The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-27
WIDE REFORMS GRANTED
 BY THE UKASE OF NICHOLAS


 vision of the exceptional laws decreed
 at the time Of an unparalleled out break of criminal activity on the part | of the enemies of public order. and the l application of which was attended with a. grave extension of the discre- | tionary power of the administrative authorities; and that at the same time 1 steps should be taken for circum- | scribing their application within the l narrowest possible limits and for as-
 surfing that limitation of the rights Of 1 private persons involved in that appli- | cation shall only be permitted in cases
 where the actual safety of the state is l threatened. | "Sixth--That in confirmation of my
 undertaking hearts desire as expressed
 in the imperial manifesto of March 3. ' 1903. for the protection by the funda- | mental laws of the empire of toler-
 ance in matters of faith, the laws deal ing with the rights of communities
 and persons belonging to heterodox and non- Christian confessions should
 be submitted to revision; and that in- dependently of this measure should be
 taken for the removal of all limita- tions on the exercise of their relig-
 ions not directly mentioned in the law.
 "seventh-That there should be such
 revision of existing ordinances limit ing the rights of foreigners and meas-
 ures in certain territories of the em- pire that In future there shall remain only such of them as are required by the present interests of the empire and the manifest needs of the Russian people.
 "Eighth-That all unnecessary re- strictions should be removed from the existing press laws and that printed speech should be placed within clearly defined legal limits; that the native press. in accordance with the progress of education and the importance there- by accruing to it should be left to the possibility of worthi1y fulfilling its high calling, namely. to be the true interpreters of reasonable strivings for Russia's advantage.
 Acting upon the above principles. with a view to a series of great inter-
 nal changes impending in the early l future, part whereof in accordance
 with instructions previously given by | us, are already under preliminary ex- animation, we deem it we'll. in view of the diversity and importance of | these changes, to fix an order of busi- ness for consideration of means and | the possibility of their early and com plete realization. The closest coop l eration is incumbent on the various sections of the administration | throughout the whole series of our state institutions.
 | With reference to all the above
 mentioned subjects the Council of | Ministers has to examine the best way
 of giving effect to our views and to
 submit to us at the, earliest possible date its decisions as to the farther
 shape of the above mentioned measures | in their prescribed order. The com- | mittee has also to report to us as to
 the subsequent progress of the elabo- | ration of the matters mentioned. | "(Signed-) Nicholas" l M. Wftte seems again to be high
 in favor of the Emperor and Is almost a daily visitor at Tsarkoe-Selo. The Zemstvos generally are increasing the
 budgets from 80 to 35 per cent. to meet
 the increased demands of the Red Cross
 work for the relief of the reservists. l There seems to be no evidence of 1 cessation of agitation fin different parts | of the country In favor of the liberal
 reforms. The situation is most acute
 in Moscow. the university Is closed
 and the students, the pedagogic and
 other sects are in a constant state of l ferment. It develops that the serial l revolution party in Moscow before the | demonstrations of December IS and 19- i practically issued a warning condemn | | Policemaster Trepoff, if during those
 demonstrations there should be a re- | currence of police brutalities which
 was witnessed in St. Petersburg" by l the students on the occasion of the. l burial of the victims of the rioting of 1 December IS and 19, to ally them
 selves with the labor movement. and 1 to take up arms in their own defense.
 They also asked the professors of the
 ,Ak
 strations. As a result, the latter ob-
 tained permission to make a searching l inquiry into ell the circumstances. | KuropatlSln's Opinion.
 General Kuropatkin, according to an
 interview with Prince Dolgorouky.
 head of the Moscow Red Cross detach- 1 ment at the front, has added his voice
 in favor of the broader activity of the | Zemstvos. This may be fraught with l immense importance later.
 The Grazdahdin publishes a remark able article against the bureaucracy.
 declaring that 1t was reports of the French revolution. the fall of the Ro- ma empire and the decay of China. whereas Japan has regretted because.
 while it overthrow the bureaucracy. it
 retained the principle of the sacred power of the sovereign. The Grazh- danin expresses the hope that the bu-
 reaucracy is seeing it's last days in Russia and adds
 Bureaucracy is more or less present in all countries except the United States, where the law safeguards the liberties of the people to tho fullest
 extent. giving equal opportunities to
 everybody"
 The commission which is investi-
 gating the passport question has not
 yet taken up the subject of Jewish
 passports. either foreign or domestic,
 the whole matter having been tempo
 rariIy postponed pending the decision
 of other points. Foreign passports.
 the commission recommends. shall be good for the period for which they are
 issued by foreign governments with out requiring the holder, as now, to take out Russian passports at the end l nf ci rnnnthS