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the Ukrainian State in either an independent or federative form. And each of the congresses paid homage to the Central Rada, which was considered by them to be the supreme head of the country.
In June the authority of the Petrograd Government declined, while the strength of the Central Rada increased. It was then that the non-Ukrainiansi (the Poles, Jews, and Russians living in the country) were permitted to be represented in the Rada by a hundred delegates. The Rada became a true provisional parliament of the country.
(e) Democratic Self-Government.
When the Revolution burst out, the local self-governments of the towns and the country districts, the Town Dumas and the Zemstvos, not being elected on democratic principles, in consequence did not respond to the tendencies of the hour. They were provisionally strengthened by the revolutionary and liberal forces.
Thus it was that the Zemstvos, which have always played a large part in the country's affairs, were clearly of a national character, whereas in the municipalities of the towns (the Town Dumas) the Ukrainians remained in a minority, which is explained by the fact that the towns contained a great number of non-Ukrainians.
In the summer the general elections for the local self-government were made on the principle of universal, direct, secret, equal and proportional suffrage. The result was to strengthen the patriotic representation in the Zemstvos and the Town Dumas. The number of electors who did not take part was very small, and while nine million votes were in favour of the Ukrainian delegates, the non-Ukrainians only obtained two or three million votes, which comprised those of the inhabitants of the Russian and Jewish boroughs and villages.
In the Zemstvos the Ukrainian majority was almost absolute. It was not altogether so in the Town Dumas (municipal councils). At Kiev, where the population is very mixed, the Ukrainians only obtained a quarter of
