Last Sunday the primary elections for the Duma began in
St. Petersburg, in weather of exceptional severity. Last year, it will be, remembered, almo4 the whole Labour Party boycotted the elections, and the Constitutional Democrats had matters their own way. This year, however, the working men have taken a different line, and scarcely any abstentions have been noted. The poll remains open for a week, and no fore- cast of the result is possible for some days ; but accord lug to .the returns to hand, the Socialist Revolutionaries have suffered a complete defeat, and the same thing has happened. to the various moderate parties, including the Cadets. The victorious party has been the Social Democrats, at least that wing of it which is called the " minority " (though in reality the majority), and which advocates political rather than violent methods as the best way to attain its ends. If this result is ratified by the final returns, it will be an interesting proof of what we suggested last week as likely to happen,—a general disposition among members of even an extreme party to have recourse to slower and surer methods of reform.
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