RUSSIA-AND FINLAND

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 169, 10 April 1908, Page 7

RUSSIA-AND FINLAND

, DIET DISSOLVED. \ 'BEYOND GOVERNMENT CONTROL. , . - NEW ELECTIONS. ' 61 XELEGKAPn—WIES3 ASSOCIATION—COPmI^in. St. Petersburg, April 8. .'l'iio Finnish Diet was dissolved, as it lied •got beyond Government control; Fresh elections will bo held in July. \ A NEW GOVERNOR-GENERAL. . \ The Diet, or Lowcl- House, in the-'-Fiimisb Constituttoh' was an example to Uie 'ttouci, a it contained bventy-two women it was claimed to be the democratic Chamber in the world. It certainly was representative of all classes populntio , ns the following statistics will show. 5 Oi tiie 200 members, 40 are cultivators .of- the land, 32 workinen (of .these ,31 are Socialists), -9 teachers, 21. journalists (of theso li are. socialists), 15 small ~farmers, 1- jurists, eight pastors, seven- professors; seven Msinoss men,' six officials, three millers, threo foremen, two doctors; two railway employees, two waiters, one engineer, one party secretary, one precentor, and eight (most .or them women) without definite profession.'; • :• Under General Bobrikoft's administration Finland's constitutional and individual ,liberties wore trampled on.. Bobrikoff was assassinated. During the .last twelve months (which comprehends the election of the Diet, now dissolved) the Grand Duchy's liberties seem to have been respected. But in February, without making much, noise, the Russian Government. relieved tho Governor-General nf 1' inland, Mr; Gerhard, of his post, and appointed General Bekmann, commander, of .the 22nd ■Army Corps, as his successor.. General/ Bekmarih is said'to be, from, practice, well versed .in oppressive, measures, in revolutionary districts; and.is described as a representative,of the reactionaries. And. now the. Finnish Diet is dissolved.' Is'another Bobrikoff regime before Finland? 1 . . v.' Socialists'predominated in the Finnish Diet. A " Standard correspondent says that lie found some ;of his friends in, Helsingfors shaking their heads. "They would have had ,no -serious objection if the Socialists had been of an' English or oven of a .-German' type; but they say .that the Finnish Socialists are a very .uncertain • quantity, that they .include representatives •>of .Various tendencies, from heady, revolutionism, to radical trade unionism, but that, unfortunately, the' former tendency prevails!. They-distrust the tactics of! tho Socialists, . they declare that 'among tho newlyelccted deputies there are men suspected 'of having stolon dynamite for, revolutionary purposes, and that,' in its methods' of ■ agitation, tho party hais been utterly .unscrupulous. . The Socialists .naturally assert that such accusations are gross, calumnies,- and that it is the 'bourgeois' .who have lieen unscrupulous in their electioneering methods., But the main I. cause for my'friends' anxiety at present is that the'' Socialists 'in " their tactics mayexceed constitutional .limits, and thus en-, danger Finland's newly and .'hardly won .liberties." ... , r The . same 'correspondent- writes" The women deputies seem quite equal in average, capacity to the men. Most "of them are between -30 ,and 40 years of age, and, as was to -bo expected, nearly 'all have taken a pro-, minent part cither in the women's franchise, movement, or the Socialist movement. .They will remain, in' the. Diet, truo to 'their partyallegiance, and will take their share; in general .political. work, naturally emphasising,, however,'the feminine point of view;', and doing their utmost' to bring about reforms in matters more nearly affecting .', women. They will insist,' for instance, on the passing of laws providing for tho. protection of women workers and of - children/ and for civil marriage. It is remarkable, and. quite in harmony with tho experience of the' Australasian colonies,-that -most'/of tho' Finnish women deputies are, advocates of the. prohibition of the sale of alcoholic liquors. Aas .to t tieir -.personal, npoenrauce,'. there is- not .. one .that, could lie caned'' beautiful, but many.' of tliem have pleasant- faces;'and, on 'the' whole, they, look determined ,and' hardworking, -as members •' of: Parliairieht "should' : be/.' : - Miss Neoviris, of the Swedish'party,':has .a brother ' and Madamo Gebhard,-of ;t:he Old-Fonnoman. party, a husband among the deputies." '■