It is, doubtless, impossible to look upon that state of things with approval.  It is highly desirable that a closer union should take place between the interests, cultural and political, of the principality and those of the empire:  that is postulated by the mutual advantages of both countries.  As I have already remarked, Russians could not contemplate otherwise than with pleasure the possible union and assimilation—­in principle—­of the borderland with the other parts of our vast fatherland:  they will also be unanimous in wishing this task as successful an issue as is possible.....

But what is not feasible is to demolish at one swoop everything that has been created and preserved in the course of a whole century.  A change of policy, if it is not to provoke tumults and disorganization, must be carried out gradually and with extreme circumspection.  The assimilation of Finland can never be efficacious if achieved by violence and constraint instead of by pacific means.  The Finnish people should be left to appreciate the benefits which would accrue to them from union with a powerful empire:  for an adequate understanding of their own interests will, in the words of the Imperial rescript of February 28, 1891, “inspire them with a desire to draw more closely the bonds that link Finland with Russia.”  There is no doubt that even at present a certain tendency is noticeable among the Finns in favor of closer relations with Russia:  the knowledge of the Russian tongue is spreading more and more widely among them, and business relations between them and us are growing brisker from year to year.  The desirable abolition of the customs cordon between the two countries is bound to give a powerful fillip to the growth of commerce, which is the most trustworthy and most pacific means of bringing about a better understanding and strengthening the ties that bind Finland to Russia.

Harsh, drastic expedients may easily loosen the threads that have begun to get tied, foster national hate, arouse mutual distrust and suspicion, and lead to results the reverse of those aimed at.  Assimilative measures adopted by the Government, therefore, should be thought out carefully and applied gradually.

J.N.  REUTER

“Might can not dominate right in Russia,” said M. Stolypin, Russian Minister of the Interior and President of the Council of Ministers, in the speech which he delivered in the Duma on May 18, 1908, when pressed by the various parties to declare his policy with regard to Finland.  This noble sentiment has the familiar ring of Russian officialdom.  It may, perhaps, be worth while to consider it in the light of recent history and present-day issues.