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Show H THE LATEST BLUNDER OF NICHOLAS II. H "It is worso than a crime It Is a H blunder," was the Baying of the wlttl- M est and tho most subtle o( French M statesmen. Tho dissolution of tho Dou- M ma by ukase of tho Czar Is admitted by H all to havo been such a blunder. Tho H most thorough-faced Socialist writers, H and tho calmest and most scientific H historical and political specialists, ad- H mlt tho samo thing. Evon tho moder- B atcs of tho Douma as represented by M Heyden and Stakhovltch did not licsl- B tato to avow that Nicholas had acted ! quito within his constltuional rights in BJ dissolving a body whom ho charged BJ with "straying Into spheres beyond BJ their competence" and "making com- BJ monts" upon tho imperfections of tho M Fundamental Laws. Yet, as Mr. Paul Bl Loroy-Beaulleu says In tho Paris Eco- BJ nomisto Francais, "wo must not lay it BJ to his ch'argo as a crime." It was a Bj blunder because of Its futility, de- BJ clarcs tho Socialist Nouo Gosellschaft BJ (Berlin), and gives tho following rca- BJ sons: V "Tho ukaso of a weakling has wiped BJ out tho first parliament of Russia, but BJ that ukaso can not crush tho forces J which this parliament has called to BJ life. It can not wlpo out tho memor- BJ ics which survlvo tho last three years BS of Russian history. You may dissolve Bb a parliament, but not a revolution. BJ Tho deeds which havo distinguished n HJ revolution aro tho pormanent posses- BJ sions of a pcoplo. If tho Czar has do- Bl stroyed tho Douma, it is not improb- Bh nblo that ho has also destroyed the BJ monnrchy and tho Romanoff dynasty; BJ time will show. But ho has not set BJ tho Ruslsan constltulon Into porma- Bh nent abeyance. A state which has Bh once left tho path of absolutism can BJ never again return to it." BJ Mr. Leroy-Bcaullcu is a deep stu- BJ dent of misslnn affairs. In tho article BJ abovo quoted ho expresses his convlc- BJ tlon that "it certainly seemed to be a BJ simpler and cioverer courso for the BJ Czar to havo sot up a new primo mln- BJ Ister, and offered that post to Mr. Bfl Mouromtscff, tho president of the Bfl Oouma, of whom all parties thought BJ and spoko well, and to havo required BJ thnt statesman to formulate a detailed BJ program of his futuro policy. If the BH program ho gavo proved unacceptable BJ tho czar should havo suspended or pro- BJ rogucd tho Russian parliament, nover BJ havo dissolved It." BJ Tho appointment of Mouromtscff as BJ premier Is advocated also by tho Lon- Bb don Times, which thinks that tho czar BJ should havo had patlcnco with the BJ Douma until its members had realized Bb their plan of a constitutional assembly. BJ To quoto: BJ "It was their purpose prematurely BJ attempted, hut legitimate in concep- BJ tlon to establish popular government BJ under a limited monarchy on tho Eng- BJ llsh model. By every rule of patriotic BJ stntccraft and self-preservation, the BJ crown in Russia was bound to sco that BJ fair play should bo given to their or- BJ derly and pacific movement. Had the BH czar insisted on sending Mr. Gorcmy- BJ kin into tho rotlromcnt which he BJ craved, and replacing him with Mr. BJ Mouromtscff, or somo othor capable BJ representative of tho majority in the BJ Douma, ho could probably havo kept BJ tho revolutionaries In check without BJ resorting to tho military and tho scc- Bl ret police. If the worst had come to BJ tho worst, and ho had been compelled Bl . to employ force against civic violence BJ ho would havo nad behind him thr Bl moral and material support of all thr BJ moderate-minded men .n tho empire Bl( Tho best ho can now expect is that Bh tho reformers will stand asido while Bb tho strugglo between Authority and k tovolutlon is fought out to tho bit- P ter end." What tho fight "to tho bitter end" I precipitated by tho fatal ukaso of I Nicholas il. may turn out to bo is on- I arged upon in a communication to I ho above-quoted London dally by Mr. I MacKenzIo Waiiace, tho greatest llv- I ng European specialist on Russian I history and politics. After discussing I .ho mistakes mado on both sides, he I idvances tho following predictions: I "A tlmo of internal ferment, com- I pared with which all tho disorder, pillaging, pil-laging, and assassination of tho past months will havo tho appearance of public order, lies before this unhappy country. During that period tho liberal lib-eral sentiment of patriotic Russians will bo put to a still severer test. Yet they will unlto against tho wantonly destructive terrorism to which Russia Is meantime doomed, and, putting far tions, chlmorical schemes, and unnat-tlons, unnat-tlons, chimerical schemes, and nanat-ural nanat-ural alliances, will address themselves to tho solution of tho complex problem prob-lem which now confronts this state, namely, tho strugglo between democratic demo-cratic and, monarchlal ideas In government, gov-ernment, tho role of tho sovereign in parliamentary regima, and tho relation of ministerial responsibility to tho parliamentary par-liamentary system." Translations mado for Tho Literary Digest. |