THE DICTATOR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10779, 30 May 1911, Page 6

THE DICTATOR.

THE MAN WHO RULES RUSSIA SINGLE-HANDED. A great and grim struggle is taking its course in Russia. It is the struggle of one strong man against countless adversaries. Piotr Arcadiovitch Stolypin, the Premier, is facing the united -hatiod of all parties, and facing it an iio spirit of patience or humility, but with the fierce strength of Ajax defying the lightning, and with a Promethean obduracy against all attacks, however near his heart the blows may fall. '

: .Kor five years M.' Stolypin has held his office. -When the ship of State was still shaken by the storms of war abroad and revolution at home, the then Governor of Saratoff took the helm. He jias had his periods of calm weather, lie lias encountered hurricanes, hohas shown himself a skilful pilot. Now is the time when, if he would retain his captaincy; all'his powers must be put " forth.'' even when the Terrorists' .bomb..wrecked-his villa was he so nepr disaster'as-in" these days. His firmest friends are alienated and his foes roused;to fur};.-; Can he prove afresh that he fs, as is his own belief, the indispensable .man in Russia? "L'etat, e'est moi'i ; -hasi been his roctto. For him to prove it. The struggle > began in the early days of March 1 :" Tho Premier brought jit upon, himself. He introduced into tho Duma : known'as'the Western Zemstov Bill, the effect .'of'which, in ■brief;- r .would -be-to confer a measure 6f 'self-government' upon eighteen million inhabitants of,the Western Provinces m 5 Russia;, i. Tile i Bill passed the Duma - The Premier saw breakers ahead in the. Upper House, the Council of the Empire,- .and jnade his plans accordingly. 'DeoutaliorisTr-it is questioned- whether : their'members were bena-fide travellers sought the Little to put the--BilLjniprf.orce. ;J .The wires were the "puppets moved", and on March 1-7 the r Premier went light-heartedly to the iC.'ciitti'eil jßliahlhe'p to "watch the passage -,f "the B.Oi. ■ ■ - Yvay recalled Ciesar s la'st'appearahce'in the Senate. / Tnr Premier made a" short incisive speech alld;.called upiinVthe the S-EjiL his cal- ! culation. Senators TrepoS and Duiv novo spoke .agaiiist.-.the.-Bill, l*- "'. a ? thrown' out'-lA<:twerity-f-oul-' votes; The very stronghold;of ..the?Government had •fallen.-' The Council, most faithful.and obe'dient- of sierjwiHi haOKtutfMKl - against "its master. 'M. Stolypin, pale with anger- tand-,dism'ayc-r-rose -and. left the House. resignea' the Premiership. A chorus of Jubilation arose ffdnt•Jiig.'en6mss.)/+'&_?!... J;:>--..' - 1 ' Thev "rejoiced too soon. The events cf the next few days could have hap^ but in Russia. There was a period of uncertainty. M. Kokovtseff, the Minister of Finance, was spoken of as the new Premier. Messaikestof cohgra'tujatipniifloqded m upon him.'is Buff M.' T S"6>lSP'in*w'aS summined bv-.tlie Gzar.H His" began to trenißJe'Vifi fear iMt<M iaight return. And fie did return,'not as Premier, but as Dictator. His was an utter triumph. ;• Every condition he laid down ■waii ,'instintly' granted-si Flattery w-is pduied \ip6i! him at fthe Courts of 'the Czar and the DbYvager-Empress alike. Nor did his demands err on the side of modesty.' His* personal enemies,. MM,- Trepoff aiid-" Dhrnovo, must be disgraced :io..d.o.him,;plea£Hre., ...A, hard fitrhter, lie shoYved himself merciless. At his bidding the Czar dismissed his loyal subjects and, supporters from the C6uncil"6f- the .'Empire. The -Premier 1 was given, a-f reel hand to govern as he Yvilled. His first, step, as Dictator let loose a pandemonium. He put into force, for the first.time since the first Duma.met, a; clause jof the Constitution, "'Article-S7i Yvhich provides that the Emperor may, in extraordinary circumstances, while the Duma is not sitting, make .ahyalaw that seems necessary, subject to its" heirig - presented to the D.uma*for ratification or rejection within' tYvo.,, months after the Parliament has resumed tjrts ; labors. With this stolen Jovian fliUndeTbolfr M. Stolypin set out to annihilate all opposition. He sent thcDuma and the Council of the Empire, ahout;their busi-. ness. He adjourned them by- impeTial; decree upon a Saturday, and upon following Monday he promulgated,-, again bv Imperial decree, the 'Western; Zemstvo Bill. The stroke was daring., reasonsV Yvas '-The, measure,';'-. he:-said,A"will not appear fiigh-hawded to the ConservatiY'cs of the Cbiiiicil' of the Empire, Yvho are accustomed to Yvelcome. extraParliamentary legislation as eYadence Monarchial regime, jior to {.hc J)umfi,i because .this expedient has bt?en'-'.