUMA.


duma The duma-the
Failure OF socialist and liberal
p.f.. parties. reproach govern
ment with failure to
adopt reforms and in retaliation threaten
to obstruct the vote of certain credits In
the discussion of the impending budget.
Hence the rumor that government will
dissolve the duma In order to obtain
more plant chamber.
The rumor is based upon the report
that government is preparing a law limit
ing the liberty Of criticism in the duma-
II such a law should be voted deputies
could no longer freely criticise the acts of
the administration and might even be
held judicially responsible for expressions
in opposition to acts Of government and
ministers. The duma in such case would
be completely muzzled and parliamentar
ism q farce. Already. as If in corrobora-
ton of the rumor. a certain number Of
deputies following a disorderly session
have been excluded
On the occasion Of the discussion of the
budget the extreme left welcomed the
premlers appearance in the tribune with
a deafening uproar and cried That is
enough Down with tyrants.' The calls
to order were unheeded and it was then
the president of the council proposed the
exclusion of the offending members dur
ing fifteen sessions members belonging to
the social democratic and workman's
parties. The incident is not without
gravity. but 1t will be borne in mind that
Russia has passed through incidents
much more grave. and yet has lived and
prospered But it may be added by way
OF reinsurance that government and the
duma are not likely to part company
until the end of June. when it's official life
closes in the regular order of things
moment. had its inception thus: On Au-
gust Q9). 1905. an elective state council
(gosudarstvennaya or duma) was created
and October II (:sOD a law was promul-
gated granting public liberty, liberty to
the people based upon inviolability of the
person. freedom of conscience, speech,
assembly and association and establishing
as an unalterable rule that no law should
come into effect without the approval of
the duma and that the elected of the
people should be guaranteed real partici-
patton in the control of such acts as
are approved by the emperor. The duma
is elected for five years by the law of
June 3 C6). 1907.
The council of the empire and the
duma. it may be added, have equal legis-
lat1ve powers and the same right of in
iuative legislation and the right of ad-
dressing questions to ministers. Every
measure before being submitted for the
imperial sanction must be passed by
both the duma and the council of the
empire. A proposition rejected by one
Of the two legislative institutions can
not be submitted to the car. Both the
duma and the council may annul the
election Of any of their numbers.
X
NJ. Goutchkof, chief of the octobrists
and NJ. Efremof. leader of the pro-
gressists in the du-
Government and ma. are pessimlstic
A. nl, and declare t h a t
ene one>oeA' they have no longer
illusions as to the situation. NJ. Goutch-
kof considers the recent acts of govern
ment as serious attacks upon the pre-
negatives of the chamber.
A member of the duna declared to
the correspondent Of the Temps that the
object of the government party was to
reduce the duma to the position OF
mere consulting chamber.
NJ Efremof, for his part. does not ex-
pect any radical change on the part OF
the actual government nor any coupe
d'etat Government. without doubt, would
proceed by small doses The duma wouid
be maintained. 1.-The irritation would
continue until the day when having
closed I'D things generally, even small
concessions. there would be an explosion
The regular session OF the duma closes
automatically June 80. the program Is
full Of important propositions. First. the
reform Of the senate; the responsibility
Of functlonaries who are made liable to
those who heretofore have been unable TO
recover damages for injuries; finally the
vote Of credits and the Increase or the
military forces
The absence Of a government fixed ma
iority in the duma, a lack Of unity on
views Of Russian life appears to be the
trouble of government in the duma- The
council OF the empire practices excessive
conservatism and creates the impression
that it is seeking to strange the rights
of its opponents in the duma. This IS a
perpetual irritant which reacts upon the
government.
Prince Mechtchersky. the most radical
of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., says in his
journal, the Grajdanine. that this greatest
hope was to see the duma. which could
not be abolished, reduced to the position
of a consulting chamber.
This announcement induced the govern
ment to make the following declaration:
THAT which had been accorded by the
throne would not be recalled, but govern
ment on the contrary would maintain
what existed
Government besides has solemnly de-
clared its intention to cooperate with
the duma- But notwithstanding this
fact the minister of justice in recent
speech referring to the duma, said: THE
duma had no Importance except that
which government might recognize. Also
Baron IduDe, VINO IS aQJOlnt minister of
public instruction, further muddled the
situation by the unfortunate declaration
that The right Of initiative to the ma
tional representative is denied to him in
matters Of legislation The Rousska
Znamia ultra conservative journal,
writes: 1T is time to finish with the
duma as an inviolable personality" While
the Zemtchina declares. that the laws of
Russia do not mention the inviolability of
the duma-"
The military credits in the budget per-
init the minister of war to raise reinforce
ments and augment the electives and
the material of the army. The first point
creates reinforcements of the troops for
the first and second lines. The active eff
fectives were increased % 600 per year in
1912. and were augmented by 125 900 per
annum in 1913. In 1917 the active army
will be augmented by $4,000 more men,
And 1t is understood that cavalry and
artillery will serve four years in place OF
three. The army is to be reorganized
In order to execute the proposed meas
ures the duma is asked to vote half mil
lard rubles. The left parties. the cadets
and progressists, propose to raise difficult
ties for the government when 1t comes to
a vote. but the obstruction will not be
serious.
NJ Back, administrator Of the ministry
Of finance, declared in the course of the
discussion OF the utiliza-
Resources ton Of the resources of
Russia that these resources
a