Office of the Historian

File No. 79/134–135.

Ambassador Riddle to the Secretary of State.

American Embassy,
St. Petersburg, August 9, 1907.
No. 78.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a translation of a supplement to the election law which was forwarded in my dispatch No. 71 of July 27.

This supplementary law shows the apportionment of the deputies to the Douma among the electoral districts and cities of the Empire.

I have, etc.,

J. W. Riddle.
[Inclosure.—Translation.]

Supplements to the Regulations Governing the Elections of Representatives to the Imperial Douma.

supplement to article 4.

Marnier of election of members to the Imperial Douma from the Russian population in the provinces of Vilna and Kovno.

  • Article 1. The Russian population in the provinces of Vilna and Kovno, separately from the rest of the population, elect from among the total number of members of the imperial Douma from the provinces, to members to represent the province of Vilna and one for Kovno, in the following manner:
  • Art. 2. For the elections for the imperial Douma by the Russian population in the provinces of Vilna and Kovno are included persons of Russian origin, of the Greek Orthodox religion or Old Believers (sectarians), and Lutherans.
  • The nearest way of defining, in individual cases, who may be considered as being of Russian origin is left to the governors-general of the provinces of Vilna, Kovno, and Grodno. Their decision in this respect must be considered as definite and final.
  • Art. 3. The elections of the Russian population for members of the imperial Douma take place at voting assemblies—in the towns of Vilna and Kovno—having 40 voters each, under the presidency of a person appointed by imperial authority.
  • Art. 4. In order to elect the said voters (art. 3) in each district there is convoked an assembly of representatives of the Russian population and a meeting of the town voters of Russian origin.
  • Art. 5. The governors-general of the provinces of Vilna, Kovno, and Grodno, unite for the elections in districts where the population of Russian origin is small, and organize for them a joint electoral assembly. In this event the governors-general determine to what district electoral committee complaints as to irregularities in the elections must be presented.
  • Art. 6. The total number of voters provided for in article 3 is determined by the governors-general of Vilna, Kovno, and Grodno, by districts, which have a corresponding Russian population, and by assemblies in the districts where the corresponding population will be composed of peasants and city voters.
  • Art. 7. The representatives of the Russian population of farmers are chosen at special volost meetings, which take place under the presidency of a person appointed by the chief of the zemstvo from among those present at the meetings. At these meetings may participate all householders or landowners of that volost who are of Russian origin, who have reached the age of 25 years, and who own land or property inherited or purchased by them, as well as members of the clergy and persons serving in the churches of the Greek Orthodox religion and the seniors of the prayer-houses of the “old believers” in the volost, although they may not have otherwise the right to vote. The votes, at the volost meetings, for representatives are cast by those who have a right to vote at these meetings, in accordance with the regulations provided for the election of representatives.
  • Art. 8. Volosts with a Russian population of 500 to 2,000 souls of both sexes elect one representative; those with a population of from 2,000 to 5,000 inhabitants elect two representatives; and those with a population of over 5,000 souls elect three representatives.
  • Art 9. Volosts where the Russian population is less than 500 are, by order of the governor, included with some neighboring volosts so that they may participate in the election of a representative. Meetings which take place with several volosts united elect the number of representatives indicated in article 8, according to the number of the Russian population in the volosts.
  • Art. 10. The electors of the Russian city population are elected at city meetings in which participate persons of Russian origin who have the right to participate at the meetings of city elections, as well as members of the clergy and officials of the Greek Orthodox churches and seniors of the houses of prayer of the “old believers,” even though the latter should not otherwise have the right to participate at the meetings of the city elections.
  • Art. 11. Persons of Russian origin who own real estate which gives them the right to participate directly at the meetings of landowners take part in the selection of electors at the meetings of representatives from the peasant population (art. 4) on the same footing as the peasant representatives.
  • Persons of Russian origin who own real property which gives them the right to participate at the preliminary meetings organize special preliminary meetings under the presidency of a person appointed by the governor. Representatives elected at these meetings, in conformity with the regulations for preliminary meetings, participate in the meetings of representatives from the peasant population (art. 4) on the same footing as the said representatives.
  • Art 12. The lists of persons of Russian origin who have the right to take part in the meetings of landowners are made up at the district police administrations, and those of persons who have the right to vote at the city elections at the townhalls or institutions which replace them. As regards the order to be observed in the publication of the lists and the dates when complaints must be presented, the regulations in force must be followed.
  • Art. 13. Lists of householders of Russian origin who have the right to vote at the volost meetings (art. 7) are made up by the volost administrations and are examined by the local church authorities. These lists are posted up at the offices of the volosts and at any time within a week from the day these lists are posted up the parties interested may file complaints with the respective district electoral committees.
  • Art. 14. The assemblies of representatives from the Russian agricultural population and of town electors of Russian origin are convoked in the district town under the presidency of persons appointed by the governors-general of Vilna, Kovno, and Grodno.
  • Art. 15. At the elections for representatives, as well as at town elections and at the elections of members of the Imperial Douma, the general rules relating to such assemblies in the present instructions must be followed.
Stolypin,
President of the Council of Ministers.

supplement iv to art. 4.

