THE THIRD DUMA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 09, 11 January 1908, Page 13

THE THIRD DUMA.

The new Duma met in St. Petersburg on Thursday amid f,ho general unconcern of the nation. The new and more narrow electoral law has undoubtedly done what the Tsar and Lii. Government wanted ; The Times correspondent says that for the first time the seats of the Left were nearly empty \ and those of the Right were full. The majority called for the National Anthem, which was sung four times, with intervals of wild cheering — so that at least there was enthusiasm somewhere. The Deputies, we are told, were better dres6ed, and seemed more cultured than those in the two pre-, vious Dumas. Peasants were noticeably ! absent, but there , were many priests. , Roughly speaking, the Duma is composed oi sixty Constitutional Democrats, a hundred Octobrists, a hundred and twenty, members of the so-called Right, and seventy Monarchists. The only hope now is that if a party of reform arises in the Duma it will be moro potent than its predecessors, because it will presumably be less mistrusted. FRANCE AND MOROCCO. In the French Chamber of Deputies a debate on tho Yellow-book on Morocco i was begun on Tuesday, and was contin- ! ued on Wednesday. It is clear that the Government have the > confidence of a large enough part of the country to enable them to continue their present policy. The speeches against the Government were noticeably lacking in fire and conviction. M. Pichon, the Foreign Minister, insisted that tho Government wished to avoid rash 'adventure", and had withstood all , temptations to be drawn intp the interior of Morocco, Their one : object, .was. to restore order and defend French territory. A particular difficulty had arisen when Mulai Hand declared himself Sultan, but France had remained on the side of Abdul-Aziz, and it was with French help that bo had made his journey to Rabat. The French Govern- j ment had organised , at. Tangier q, municipal police force, , which had made it unnecessary for troops to be landed. A police fi.rce was also ' being , formed on the Algerian ftpntier. In 19,06 French { imports in Morocco were fifty per cent, of the whole, and those o! Germany only eight per cent. , The French Government had no immediate solution of | tho difficulties to offer; but their policy would bo directed by a consideration of the obviously predominant interest of France in the country, and by a prudent determination to avoid all conquest. A vote of confidence in the Government was carried by 464 votes to 54.