The Washington herald., 1917-03-16
DUMA IS VICTOR.


The Duma emerged complete vic
tor. 1t is today, for the first time in
its existence, what it was created for
the representative body of the peo-
pie. Having been ordered by an i'm
perial ukase to adjourn and 60 home,
it turned upon the government, sent
every minister to prison, established
a provisional government in complete
control of the capital, and, as a crown
ing climax to its long and bitter fight,
inflicted an ignomilous defeat upon
the ruler whose powers made him
as his predecessors-thc most abso-
lutte autocrat on the face of the globe.
The revolution. as 1t is known was
short-lived and completely successful. 1t
lasted three days-from Thursday March
8, until Saturday, March 10. It was
the elimination of disturbances and riots
that had been recurring with increas-
ing violence and in decreasing intervals
for many weeks.
Causes of Revolt.
The causes of the revolt and Of the
momentous change It Shas brought about
may be summarized IN two vital facts:
A starving nation wanted food.
A nuzzled parliament wanted freedom
to give the people food.
And while the Duma fought the final
fight with a tyrannical government for
liberty. the starving masses whom they
represent fought for food in the streets
of Petrograd and Moscow.
The chief sensation Of 1t all was that
. - k,,lI NJ
strong-sided with the rioting masses,
sided with them against the army of
police only recently reinforced by thou
sands upon order of the hated Proto-
popoff The revolt spells-the death-blow
to the sinister forces OF reaction and
graft that have been holding full sway
for centuries but were never fully ex-
posed until the war came and found Rus
sia in a state OF economic, financial and
military unpreparedness. which convert
ed every great drive on the eve of Its
triumph into disa ster and from which
the Duma has been vainly flghing to
deliver the empire.
Defeat of Pro-Germans.
In entente quarters. the outcome is
viewed as a defeat of the pro-German
Propaganda which. with such ready tools
as Stuermer and Protopopon. worked
IO"dTQ separate fNuSSlan ne
Duma. 1t is argued. is solidly united in
favor Of prosecuting the war until it is
won
While It Is admitted by close observers
here that the new order of things in
Russia. IL its lasts, will definitely do
away with Germanophile influences. it is
pointed out that the revolt, with It's gov
ernmental changes. is bound to have a
disastrous effect upon the army, and that
particularly as far as the food supply
Is concerned, no relief Is in sight even
with the Dina victorious
The great Muscovite empire is in a
chaos of internal disorder. brought about
by years Of weakness. incoherence and
preying on the public funds by the
various governments.
The country has inexhaustible resources
to feed itself. but is not even now mobi-
lized to exploit those resources. There Is
no system of provisioning. no scheme for
Transportation. More than forty minis
ters have come and gone in two years.
each has added blunders or crimes to the
orgy of Generalization. There have been
five different premiers since the outbreak
Of the war.
insufficient provisioning. lack Of NUM-
tions and DISCRIMINATION behind the
front have hampered the army's work
throughout the thirty-one months Of war.
CONTINUED on PAGE TWO.