STOLYPIN---AND SELF-GOVERNMENT IN RUSSIA
Stone, Esther L.
Stolypin—and Self-government in Russia By ESTHER L. STONE DISPATCHES from Russia brought the startling news of the assassination of Prime Minister Stolypin at a gala performance in Kiev, held with...
...Monopoly increases prices of goods or services—that is, it taxes the people...
...The majority of the population of those provinces are White Russian peasants, next in number are the Jews, the third place is occupied by the Polish nobility, and there is a handful of carpet-bagger Russian officials...
...WHAT STOLYPIN did to the Duma, to the Jews, Finns, Poles, what he did to the Universities and other seats of learning, how he substituted courts-martial in place of ordinary judicial procedure, how he sent hundreds of young persons to the gallows, would take volumes to relate...
...the Jews were denied any representation whatsoever...
...Stolypin's apportionment plan, the latter were given a predominant position in local self-government to the disadvantage of the Russian peasantry and Polish nobility...
...Both were appointive members of the Imperial Council...
...The following is taken from a private letter written by a gentleman very well versed in affairs of Russia...
...One of them was Durnovo, who held the post of Minister of the Interior in Count Witte's Cabinet...
...The opposition to the government bill came from two sources...
...Stolypin, the President of the Duma, Mr...
...The salient feature of the bill was the apportionment of the electorate into curiae according to nationality...
...Guchkoff is the leader of the Octoberists, who claim to be moderate liberals and have always supported Stolypin...
...Under Mr...
...In this crisis Mr...
...Stolypin obtained an order of the Czar granting them leave to travel abroad until further notice...
...The other was Trepoff, brother to the late Commandant of the Court...
...Stolypin had acted in a high-handed manner, but the reactionaries were the only ones who approved of his act upon the theory that there is no constitution in Russia, but that the Czar is still an autocrat and may if it pleases him enact any law by his sovereign will without asking the advice of the Imperial Council or the Duma, who are merely his counsellors...
...In the Imperial Council, however, the bill was defeated...
...The history of this measure and the way in which it was forced to pass is characteristic of the administrative methods and illustrates very well the so-called "constitutional" government in Russia...
...Guchkoff, resigned...
...A number of members of both Houses, including some moderate liberals, such as Baron Meyendorff, called on the disciplined members of the Imperial Council in manifestation of their sympathy...
...A local self-government bill for six provinces of Western Russia was introduced into the Duma by the Cabinet...
...Stolypin tendered his resignation to the Czar, but the Czar naturally upheld his premier...
...Now, just what does monopoly do to injure the people...
...Whether the assassination of the late premier will have similar results remains to be seen...
...When both Houses of the Legislature reconvened, resolutions of inquiry addressed to the Government were adopted in the Duma by a majority of 174 to 88 and in the Imperial Council by a majority of 98 to 52, that is, nearly by two-thirds of each House...
...In the debates preceding the adoption of the resolutions it was pointed out by all speakers regardless of party, that the precedent established by Mr...
...Should either House refuse to enact a bill introduced by the Government, the latter could in this manner declare a recess and enact the bill as an emergency measure...
...Stolypin, passed the bill by the usual majority...
...Stolypin created a recess of the Legislature in order to enact his bill as an emergency measure...
...Thereupon Mr...
...A Blow at Self-Government "UNDER the Russian Constitution, no law can take effect without the approval of both Houses of the National Legislature, but section 87 reserves to the Czar the power to enact provisional laws in emergencies arising during the recess of the Legislature...
...Both were reckoned among the worst reactionaries and coveted his position...
...This evasion of the Constitution united the whole country, with the exception of the extreme reactionaries, in one sentiment of protest against Mr...
...Stolypin—and Self-government in Russia By ESTHER L. STONE DISPATCHES from Russia brought the startling news of the assassination of Prime Minister Stolypin at a gala performance in Kiev, held with great pomp in celebration of the introduction of self-government into six Western provinces...
...Stolypin consented to withdraw his resignation on condition that two of his persona] enemies, who were conspicuous in the defeat of his bill in the Imperial Council, should be disciplined...
...The majority of the membership of the Imperial Council are appointees of the Czar...
...So Mr...
...There is a minority, however, composed of representatives of the organs of local-self-government and of the universities...
...THE PEOPLE of the United States complain of monopoly...
...As a result of this combination, the bill failed of passage in the Imperial Council...
...On the one hand, the extreme reactionaries were opposed to any form of self-government for the western provinces...
...on the other hand, the progressive minority was opposed to the principle of race discrimination underlying the bill...
...It was conceded even by the reactionaries that Mr...
...What Will Follow...
...As a protest against the despotic attitude of Mr...
...We have permitted monopoly to absorb nearly everything: Baer has the hard coal, Weyerhauser has the forests, Rockefeller has the oil, Morgan has the iron, and we thank God the sun is 94,000,000 miles away.—John Z. White...
...In this manner members of the Imperial Council were disciplined for expressing their opinions on a public measure submitted for their deliberation...
...The Duma, obedient to the will of Mr...
...Stolypin secured the signature of the Czar to an order declaring a recess of the Imperial Council and of the Duma for three days of the Easter week (April 18-22), and during the recess the self-government bill defeated in the Imperial Council was proclaimed by the Czar as a provisional law under section 87 of the Fundamental Law...
...There is no question that he did all in his power to pile up sufficient material for a conflagration...
...The assassination of Plehve marked the awakening of the Russian people from a long period of political stupor, and culminated in the wringing of representative government from the Czar, curtailed as it has been since...
...Why, then is not the natural remedy to tax monopoly...
...Stolypin practically reduced both Houses to the status of mere government committees...
Vol. 3 • September 1911 • No. 39
