The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-07-22
EMSTVO CONGRESS
meets AT MOSCOW DESPITE
PROHIBITION.
The BouIiaan Plan Is Denounced IS
Totally inadequate to Garry Out
Necessary circumstances OF
All the Delegates Taken by the
Police Force.

210S6 Op0u0U d. mAOUoy III VuO A0cAOOAoO
of Prince Dolgorukoff. The congress
was attended by 225 delegates. Count
Heyden, leader of the deputation repre-
senting the congress recently received
by the emperor, presided.
M. Golovine, president Of the organ
ization committee, had barely started
a statement dealing with the obstacles
placed in the way of the congress, an
nouncing that Governor General Koz-
loft had promised that there would be
no recourse to extreme measures when
the chief of police with numerous COM
missaries and officials, entered the
room.
The chief announced that the pre-
feet had prohibited the meeting of the
congress and ordered the seizure Of the
documents.
Count Heyden protested against the
proceedings, but the chief Of police be-
gan taking down the names of the del
egates. Then cries were raised of
"Write down the whole of Russia. I"
Many persons present who were not
delegates to the congress requested that
their names also be taken.
The police then departed in order
to draw up summons, and the signing
was resumed.
The scheme of national assembly
on the basis outlined by the commit
tee presided over by M. Bouligan,
minister of the interior, was infinitely
and critically discussed and denounced
as totally inadequate to remove Rus.
sia's internal grievances, because in
Guiding property qualification and an
electoral system by class prevented
the assembly from truly interpreting
the will of the nation, while the ex-
clusion of numerous oategories Of citi-
zens from the franchise was contra
diction of the principles of equity and
reasonable state policy.
At the same time it was recognized
that the proposed assembly would COM
prise considerable portion Of the So
cial forces of the empire and serve as
the center of social movement which
would tend to secure political liberty
and regular national representation.
Therefore it was considered desirable
that in the event of the carrying out of
the Bouligan or similar project, the
delegates of the zemstvos and munich
palities should participate in the as
sem bly, to the greatest possible extent,
with the object Of forming a compact
group and to obtain guarantee Of in
dividual and public liberties.
Numerous resolutions embodying the
foregoing criticisms were adopted
unanimously, as were also resolutions
complaining Of excessive administra-
tive and police control of elections and
insisting that publicity be given to the
proceedings Of the proposed assembly,
which should be in direct relations
with the emperor without interfering
with the council Of the empire.
Police Interested Listeners.
After the police had drawn up a re-
port Of their visit and had taken the
names Of those present they took no
further action, but returned and listen
ed to the debates as interested specta-
tors. When the afternoon session ad-
journed till evening each delegate as
he passed out handed his visiting card
to the chief Of police, who had already
seized the copies in the possession of
the delegates Of the Russian Gazette,
in which was printed details of con-
stitution for Russia based on the exist
ing two chamber plan of Western Eu-
rope elaborated by the committee On
organization Of the congress to vote
upon. It is expected that the congress
will sit for three days.
Plot Is Discussed.
London, July 2O.-The Moscow COR
respondent of the Times says that one
of the topics discussed during the pro-
ceedings Of the zemstvo congress was
the alleged discovery of military plot
against Emperor Nicholas.
Newspaper DefieS Order.
st. Petersburg, July 20.-The zemst-
vo congress at Moscow is exciting keen
interest in st. Petersburg, but the
newspapers have received strict orders
not to mention it. The Slovo, how
ever, defies the prohibition, and prints
q dispatch of several Thousand words