The new President of the Dnma, K. Guchkoff, delivered his
inaugural address yesterday week. After thanking the Duma for electing him, M. Guchkoff outlined a comprehensive scheme of legislation, including a new National Defence Bill, and Bills dealing with national education, reform of the local Courts, the inviolability of the person, peasant credit banks, workmen's insurance,. dec. He admitted that there were "extraneous obstacles" in the way of fruitful legislation, but by removing the obstacles within the Dams they could con- siderably weaken those outside. For himself, he reiterated his adherence to the system of Constitutional Monarchy, and declared that be could not anticipate a peaceful develop- ment of contemporary Russia except under such a regime, with a Dams, endowed with wide legislative powers, and with a strong Executive responsible only to the Monarch and not to the political parties. In other words, he made it clear that Constitutional Monarchy, as he interpreted it, could not imply Parliamentary government in the English sense in the Russia of to-day.
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