The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-12-28
CRUSHESHO OF LIBERTY
Gar Declares Agitation for a Consti.
tuition Useless.
LIKELY FAN FLAMES OF REVOLUTION.
Neither VIII He Favor convoeatlou Of Ma.
t'ooaI Assembly Considers Action Of the
President Of zemstvo Presumpiuous and
Taetiess-Determined Not TO Yield tue prin.
ciple Of hutoeraey.

St. Petersburg (By Cable) Emperor
Nicholas formally notified the country
that the agitation for a constitution and
the convocation of national assem-.
bly, is useless Such is the construction
placed upon the Endorsement written in
his own hand on the resolutions tele-
graphed by the Chcrnigov Zemstvo De-
cember 40 begging him in most loyal
manner to convoke legally elected mem
bers OF the zemstvos to present a pro-
gram OF reforms for his consideration.
The Emperor wrote on the dispatch:
u consider the action OF the president
to be presumptuous and tactless. Ques-
tions Of state administration are OF no
concern 10 the zemstvos, whose func-
tions and rights are clearly defined by
tho law"
The Endorsement is printed in the Of
fcial Messenger, dashng the hopes of
the extremists 1t did not come as a
great surprise The Emperor from the
beginning, although he has shown him
self favorably disposed toward more
liberal regime and in entire sympathy
with some OF the zemstvo demands, had
resolved not to yield the principle OF att
tocracy
Upon this point it is understood all his
advisers, including Interior Minister
Sviatopolk- Mirsky. agreed. but the char
acter of the agitation which followed
the meeting OF the presidents OF the
zeinstvos and the action OF various pro-
vlnciai zemstyos and municipal coun-
cils, coupled with the recent demonstra.
tons at st. Petersburg Moscow and
elsewhere, probably served to strengthen
the hands OF the reactionists and con
WINGED the Emperor OF the imperative
necessity for a plain-spoken announce
ment OF the sovereigns position on the
main point.
The reactionists undoubtedly regard
the Emperor's action as a distinct vic
tory Tor them. Nevertheless, the con-
ierences over the reform measures
iich will be taken are still in progress
at Tsarskoe Selo and will shortly be
published. What the immediate effect
of the imperial rebukc administered to
tne \neTmgOV ZcmstNOS VIII be IS prob
lematical II may also serve to fan the
flames and be used by the revolutionary
organizations TO increase the agitation,
and in turn compel its repression.
A correspondent was informed BY a
person competent to speak that too much
importance should not be attached to the
Emperor's annexation, which it is be-
iieved he wrote in a moment Of i'll hui
NOR because the Chernigov zemstvo I'll
egraphed direct TO him instead Of
through the Minister OF the Interior.
The informant pointed out that the
publication did not appear in the Off
cial portion Of the paper, arguing there
from that the publication was secured
by person who was interested in the
effect that would be produced. While
any idea Of a constitution or OF the CON
vocation OF national assembly has been
rejected, the informant positively de-
clared the Emperor had no intention OF
receding from his position to grant GER
tain measures in the direction of liber-
ality.