DUMA IN AN UPROAR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8216, 21 August 1906, Page 3

DUMA IN AN UPROAR.

ST. PETERSBURG, July 2, The sitting of the Duma to-day was one of the stormiest on record. When : Professor Kovamine Karavaeff urged the assembly to abolish the aeath penalty in order that murder might not be made legal, he was greeted with wild cheers. Ihe Minister of Justice, who opposed the proposal on the ground that the spread of ' sedition made capital punishment necessary, waa bowled, down. The Chief Procurator of the Navy, ■who declared that the views of the Duma on capital punishment could uot be auceptea by the Marine Department, was Rreeted with shouts •of 'Murderer!' and 'Executioner!' General Pavloff, the Chief Frocur- . ator of the Army, who attempted to Speak in a similar strain, was . also howled down, and insulting epithets were shouted at him. After repeated attempts to main- • tain order, {the President loft the J assembly to its own devices. The members thereupon began to howl fur the resignation of the Govern ment. 'We will not listen to brig- • ands and assassins,' they shouted.Several deputies rushed to the tribute waving their arms and brandishing such books and weapons as they could seize. General Pavloff was obliged to fly " frorr the building, and the sitting had to be adjourned. A large crowd waited for him outside and howled execrations at him as he left. When the assembly met again an boor later, the excitement had ' cooled down. Several members declared that the scenes that bad occurred were caused by the wide- ; spread anger against General PavlofE, who had been responsible for large numbers of executions, they sairt. Many members o» . the Constitutional Democratic party pointed out that blood wonid flow in Russia if the Duma maintained its present attitude. The complete failure of the crops in a large number of districts has received official recognition, and immediate relief measures are to be taken. in the Duma to-day the Minister of the Interior applied for a grant for his department of not less than £10,000,000, would be deployed for the purposes of relief in 127 districts where there has been complete failure of the tirops, and where destitution awaits tho peasantry. Finally the Duma adopted a motion in favour of the abrogation of the death penalty.—London Express.