"Take the Polish question, their fate is tragical. I hated them. But the war in one year has made me their greatest friend, because they have shown themselves brave. Do not they deserve the rights that they should justly receive? (prolonged applause). Further, will not the thoughtful Russian understand, who is guilty, that our incomparable army, of whom greater bravery, tenacity and energy is dificult to imagine, will not that thoughtful Person say, who is to be punished, that these "eagles" wi their splendid officers and generals are not passing with the beating of drums and unfurled standards on a victorious march under the gates of Brandenburg but are standing instead at Dvinsk, Riga and Vilna Who is guilty t It is said—the Jews. I hate the Jews and my views on the Jewish question have not changed, but it doesn't follow that I should declare that all the Jews are No, gentlemen the chief evil is the inadaptability and unprepareelness of our railways. He who has created during former years the Budget, upon the drunkenness of the the people, he is the chief culprit that we have not already crossed the borders of Germany. I do not name him, you know him well yourselves (this alludes to Mr. Kokoftsoft, former Minister of Finance, and at present member of the Council of Empire who was also present in the Duma). So it is, regrettably so, the friction between parties is too deep.
The Army and the Duma, "No doubt after the war we will go by different paths. But you do not know with what palpitating expectancy our armies at the fronts are looking and watching the present Duma meetings, how they want to see all the corruptions and disorders which prevent. our army from advancing removed. It is difficult to imagine the hopes that are placed in the Duma. Towards her (the Duma) are looks for fortitude, and such fortitude must come from our tribunes. And then, when the resonant proclamations of victory are sounded, when for this the church-bells of Ivan the Great peal forth, when the elections for the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Duma take place, I will' tell you—from a point administrative pressure on the electors, the choice will be made, such as is desired by the people. We shall be left with a gigantic minority, thanks to the people's fanciful representation of the course we pursue, thanks to the brand which is placed on us from here (the speaker indicates the benches on the Left). You have always stood in the eyes of the people—rightly or unrightly—with the halo of liberalism, renovation and the extermination of all evils, you have always endeavoured to prove we walk in the dark. Thanks to an untrue notion of the problems and ideals of the Right party the Duma will assume a character of extreme
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.