FINLAND'S RIGHTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 856, 30 June 1910, Page 5

FINLAND'S RIGHTS.

REPRESSIVE BILL PASSES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. St, Petersburg, June 28. Tho Council of the Empire, the Russian Upper House, lias adopted tho Finland Bill, abolishing the local liberties of the Finns, including the control of education, freedom of the press, and right of public meeting. The Tsar has issued a rescript at Viborg, emphasising the fact that Finland's coming into the Empire's ownership at the beginning of last century had established a solid guarantee of the unity and indivisibility of the Russian State.

RUSSIANISING THE PROVINCES. While tho great majority of newspapers in Russia agree on tho necessity of Imperial legislation for Finland on strictly Imperial affairs, it is beyond the shadow of a doubt that an enormous preponderance of opinion in this country (wrote "The Times" correspondent on May IS) is at variance with the majority of tho Duma Committee, which seeks ruthlessly to destroy Finnish autonomy. Unhappily, the Octobrist leadors appear powerless to assuro the necessary safeguards. Tho Duma Committee to-day received a translation of tho Diet's reply, but there is no prospect whatever that it will reconsider its decisions. The Bill will probably come up for debate at the end of next week, after the Duma Iras disposed of the question of aemstvos for the South-Western Province*. In this latter question extreme Nationalist tendencies aa> likely to bo asserted against the Poles. Tho same spirit mompted the vote denying to 2O,(KI0.00O Nubian Mussulmans the right to open (heir shops for a few hours on Sundays and feast (lavs.