The Tupelo journal., 1904-12-02
EMPEROR RECEIVES
zEMSTVO MEMBERS
Beginning of a New Era For Rus
STA May Be at Hand.
EMPEROR GREATLY IMPRESSED
The ZemstvOists Went Before h
Emperor BY Imperial Command
and Reiterated Views Ex-
pressed in Recent Memorial.

st. Petersburg, Nov. 26.-The unex-
pected may happen after all. The
meeting of the zemstvos, first Russian
congress-" as it is now called, may in
deed mark the beginning of a new era
for Russia. Emperor Nicholas, initia-
tor of the plan for universal disarma-
ment, may turn back Oh the reaction
aries and crown his reign by granting
to his subjects the constitution which
his grandfather had already prepared
when he fell by the hand of IN assas-
sin.
The basis of such a possibility is the
| significant fact that late Friday after
noon the emperor received in the pal
ace at Ts~arskoe-Selo, M. Shipoff, OF
| Moscow; M. Petrunkeivitch, of Tever:
| NJ. R%odzianko, Of Ekaterinoslav, and
| Count Heiden, four prominent MEM
bers of the Zemstvo congress, and
| listened at length to their views. 1t de-
velops that when Minister of the In
terror Sviotopolk-M irsky presented the
| zemstvo memorial and resolutions on
| November "a, the emperor was sc deep
| so impressed as we'll by the contents
of the documents as by the character
of the signers, that he Immediately eX-
pressed the desire, personally, to re-
ceive q deputation of four.
The zemstvoi3ts therefore went to
| Tsarskoe-Selo by imperial command.
At their audience, it is said, they ex-
| planned fully their position, and reit-
Grated the views expressed by the me-
mortal that the salvation of the en-
| pire from ruin by revolution lay In the
adoption of the general ideas expressed
in the memorial. The emperor was
| greatly impressed by what he heard,
and asked many questions. While it
it said he gave no indication of his
| purposes, except the sympathy he dis
played, the emissaries, when they re-
turned to st. Petersburg, were in high
spirits. Naturally, they declined to
| say anything Cor publication regarding
their visit.
News Spread Like Wildfre.
The news that the delegation had
been given an audience by the emperor
| spread like wiIdfire through the city,
and created tremendous excitement, re-
ioicing among liberals and amazement
among the uncompromising supporters
of the old ragime. Later in the day
| the report was current that an immedf-
ate effect of the Zemstvo meeting
would be the realization of the plan for
giving two elected zemstvo representa-
tive seats in the council of the empire.
One of the prominent liberals, who
| participated in the congress, declined
to share in the i%ubilatiOns of some OF
his colleagues, and expressed the op1n-
ion that victory was yet a long way
| off, although he said he believed it was
sure to come in the end. He pointed
out that the declaration in the me-
mortal in favor of the abrogation OF
| special privileges, and for the equality
of all classes before the law, when 1t
became known throughout Russia, was
bound to appeal strongly to the peas
antry.
"Ali the members of the congress-"
| said he. ARE large land proprietors.
A leveling process. which would put
the Mujik on an equality with them,
must be prejudicial to their personal
interests.
I'm Russia men seem to be willing
to make sacrifices for an ~altruistic
idea. The same thing happened with
| the emancipation of the serfs in the
time of Alexander H., when many no
bies advocated the measure, though 1t
meant practically ruin for them per-
~sonally."