Page:Lars Henning Söderhjelm - The Red Insurrection in Finland in 1918 - tr. Annie Ingebord Fausbøll (1920).djvu/79

 within a short space of time, will throw our country into complete anarchy if an improvement of circumstances does not soon take place. The police, which at least in the larger cities of the country, after the revolution in Russia last March and owing to communications received from there, were organised as a militia partly through the Labour organisations and partly by the exertions of communal organisations, have not been able to counteract or suppress the arbitrariness or criminal tendencies reigning in several places in the land, nor are they equal to their task, nor is the training of the militia satisfactory. There are even cities where the Red Guard have taken possession of the police stations without themselves taking measures, or permitting others to take measures, for the maintenance of order. In the opinion of the Senate, a militia of this kind, which cannot accomplish its task, is inadequate—even if some improvements may be made on the lines indicated in the proposal forwarded to the Lantdag. Beyond this, and for its completion, a capable, trustworthy and loyal corps for the maintenance of order is required. This is needed at once, both on account of the above-mentioned lamentable internal situation, as well as on account of the pressure put on the Government by numerous foreign powers, particularly England and Sweden, in consequence of the indignities the subjects of these countries residing in Finland have been exposed to.

In consequence of what is stated above, the Senate has considered itself called upon, by the actual circumstances, to proceed without fail to measures for the establishment of such an effective and unimpeachable Finnish Corps for the Maintenance of Order, which could be trusted to maintain order and security in the land.

These measures will, of course, involve considerably greater expenses than it has been customary to assign