The Co-operative news. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1917-1918, 1917-11-15
AUTONOMY
FOR FINLAND
The Firms Demand lndepend.
enee From the Russian Pro-
Visi0Nal Government


But, Notwithstanding, it has in the
last 20 years excited considerable
interest in other civilized countries
The deep violation of the Finnish
constitution of 1899 provoked public
protests in the western Europe, and
prominent scientists dealt with the
question. In the year 1910 con-
ference of eminent men was held in
London.
They agreed that the Finnish peo-
pie has a right to it's constitution
and that this can be changed only
with the Finnish peoples consent.
This fact did not hinder the Russian
government, backed by the imperial
Douma and the imperial council,
from passing the "Stolypinian law"
which was intended to overthrow the
Finnish autonomy.
But the Firms never yielded in
this question, and, finally, in March
of this year, the revolutionary pro-
visional government withdrew this
and other unlawful statutes.
The Finnish question was not set
tied hereby, however. 1t is to be
borne in mind that Finnish autonomy
was far from being democratic.
Against democratic diet, there was
governmental power which was too
great for people in free coun-
try.
For a subject people such as the
Firms, this power, if it remained in
the hands of Russian government,
would be still more disastrous.
Therefore the Finnish people de-
manded recognition of their inner
autonomy, and as the Russian gov
eminent hesitated to extend it in an
acceptable way, the Socialist ma
jority of the Finnish diet, supported
by considerable number of repre-
sentatives of other parties on July
10 proclaimed the autonomy in an
extension, which had been suggested
by the Congress of the Workers and
Soldiers councils in the whole of
Russia.
In an address to the provisional
government, the Finnish diet pledged
this government to acknowledge the
law, which would make the Films
representation the supreme power in
the inner Finnish questions. The
Russian revolutionary government,
though, which had proclaimed the
principle of the right of the peo-
pies to govern themselves, did not
acknowledge the inner Finnish self
government.
1t dissolved the Finnish diet. At
the same time it promised, it is true,
to present to the new diet a bill
containing its views about the ex-
tent of Finnish autonomy.
But apart from the question, if
this promised autonomy will be ac-
ceptable or not as a provisional or
ganization, is the question, how the
position of Finland will be settled
permanently.
1t is limited by Russians that this
is matter of the constitutional
convention of Russia, but the Firms
think otherwise.
They point out that the state form
of Russian empire is not settled yet,
and they think their freedom is
very uncertain, if it should be al
ways dependent upon the unstable
and changing political situations in
Russia.
Therefore the Finnish democrats
appeal to the democracies of other
countries to consider the Finnish
question as an international mat
ter, and assist settling it at the
peace negotiations.
The thought is now new, and not
alone of Finnish origin.
The writer, L. S. Woolf, points
out in his book about international
organization that it is difficult to
say when the Balkan question be-
came international, and furthermore
he says that a time will come when
Russia has to admit that the Fin
nish question is not any more an
inner Russian question.
During this war there is no lack
of utterances of responsible states
men in which the right of the ma
lions to govern themselves are ad-
mitted.
The English prime minister, for
instance, uttered in the House of
Commons, August 27, 1914, that
England is defending at the same
time two great causes, "the indie
pendence of small states and the
sanctity of international covenants"
And President Wilson on May %
declared before the American League
to Enforce Peace, that every people
has right to choose the sovereignty
under which they shall live, like
other nations" and that the small
states of the world have the right
IN aninu tba sauna ,ocraa&