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military penal code. Although the manifesto which
accompanies and serves as a kind of introduction to
the new law stipulates that “ for the time being,” i.e.
till 1903, when the new law will come into force, only
500 men shall be called out annually for service with
the colours (as against about 2000 under the existing
law), the new law leaves it entirely to the Russian
Minister of War to fix for the future the annual
contingent, subject only to the Emperor’s approval. The
Finnish Estates are thus entirely debarred from all
control over the contingent, a control so important for
the economical condition of the country. The manner
in which this new law has been enacted violates the
right of the Finnish people to legislate on military
questions, a right which was in the most emphatic
manner asserted by the Finnish Estates in 1899, and
fully recognised by the greatest European authorities,
including Professor Westlake in England.
Various of its provisions also entail serious alterations
in existing Finnish laws, such as the Penal Code,
the sphere of the Law Courts, the rights of the
Communes, &c., which cannot be legally altered except
with the consent of the Finnish Estates.
An especially insidious and dangerous attack on the
whole constitution, and even on the existence of the
Finnish nation, is that Russians will receive
commissions in “the regiments, the ranks of which will be
preferably filled up by natives of Finland,” and will
thereby acquire the rights of Finnish citizens. Until
now it has been one of the great guarantees for the
national existence of the Finnish people that,
according to the constitution, only Finlanders can be Finnish
officials. Now, by a stroke of the pen, and against all
law, a class of Russian military officers is created who,
by their service in Finland, obtain some knowledge of
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