, but it is not so great
in practice as in theory. The Czar, though free theoretically to choose
his Ministers as he pleases, must choose such men as can obtain a
working majority in the Assembly; otherwise, the whole parliamentary
machinery comes to a standstill. Such a deadlock actually occurred in
the First Duma. Smarting under the humiliation of the Japanese war,
attributing the defeats to the incurable incapacity of the Supreme
Government, and believing that the old system had become too weak to
withstand a vigorous assault, the majority of the Deputies resolved to
abolish at once the autocratic power and replace it by ultra-democratic
institutions. They accordingly adopted, from the very first day of the
session, an attitude of irreconcilable hostility to the Cabinet, refused
to listen to Ministerial explanations, abstained from all useful
legislative work, and carried their strategy of obstruction so far that
the Government had to take refuge in a dissolution.

For this unfortunate result, which tended to retard the natural growth
of constitutional freedom in Russia, the Government was severely blamed
by many of its critics, but I venture to think that a large share of the
responsibility must be attributed to the unreasonable impatience of the
Deputies and their supporters. In defense of this opinion I might adduce
many strong arguments, but I confine myself to citing a significant
little incident from my personal experience. Happening to meet at dinner
one evening immediately after the dissolution an old friend who had
played a leading part in the policy of obstruction, I took the liberty
of remarking to him that he and his party appeared to me to have
committed a strategical mistake. If they had shown themselves ready to
co-operate with the Government in resisting the dangerous revolutionary
movement and favoring moderate reforms, they might have made for
themselves, in the course of nine or ten years, a very influential
position in the parliamentary system, and might have greatly advanced
the cause of democracy which they had at heart. Here my friend
interrupted me with the exclamation: "Nine or ten years? We can't wait
so long as that!"

The Second Duma was shipwrecked, like its predecessor, through youthful
impatience. Among the Deputies there was a small group of Social
Democrats who attempted to prepare a military insurrection, and when the
conspiracy was discovered there was great reason to fear that the