PROJECTS FOR REFORMING THE PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION 293district treasurer, and the "mayor" (gorodskoi golova) of the district
capital. 1 The district chief was to have one assistant for every ten
townships of state peasants. 2 But Speransky did not establish true
collegiate control over the appointed executive district chief. The latter
may take a decision and order its execution even when opposed by the
majority of the Council of the District Administration, although in
such a case, he acts on his own personal responsibility. II In some cases
a.t least, Speransky suggested, the district chief could be the same person
as the district marshal of the nobility. This might help to raise the
civic consciousness of the provincial nobility. In so doing, Speransky
was also implementing Catherine Irs original intention of making the
nobility the active element of the country's public life and the leader
of the nation. Far from proving that Speransky was now bowing to the
necessities of the moment and to the conservative prejudices of his
colleagues on the Committee of December 6, 1826, the suggestion
shows that he was still thinking in terms of his old idea of building
up an "organic" leadership group to guide Russia's spiritual and
political progress.
The judiciary on the district level, is the district court, consisting
of 1 president, 2 deputies elected by the nobility, and I elected by the
townships of state peasants. But the deputies from the peasant town-
ships have no voice in cases involving members of the nobility. The
president of the court may add one assessor selected among law school
graduates to the court staff. The court hears both civil and criminal
cases in first instance. Cities have similar courts, with the notable feature
that all their members are to be elected by the city council, as they
hear only civil cases involving townspeople. 4
Following the pattern in existence, Speransky envisaged the township
(volost') as the lowest division of regular administration. There were
two parts to the volost's administration: the township proper and the
village. The volost' administration proper, in Speransky's plan, was to
consist of one volost' headman, two elders, six village judges, the
volost' assembly, and the volost' secretary. The latter was to be nomi-
ated by the district administration and confirmed by the provincial1 Ibid., p. 317, pars. 245, 248, 249.
:I The following subjects were specifically reserved for the jurisdiction of the
District Administration: "1. state peasants, 2. supervision of guardians appointed
over noblemen's estates, 3. deeds and loans on security of serfs, 4. census of sales
of real estate, 5. the disciplining of officials, reporting on local needs to higher
authorities, control of the routine administration, accounting of treasury monies,
preparation of yearly reports." (Ibid., pp. 321-25, par. 261).
3 Ibid., p. 332, Par. 314.
4 Ibid., pp. 332-335, pars. 320-335 passim.