Page:Lars Henning Söderhjelm - The Red Insurrection in Finland in 1918 - tr. Annie Ingebord Fausbøll (1920).djvu/35

 Russia might have become fatal. A radical striving for independence would, however, have every condition for strengthening the power of the party. This calculation certainly proved right. In the course of the summer the Labour Party got help in the Chamber from a few bourgeoisie representatives when, on the strength of a resolution sanctioned by the Russian Working-men's and Soldiers' Congress, it wanted to push through Finland's independence in a hurry, together with a number of radical reforms coupled with it. This took place at a moment when it was believed that the downfall of the Russian Provisional Government was pending. But the Government survived the Bolshevik assault and dissolved the Lantdag. Writs were issued for new elections for the 1st October. After the dissolution came a series of parliamentary conflicts, which it would take too long to detail here. It need only be stated that the solution of the problem of Finland's independence as sanctioned by the Labour Party, presupposed a continued connection with Russia, whose Government alone had the right of deciding all external and military matters.

The strikes and disturbances continued throughout the summer, and as the butt of them were chosen by preference the representatives of the townships and the country communities. Of these latter was demanded a rise in salaries, or extra work, in order to mitigate distress, etc., and to carry through these claims, the premises where the representatives were assembled were besieged, and the representatives prevented from leaving them, until the claim was granted. At Åbo the representatives were beleaguered for a day and a half; in Helsingfors the whole affair lasted only a few hours; at Helsinge it looked as if there was going to be black trouble. The mob called in the aid of the Russian military when a siege of a day and a night had brought no result, and the