RUSSIAN COUP.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1126, 13 May 1911, Page 5

RUSSIAN COUP.

DUMA RESENTS PREMIER'S ACTION

HOSTILE VOTE CARRIED. By Telccraph-Press Association-Copyrisbt St. Potcrsburg, May 11. Tho Duma, by 202 votes to 82, passed j tho Octobrist resolution condemnins M. Stolypin's use of the Royal prerogative in adjourning the Duma for four days in ordor to carry the South Western Zemstvos Bill by a. Royal Ukase under tho emergency clause of the Constitution, j THE PREMIER'S COU? d ETAT. "TOO INCLINED TO ANARCHY." The political crisis in Russia (wrote the "Westminster Gazette" on -March _2<) is extraordinarily interesting. The crisis has come about in connection with the Western Zemstvo Bill. This measure passed the Duma by a small majority last year, and-has just been rejected by the Council of tho Empire. M. Stolypin's counterstroke to this rejection is twotolu: 1. M. Durnovo and, Senator Trepoff, who played a prominent part in getting the Council to reject the Bill, are "granted leave" until January 1, when new ap- I pointments will be uiado to the Council. 2. The Council and the Duma are both prorogued for three days in. ovdev to enable M. Stolypin to use Paragraph 87 ot the Fundamental Laws. This paragraph permits the Eiup-sror in extraordinary circumstances to promulgate provisional measures in the interval between two sessions of Parliament,, such measures becoming invalid if a corresponding Bill is not brought iuto the Duma two months after the opening of the following session. 11. Stolvpin is to use the interval thus created by himself in order to promulgate this Western Zemstvo Bill. At first sight it certainly seems very high-handed conduct on the part of M. Stolypin, but, continues our contemporary, w6 should be on our guard against coming to conclusions too rashly. "The Times" correspondent declares; for instance, that this Russian Minister is. becoming "the champion of popular liberties." He i≤ tired of having "the fundamental character of the great reforms voted by the Duma, like the law on religious tolerance, and inoro recently the Judicial Reform Law, consistently transformed by the Conservative element in the Upper House." M. Stolypin himself says:— "We Russians ore too inclined to Anarchy. Tho revolution below and the reaction above' are two forms of the same tendency. If the country is to be r»geuernted this tendency must bj- arrested, whatever may be the quarter in which it manifests itself." There may be an answer to this, but it is; at all events,' highly important tha: wo should !;now the lines on which M. Stolypin justifies his action! "M. Stolypin's coup d'etat," concludes the "Gazette." "certainly recalls • what happened in this country over Pnrchajo in the Army. Mr. Gladstone started out to ttot-rid of it by menus of an Act of Parliament: nossed in the ordinary way. but found himself Wockod by Iho'House, of Lords. He solved the difficulty by abolishing Purehn?i' in the , Army by Royal /Warrant. This led to a great commotion, but undoubtedly what was done was within the law, and the transaction stood, and was. in our oninioji. justifiable. We do not sav that M. Stolyuii- is oqnnllr to l>e justified, but the recollection of Mr. Gladstone's action in the. seventies should at any rate lead Liberals to suspend judgment on the prosent case."