^ad&pte'd" Jto " enforce ' the Duma s Hviir i agairist'-r€acti6h." ■"■ '• ' ; 5 Nothing could have been further.from the facts, as M. Stolypin Yvas soon to findiv: The, outraged pouncillo.rs, the defeifSers 1 ' of Crowhj -thup:' defeated •oy'.the :u'se ; 6*-the J prerogative, could not contain their fury. .'The Duma, openly flouted and sent packing by.-the mam .whom, .it, had ; .iSupported, was~ih ain"' upro&t.V ; The.: Monarchist Press violently assaulted the' Premier, for lowering the Czar's prestige} the-j Liberal, and >, Radical neYvspapers..con-| demned him roundly as a reactionary' and an autocrat, a Yvolf in sheep sj •clothiug who hacl at length cast laside: his disguise. Even M. Purishkevitch,: the most extreme member of the; Ex-, tremosfJiiEight. spoke against the;.Prc-j mier. M. Stol""in had not one solitary \ friend to stand beside him. An audi- \ eneo-.was granted to 'Senai>or- Treooff. 1 The Premier, alone and without a, single! ally, iaced the hurricane, and:.waited] for ifr to subside. ;-i M ,f•• * I : Waiting brought" Him littler profit. , The President of the Duma resigned) and M. Stolyoin's supporters in thej Lower- House were disorganised and' dismayed. The Council of the Empire, ] made of sterner stuff, resolved to bringi him to book.. The weathercock at: "ourt was veering round to their quarter. ■'! The Councillors gave notice of an interpellation requesting an explanation from the Premier of was Yvas styled his breach, of the fundamental laYvs of the Empire. The Premier Yvaited- yet a little, arid then, on Friday last, ac-j cepted the Council's challenge in a tone of high defiance. Rising in the Council Chamber, whose galleries were occupied by Grand. Dukes, Ambassadors, and the chief uoliticians of St. Petersburg, the Premier went straight to,,the;., point. Ifl the use of Article 87 were illegal hel personallv took- the responsibility fori it. The kernel of the matter, he said, ■ lav in this, that the Council held that] the "extraordinary circumstances j wliich alone justified the use of Articlei 87 could only arise w'hen Parliament! was ■.. not sitting; The Government | maintained that such circumstances j could arise and had arisen Yvhen Par-; liament was sitting. The decision as; to what Avere "extraordinary circum-l stances" was not a, matter either for; tho Council or the Duma, but for the; Government .-..neither Council,vnor Duma; had the rightito cjuestioll such decision. | His action •--though - exceptional,: was ; leal and iustifiable. The interpreta-, tion which the Council placed upon, Article--87"was neither correct- nor ac-. Cftistable, -■ And. with that blunt state-; ment the Premier resumed his seat. Tho Council, however, was not to be; hrow-beaten. .It decided by 99 Y'otes to; 53 that its demand for an explanation: was mot aflected by the Premier's do-, cla-ration.. And fresh troubles and many obstacles lie in the Premiers; path'. The Duma has to give its second ■decision on the Zemstvo Law Yvithin a. moiith. Who can say what attitude it, .will adopt, *>r.. whether hatred of the. 'dictatorship- may not triumph OY'er do-, the law? : ,The.struggle is. still in progress. It. grows near its climax. Whatever the upshot, none will deny a measure of:-: admiration to Piotr Stolypin, a man.-; fighting with his hack to the wall, a,; man who,'";li6weY'er misguided, is notlj afraid even in these days to proclaim; 1 and to uphold the doctrine, "L'etat,;| e'est moi." '[