THE CZAR'S MANIFESTO.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 9001, 25 January 1906, Page 3

THE CZAR'S MANIFESTO.

A REACTIONARY VIEW,

.A very prominent member of the Reactionary party, with whom the Daily Telegraph's -comespondent had an interview, and' whose opinions aTe said to be authoritative and thoroughly representative of Reactionary sentiment, spoke aa follows regarding the Constitution promulgated by tiie Czai : —

"The manifesto," he said, "was a- grevions mistake. In oonceding it his Majestywas weH-antentionied, but ill-advised. The counsel tendered by the staunch supporters of the Autocracy was statesmanlike, but, unhappily, there was nobody among them resolute 'enough to <:arry out the ' policy recxwunendiod. We lacked men of action, and were forced to adopt thie ' feeble expedient of foLsting our programme | upon Count Wifcte, who refused point i blank to lexecute it, even though, supported j and exhorted by the highest authority. ; Ultimately h© had his own, way. He wrested a Constitution from the Crown by dint of most ©olemn. assurances that the.countTy would accept the new regime with joy, and the nation, rally round the throne. These, assurances ha-ve turned out a broken Teed, and now we have no strong ruler, two Governnnentej one composed of Count Witte's Cabinet, the other of workmen, but no order, sno peace, and many tokens of civil war. For all the sufferings -undergone by Eussia during these days of tewior, Count Witte- is to blame. He, and -he alone, wrung from the- Crown untimely concessions, which neither cJamor, ..nor petitions, nor strikes would have drawn. He, therefore, is acriminal deserving condign punislunent. But already his judgment day is drawing nigh. At present the eyes of the entire Conservative parly are opened, and if now a question oi a Constitution arose, it would be settled swiftly, resolutely, and very differently."

"It may, however, crop up yet, for the mass of th© Russian people will not endure the new order of things wJxich Has degenerated Sato wild confusion, and leads to titter ruiii. It is the patriotic duty of Russians gifted with foresight enough to discern whither the nation ia drifting to Tescue the people at all hazards. We are averse, to civil war and everything calculated to provoke it, but perseverance in tlie .pursuit of the policy inaugurated by Count Witt© is certain- to bring about internal strife, and complete disorganisation. And now he is about to advanoe a step further in the direction of democracy, and caoise a peraiicious ferment in every part of the Empire. He is elaborating a -crude scheme for an extension of the suffrage, which if it received the Imperial sanction would swiftly land us in anarchy. No country in tHe world could stand such sudden and radical changes, and ours less than most. No other nation would allow a disguised Revolutionist like Count Witfce to shape the destinies of a- hundred and forty millions, who still need instruction and education, and the grafting of political sense. But there is a limit to all things, and it is to be hoped that the Grown will resolutely draw the line at further changes in the suffrage law. Count Witte is, of course, careful -to affirm that he is but evolving the practical consequences from the Imperial manifesto; but we can see, without, his asserting it, that he is thro-Wing dus£ in the eyes of the Russian people."

To my question as to details (writes the correspondent above referred to), my informant replied that at present only principle was in question, but that trusty advisers of the Crow«, whose rejected advice is now seen to have been correct and statesmanlike, are resolvedi to leave nothing undone to defeat the Prime Minister's endeavoTß to- ckange a Constitutional Monarchy into a 'Democracy, which would differ from a Republic only in. name."

If this expose - means anything more than an expsessLotQi- of - the sincere political conviction-^ By an approved loyalist, it can only point to preparations on that side to deliver decisive battle against the Cabinet on the question, of an extension of the suffrage. ft. is no secret that the Minister-President >has drawn up an Electoral scheme, the details of whicfc are still unknown to the publk, outfit has hitherto been tmiversally assumed *hai it would be ratified by the Crown without hesitation or delay. If, however, the statements are correct which have been made to-day by my Conservative friend, whose Honesty, loyalty, and veracity are beyond donßt, the Liberal Cabinet must be prepajied to defend a scheme 'which public opinion oi almost all shades is certain to regard as necessary, and may even criticise as inadequate. If on this cardinal question the first Ministerial Cabinet were to betray weakness or hesitation, It would jeopardise not merely the electoral project, But possibly all the other newlygranted Liberal institutions over and above.