Rules and manner of election of members to the Imperial Douma by the Russian population of the city of Warsaw.

  • Art. 1. In order that the Russian population of the city of Warsaw should elect members to the Imperial Douma, there is convoked an assembly under the presidency of the president of the city, consisting of 25 electors chosen by the inhabitants of Warsaw of Russian origin who have a right to participate in the elections to the Imperial Douma.
  • Remark.—The nearest definition as to who may be considered a person of Russian origin is determined by the governor-general of Warsaw. His decision is final, and complaint may not be filed.
  • Art. 2. The list of persons of Russian origin who have the right to take part in the election of members of the Imperial Douma for the city of Warsaw is made up and kept in order by the local city magistrate. Persons who are included in this list do not participate in the general elections of the city of Warsaw,
  • Art. 3. With regard to the publication of the lists and filing of complaints mentioned in article 2, the regulations provided in these respects must be observed.
  • Art. 4. In order to choose electors of Russian origin, the town is divided, with the sanction of the governor-general, into special electoral divisions, the number of voters being divided evenly among the various electoral divisions and placed on separate lists for each division.
  • Art. 5. The voting for electors takes place in the order defined in article 102 of the electoral laws of the Imperial Douma, edition of 1906.
  • Art. 6. The election of members of the Imperial Douma at the assemblies of electors from the Russian population of the city of Warsaw takes place according to the general rules set forth for city elections in the governments of the kingdom of Poland.
Stolypin,
President of the Council of Ministers.

Numerical presentation of provinces, etc., in the Imperial Douma.

[Page 1002]
Provinces, districts, and cities. Number of members. Provinces, districts, and cities. Number of members.
I. Russia in Europe. I. Russia in Europe.
1. Arkhangel 2 35. Riazan 8
2. Astrakhan 4 36. Samara 13
3. Bessarabia 9 37. St. Petersburg:
4. Vilna: Three for each electoral division of the city 6
From the Russian population. 2 From the other towns and districts 4
From the remaining population 5 38. Saratov 11
5. Vitebsk 6 39. Simbissk 6
6. Vladimir 6 40. Smolensk 6
7. Vologda 5 41. Stavropol 3
8. Volhynia 13 42. Tauride 6
9. Voroneje 12 43. Tambov 12
10. Viatka 8 44. Tver 8
11. Grodno 7 45. Tula 6
12. Military District of the Don (Cossack) 12 46. Ufa 8
13. Ekaterinoslav 10 47. Kharkov 11
14. Kazan 10 48. Kherson:
15. Kalouga 5 From Odessa, including one from the Russian population. 2
16. Kiev: From the other towns and districts 10
From the city of Kiev (one from each electoral division) 2 49. Tchernigov 10
From the other towns and districts 13 50. Esthonia 3
17. Kovno: 51. Yaroslav 5
From the Russian population 1 Total for Russia in Europe 403
From the remaining population 5 II. Kingdom of Poland.
18. Kostroma 6 52. Warsaw:
19. Courland 3 One for each electoral division of the city of Warsaw 2
20. Koursk 11 From the other towns and districts 1
21. Livonia: 53. Kalish 1
One for each electoral division of the city of Riga 2 54. Lomja 1
From the remaining towns and districts 4 55. Lublin 1
22. Minsk 9 56. Lublin 1
23. Mohilev 7 57. Petrokov:
24. Moscow: From the city of Lodz 1
Two for each electoral division of the city of Moscow. 4 From the other towns and districts 1
From the remaining cities and districts 6 58. Polotsk 1
25. Nijni-Novgorod 7 59. Radom 1
26. Novgorod 6 60. Suvalk 1
27. Olonetz 3 61. Siedletz 1
28. Orenburg 6 62. From the Russian Greek Orthodox population of Lublin and Siedletz 1
29. Orloff 9 Total for the kingdom of Poland 14
30. Penza 6 IV. Asiatic Russia.
31. Perm 9 74. Province of the Irkutsk 1
32. Podolsk 13 75. Province of the Yenissei 1
33. Poltava 12 76. From the Trans-Baikal region:
34. Pskov 5 From the military population of the Trans-Baikal Military 1
III. The Caucasus Region. From the remaining population 1
63. From the military population of the Kuban Military Cossacks 1 77. From the province of the Amoor:
64. From the military population of the Terr Military Cossacks 1 From the town and country population, not natives and Cossacks 1
65. From the population of the Kuban and Terr regions, not belonging to the Cossacks, and from the population of the Black Sea Province 1 78. From the Coast Provinces of Siberia:
66. From the province of Tiflis 1 From the town and country population, not natives and Cossacks 1
67. From the province of Kutais 1 79. From the Military Cossacks of the Urals 1
68. From the province of the Baku, Elisavetpol, and Erivan 2 80. From the military population of the Amoor and Cossacks of the Oussourisk 1
69. From the regions of Kars and Batoum and the District of Sukhum 1 Total for Asiatic Russia 15
70. From the Daghestan region and the District of Zakatal 1 Total for the Russian Empire 442
71. From the Russian population of the Trans-Caucasus 1
Total for the Caucasus region 10
72. Province of Tobolsk 3
73. Province of Tamsk 4