The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-21
PLATFORM '; OF ZEMST'xOS Memorial to ET :rOr is
 Adopted. THE TROUBLES OF RUSSIA
 s--s--- Due to EStrangemenl of PeO-
 pie and Rulers.
The Government Has No Way of As- certnining the Desires of the In- habitants-The Remedy Pro-
 posed is q Parliament.

St. Petersburg, Nov. 2O--The Zemstvo representatives meeting today adopt- ed the remainder of the memorial al- most literally as cabled to the Asso- ctated Press yesterday, and besides considered several supplementary ar ticles providing for practical cosopera- ton of zemstvos in the Red Cross work. and for the extension of school facilities. The vote on the question of the adoption of the memorial stood SS to 10.
 The meeting probably will be con tinued several days. The memorial and minutes of the meeting win be sent to the Emperor What the result will be is a matter of speculation, but the men who have participated In this meeting are in most cases the most influential and able men in their respective prov lnces, and are resolved to press the movement everywhere with the great est vigor.
 A Zemstvo banquet win be arranged for December {. the fortieth anniver- sary of the proclamation Issued by AL exander II, and on this occasion speeches along the line of the memorial will be made.
 The Governments attitude is await ed with interest. The mere fact that 6 meeting with such program was permitted, although official auspices were denied 1t. is unprecedented; but the vigorous character of the memorial adoption and the resolution to push the agitation must compel the Govern ment to act The autocracy, It would seem. must once more choose whether the people shall be allowed voice Ill the Government.
 ReactionarieA of course are horrinea at the mere suggestion of anything approaching a parliament or a consti- tution All their power and innuence already are in the sealei put ho ,lAtset ss which way the balance swings, the de- cision Is bound to mark an epoch in yRussla's a history.
 Relieve in TheiR solution.
 The actual participants in the meet ing hers are far from hopeful 7 but they sincerely believe the salvation of the country depends upon the solution they have to ofSer and have the satisfaction of knowing that as representatives of the most authoritative provincial insti- tutiOns of the empire they have TOT once spoken out their views and have taken measures to have them spread
 before the world as well as the govern ment which is addressed.
 For one result 1t is sure to give a tremendous impetus to the liberal
 movement. within the throes of a | great and hitherto unsuccessful for 1 eign. war and disturbed conditions at home. the memorial. which Is aimed | to rouse united action might oVerrule other considerations. The Associated
 Press has heard that recently the em-
 peror has spoken much of M. Witte's 1 famous memorandum, written just be- 1 fore his fall, on the advisability of | yielding the people voice in the gov ernment. One thing which must com mend itself strongly to the emperor | is the fact that the memorial is pre- | sented by moderate men who have no sympathy with revolution. They have ] taken particular pains to discourage the demonstrations, planned for Satur-
 day and Sunday in front of the Kazan | cathedral and none occurred.
 Not a single word about the meeting | has been printed in the newspapers here. and yet the news has spread ev- l anywhere and created a tremendous stir and today was almost the sole topic of the citizens of St. Petersburg. Platform of ZemstvOs.
 | While the Associated Press is not at liberty to give detailed report of the speeches. it Is able to summarize the | chief points of the proceeding the adoption of Zemstvos memorandum. 1 ''The chief characteristic of Russian existence Is the estrangement of rul-
 CTS and people, due to the lack of nut | tual confidence This condition has been intensified during the recent past | and has been noticeable since the out break of the war which disclosed the true international conditions of the | country. Under the existing condi- | tions of affairs, the Government has no means of knowing the truth about l hot he and so is reduced to act upon what It | thinks is best for the people
 But such action only makes matters worse and leads to blunders and con- | tinued arrangement. The trouble IS | the people are excluded from any part 1 in the government. Instead or encour- aging self-reliance, we foster tutelage by centralizing power in the hands Of
 bureaucrats. The result of this is es- l pecially noticeable in cities where the
 state of siege, renewed from year 10
 year, permits arbitrary rule' suspen-
 sion of laws and interference with | elective assemblies yet now we are l promised great increase of the authority with the provincial | governors, Allthis destroys the feel ing of safety and exercises degrad- ing influence upon all branches or ma tional activity. Progress Is impossible
 so long as bureaucracy blocks the guarantee of personal rights, thereby
 paralyzine the every essence of indi-
 viduaI initiative. The absence of free dom of conscience, speech and press are prime factors in the arrangement of
 rulers and people
 "Restrlctions bear grievously upon classes as well as the masses and in-
 tensify discontent.
 Faults of Bureaucracy.
 Bureaucracy becomes religious in-
 tolerance. muzzles the press and stifies
 Freedom of speech in order to give a specious appearance of solidity to the
 strncture of the steel. Bureaucracy ef-
 forts to imprison the peoples minds
 inevitably leads to the everecise of
 brute force. We want free and in ldependent administration of justice as an essential safeguard against this constant encroachment upon the life and liberty of the individual
 "No real reform Is possible without equality of all individuals before the ] law. For this reason peasants must be rescued from their present condition of asrvitnds and granted equal rights with