THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1910. RUSSIAN TYRANNY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10035, 8 July 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1910. RUSSIAN TYRANNY.

'1 ha recent memorial from a section of ihe British House of Commons on the Finnish situation met with scant ' courtesy at the hands of the Russian Duma, It was looked upon as an interference with the domestic affairs of Russia and resented afl such, in the same way that.any outside inter-' fewnce retpecting Ireland or; India would be treated by the British. The Bill that was before the' Durrin for the government of Fimland has been mated through with, scarcely ary'

modification of iW Original propos-

als. It will practically take all power from the Finnish Diet, and their country will be completely swallowed up by Russia. The cable has just announced that the Czar has affixed his signature to the objectionable measure. How very farreaching such drastic legislation is likely to be is indicated by the list of subjects enumerated in the Bill as being under the jurisdiction of the Russian Parliament. The latter will he authorised to fix the participation of Finland in the expenditure ot the Empire and to impose taxes for this purpose, thus depriving the Finnish people of one of the primary rights o" a constitutionally governed country, the to tax itself. It will be empowered to determine the rights of Kussian'subjects in Finland, a provision clearly aiming at the introduction of Russian officialdom in conflict with one of the fundamental princip?es ot the Finnish Constitution, that the country shall be governed with the assistance of native only. It will be able to ["constitute, in the interests of the [Empire, exceptions to the Finnish criminal law mid law of procedure'' —and thus to interfere with the administration of justice. It will be entitled to legislate on popular education, on the right of holding public meetings and of forming associations (a right expressly guaranteed by a fundamental law of so late a date as 1906), on the Press (freedom of the Press was also guaranteed in 1906), oh the importation of foreign literature, on the Customs relations between the two countries, on trade marks and copyrights, on the iimbnetary system, on means of communication/ on navigation, and on? the rights of aliens in Finland. It is difficult to understand what questions will be left for the Finnish Diet to deal with. Moreover, the Bill contains a saving clause to the effect that amendments to the Bill shall be made by the Russian Legislature alone. The Finnish Diet; has unanimously declared that the provisions of the Billcannot be re-' I garded as valid in Finland. Consequently, ;wfieuever ■> an ;. ",is" made to execute a law enacted under the procedure outlined in the Bill there will be resistance. Finnish Judges, administrative officials, and. individuals who may- be affected by such a law will declare that they cannot comply with it, since it has been illegally enacted and is in conflict with the Constitution which they have sworn to uphold. And then the history of the Bobrikoff era will repeat itself. Judges and officials will be summarily deposed, private persons imprisoned, exiled, or deported to remote parts of Russia. There are other consequences of the measure which will seriously affect foreign countries, such as Customs and navigation. The present Act paves the way for the extension to Finland of the prohibitive Russian tariffs, so unsuited to' the economic conditions of the Grand Duchy, where many industries depend on foreign imports. With regard to navigation, the pilot and lighthouse service, the fixing of harbour dues, and so on vy ill be made dependent on Russian legislation. An Imperial commission is now sitting to report on this measure, and it has been suggested that the Finnish pilot service should be transmuted into a Russian department. The Finnish pilots have been greatly alarmed by this prospect, and they have already declared that they will resign. And substitutes will not easily be found. If the pilot service is to be Russianised the risks attending navigation will be so great as to make any underwriter hesitate to cover them.