The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1912. FINLAND’S FUTURE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 30, 18 January 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1912. FINLAND’S FUTURE.

Writing in December last a correspondent at Helsingfors states that, encouraged by the surrender to the Nationalists, the promoters of the R-ussianisation of Finland were, at that time, putting fresh energy into their campaign, and were probably “hailing in imagination the day when the Finnish schoolboy will thank God for being a happy Russian child.” It was also stated that the Governor-’ 'GYnlcfal’s office was preparing a legislative proposal by which Russian ir. to become the official language of Finland. According to the draft of the scheme only a few o: the lower Finnish officials will be allowed to use the languages of theii country. In the Senate Russian i: to be usod exclusively from 1915, and officials throughout the country will bt required to adopt Russian and abandon Finnish and Swedish from (apparently) 1918. In the province ol Viborg, however, which has recent!;, been threatened with absorption In Russia, all officials, both higher and lower, have to adopt Russian by 1915 Further, wherever Russian troops arc quartered in Finland even the lowest officials are to lie compelled to use Russian as their official language Bobrikotf worked vigrously with ; similar aim, but when Finland was subsequently governed for a brief period on constitutional lines his pla-r .vas dropped. In May, 1906, a lav specified those cases in which Russian should be employed in the administrator! of Finland, 0.g., in communications with the Grand Duke and analo gous cases. • All impartial judges both Russian and Finnish, admit that this law guaranteed the use of Russian wherever it could be reasonably do nanded. Among the objects of tire now legislative proposal two are con spicuousi The first is to compel the Finns to speak Russian and so tr pave the way for tire complete Russification of the country. The second is to find an excuse for replacing Finnish by Russian officials. Thu is of advantage to the Finnophobes i>. two ways; it is a stop in Russification, ind it provides posts for the placemen ox the present regime. It will doubtless, the correspondent says, he accompanied by a rise in the salaries'o! many of these placemen, which will involve a further raid on Finnish resources. It is hardly necessary to emphasise the absurdity of governing Finland by a sot of officials who, if the scheme is successfully carried through, will consist mainly of Russians entirely ignorant of Finnish life, culture, and conditions. Finland is already tasting that absurdity on a small scale thanks to the constitution of the present Senate, which, dominated as it is by men of the reactionary regime in Russia, has already .succeeded in setting the administration of Finland at sixes and sevens.