Revieic of Reviews, IjlOJOG. 



Leading Articles. 



371 



THE DISSOLUTION OF THE DUMA. 



How Composed and why Dissolved. 



The dissolution of tlie Duma was predicted by 

 Dr. E. J. Dillon as inevitable long before the Tsar 

 lost hope of being able to get along with it. In the 

 current number of the Contemporary Review, writing 

 before the dissolution took place, he points out wh\ 

 juch a course was unavoidable. 



OOITNT TOLSTOIS OPINION. 

 He prefaces his explanation b\ a quotation from 

 Count Tolstoi's judgment upon tfie Duma: — 



■' I have three impressiong of the Duma." he recentlj' 

 Baid; " one is comical, the second is revolting, and the 

 third is disgusting. I have a comic impression, because 

 it alwa.vs seems to me that they are children playing at 

 grown-ups. In the Duma debates there is nothing new. 

 original, interesting. 



" I find revolting in the Duma the fact that the Parlia- 

 mentary workers are lower than the average level of the 

 community, yet they presumptuously take upon themselves 

 the arduous task of settling the fate of a nation of a 

 hundred millions. Lastly, the impression of disgust is pro- 

 duced by the coarseness, by the unveracity of the alleged 

 motives, by the horrible self-confidence, and above all 

 things else the bitterness." 



WHY IT MUST BE DISSOLVED. 



Dr. Dillon points out that it was as impossible 

 for the Tsar and the Duma to work together as for 

 fire and water to mix. By the Constitution the 

 Duma had put itself in the wrong: — 



The Parliamentary majority has. rightly or wrongly. 

 identified itself with a certain political programme which 

 runs directly counter to the fundamental laws. With the 

 observance of these laws the Crown has, wisely or un- 

 unwisely, bound up the liberties granted by the Manifesto 

 of October and all the modifications introduced into the 

 ancient regime. Therefore the cause of the Crown is as- 

 eociated with, if not dependent upon, the maintenance of 

 these fundamental laws. Is there any way out of the 

 seemingly inextricable jungle of difficulties for the 

 monarch? Perhaps there is none. Bat if there be any it 

 surely lies in dissolving the Duma, ordering new elections. 

 and bringing powerful but open influence to bear upon the 

 voters. 



A monarch who had the weal of his country at heart as 

 Nicholas II. undoubtedly has, and who could also discern 

 the consequences of {lolitical meo.sure3 before they are ac- 

 complished facts, would, I often think, be willing to run 

 some risks in order to rescue his people and his dynasty. 

 Thus he miglit dissolve a parliament which, however well- 

 intentioned, could not work together with his Ministers; 

 he might summon the peasant elders from all parts of the 

 empire and iilace tlie matter in their hands. 



THE ATTITUDE OF THE ARMY. 



Dr. Dillon says : — 



The troops are not yet disaffected as a whole. The great 

 majority of tlie soldiers are still devoted to the Tsar and 

 obedient to his officers. But the work of disintegration 

 13 going on rapidly, and may, nay must, in the end prove 

 thorough. In the end. But some unforseen event may take 

 place at any moment which may hasten the process. The 

 army is under a cloud. Nobod.v seems to care for its pres- 

 tige, nohod.v wa.^ ready to vindicate his honour. To revolu- 

 tionise the army is not merely to put a spoke in the 

 wheel of the monarchy, it is to ruin the whole nation. 

 For anarchists this policy is conceivable, but not for any 

 political party, however eager to pull down the prevailing 

 political system. 



He compares the conflict between the Tsar and 

 the Duma to a " duel being fought between a man 

 struck with the palsy and an individual subject to 

 epilepsv. so that its course cannot possibly be 

 normal." 



how the DUMA WAS CONSTITUTED. 



From an analysis of 448 deputies present on June 

 14th, the following interesting particulars are given 

 b\ Deputy Borodin : — OnJy 66 members are over 

 fifty years, and 34 are under thirty. The average 

 age of the Constitutional Democrats is forty-one, of 

 the Labour Party thirty-five. Two deputies are 

 illiterate, 84 are self-taught, and 11 r have only had 

 primary instruction. Three hundred and thirty-nine 

 are Greek Orthodox, 4 Old Believers, 63 Catholics, 

 T4 each Lutherans and Mohammedans, and 11 Jews, 

 There are 13 Jews by race, two being Christians. 

 The majority are Russians — 263 Great, 62 Little, 

 and 12 White Russians. There are i;i Poles, 6 Li- 

 thuanians, and only 4 Germans, Nearly one-half 

 the 448 — or 204 — are peasants, 164 members of 

 the nobility, 14 priests, and 11 merchants; 162 are 

 peasant proprietors, IT4 landowners, 38 lawyers, 23 

 schoolmasters, 19 doctors, r4 professors, 5 engineers, 

 and 5 editors. There are 25 working men. 



WHAT WILL GERMANY D0.» 



Dr. Dillon gives the following account of the 

 Austro-German agreement in case of eventuali- 

 ties : — 



It is understood that Austro-Hungary and Germany, 

 alarmed lest owing to the inaction of the Russian Govern- 

 ment the question of the autonomy of Poland should be- 

 come acute, and also foreseeing the possibility of a san- 

 guinary Jacquerie, the effects of which might perliaps be 

 widely and intensely felt on their sides of the Russian 

 frontiers, have agreed to make certain military prepara- 

 tions at present and to take certain definite steps later on, 

 wlienever either of the contingencies in question becomes 

 an accomplished fact. 



If th.e flames of insurrection should "break out in the 

 neighbourhood of German or Austrian territory, measures 

 will at once be adopted for which the preparations have 

 already been made to hinder " the unripe elements of 

 Austro-Hungary, Germany, Italy and Spain from taking 

 fire from the sparks." That is the real significance of the 

 agreement alleged to have been come to b.v the two 

 Governments, which have courteously communicated their 

 intentions to the Russian Foreign Office. 



Polar Expeditions the Best Naval {Training. 



To the Conihill Magazine for August Sir Cle- 

 ments Markham contributes an article on " Objects 

 of Polar Discovery." In it he recommends exp'.oring 

 expeditions as the best training for the Navv ; — ■ 



Years ago. Sherard Osborn had said amidst naval ap- 

 plause: ■ Do not make us pass our lives cleaning brass- 

 work and crossiner top-gallant yards. There is good navai 

 work to be done in time of peace." 



Alas! though men can still part brass rags, they can 

 no longer cross to])-gallant yards. The need for such ex- 

 ploring work as Sherard Osborn thought so desirable is 

 greater now. Yards and masts have disappeared. 



One of the most eloquent speeches ever made by a naval 

 officer was that in whicli Harry Kepiiel described reefing 

 topsails in a gale, and the qualifications for the man haul- 

 inir out the weather earring. 



Where are his successors now? Not learning to be sea- 

 men aloft, not acquiring experience and presence of minfl 

 in the abolished brigs or in icy seas; but probably learn- 

 ing gymnastics in a barrack-.vard. That will not make a 

 sailor, .\ntaretic expeditions will; ,and what is more, it ia 

 lil^ely tliat the l>est Antarctic sledge-tr:iveller will be the 

 l)cst marksman in a gun's crew, as has been proved before 

 now. 



Tliere is no better school for the Navy than exploring 

 exoeililions ; and a truly instructed and patriotic Ad- 

 miralt.v would always have at least two at work, jirimarily 

 for training officers and men. also for the promotion and 

 continuity of scientific research. We want the best men far 

 more than the best matirUl. 



