Last Saturday an Imperial Ukase fixed February 19th as the
day for the elections to the Duma. M. Stolypin goes on his path of gradual and Constitutional reform undeterred either by the screams of the reactionaries or the threats of the terrorists. These latter have not been idle, and on the day of the Duma Ukase Count Ignatieff, one of the chief Conservative leaders, was assassinated while he was attending the local Zemstvo at Tver by a young peasant, who afterwards attempted suicide. The assassin admitted that be was acting under the orders of the Social Revolutionary Committee. Count Ignatieff, who was the brother of the famous diplomatist, and had been Military Governor of Kieff, was in no way connected with the present Government, so the present outrage is not a demon- stration against M. Stolypin's Ministry, but rather, as in the case of the attack on Admiral Dubasoff, an act of revenge for past cruelties. The Russian Press in general takes little notice of the affair beyond remarking that since no scheme of repression will put an end to outrages, it may be as well to try milder methods. No power will ever coerce a man into refraining from sacrificing his life for a cause in which he believes ; the only plan is to remove the inducement.
