The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-16
IMPROVEMENT DEMoNsTRA.
TIoN IN ST. PETERSBURG.
CLAMOR FOR WAR TO END
Fifty Persans Injured In Encounter
With Police-over 100 Ar.
rests Made.

st. Petersburg, Dec. IA popula1
anti-government demonstration, the
participants in which included large
numbers of students OF both sexes, be
gan at midday yesterday in the New
sky prospect. and lasted about two
hours. Hundreds of police and mount
ed gendarmes who were hidden in the
courtyard of the public building
emerged suddenly and charged the
crowds at full gallop, driving the
demonstrators IN headlong confusion
and screaming with terror upon side
walks and into adjacent streets. This
led to several encounters, so persons
being more or less severely injured
Large numbers were arrested.
Not since the riots of 1901, when
Gossacks, stretched across the Nevski
prospect from building to building,
charged down the boulevard from the
Moscow station to the Neva. has the
Russian capital lived through such a
day as yesterday. The authorities
last night got wind of the big anti
government demonstration planned
by the socialist-labor party to demand
an immediate end of the war and the
'convocation of a national assembly,
and every leading paper that morning
contained, in black-faced type, an ex-
plicit warning to the people at their
peril to desist from congregating in
the Nevska prospect near the kazss1
cathedral. At the same time extern
sive preparations were made to queIl
any disturbances.
Big Crowd Attracted.
The newspapers warnings, how
ever, by giving notice to those not
appraised of the prospect of a demon
stration, defeated the object for
which they yer designed, attracting
seemingly the whole population of
this vast city to the broad thorough
fare.
Toward l o'clock the workmen and
students seemed to swarm toward the
corner of the Hotel Europe, opposite
the kazan cathedral. The police, rec
ognizing the critical moment was ap-
preaching, tried in vain to keep back
the human tide. Then, when there was
not a single mounted policeman in
sight, on the stroke OF l, from the
heart of the thlckly wedged crowd, a
blood red flag ike a jet OF flame sud-
denly shot up. 1t was the signal.
Other flags appeared in the crowd,
waving frantically overhead, and they
were greeted with a hoarse roar,
Down with autocracy!" The stu
dents surged into the street singing
the "Marseillaise," while innocent
spectators, seeking to extricate them
selves, crowded into doorways and
Rugged the wall.
The ferment continued all day ana
far into the night. So far there have
been more than LOO arrests. Last
night the students held meetings, at
which fiery speeches were made in ia
vor of reform and the convocation OF
a national assembly.
The greatest distress is expressed
by conservative llberalists over the
days events, all declaring that just
when the fate of the programme was
in the balance such a fruitless out
break will be sure to prejudice every
observer and put the strongest wea-
pom in the hands of the revolutionar.
les.
Text of the ProcIamations.
Following is the text of the procla.
nation of the social democratic party
calling yesterdays demonstration:
I'VE have raised our voices calling for
better things, but the government has
turned a deaf ear to our cry. We from
day to day draw out a laborious exist.
ence, a condition worse than c~onvicts,
while they convert millions into
smoke and sacrifice thousands OF
workingmen's lives under incompetent
generals. They are shedding our
blood for u to%rturers, while they are
entering a shameless bargain with
wealthy landlords. Enough, men, we
cannot endure it longer. We must
arise and boldly proclaim that we
want an end of war and a government
by reports of the people.
Long live the social democracy;
down with the a~utocracy. All who are
ready to fight for our demands assem-
BILE in front of the Kazan cathedral at
/ o'clock"