The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-11-17

st. Petersburg, November 16.-12:37
+ a. ma fierce northeast blizzard and
snow which blew down on st. Peters
burg tonight prevented bloodshed in
the Russian capital. The bitter cola,
by forcing the strikers to remain in
doors, did more 20 preserve order than
all the Cossack cavalry patrolling the
streets. Heavy military reserves are
stationed in all the industrial districts,
but up to midnight there was no riot-
ing There were rumors of collisions
in various parts of the city, but on in
vestigation they turned out to be false.
The social Gemecrats had an ln
pressi7e response On the part OF
all organizations of workmen to their
summons for a general political strike
to demonstrate their solidarity with the
struggle of their Polish comrades for
autonomy, and to protest against the
execution of the mutinous sailors at
CrOnstadt. The men walked out of all
the big mills and factories, and the en-
ployees of the Baltic and Warsaw raL
roads, the printers and other classes
of laborers struck, but the shops in
the center of the city were not closed
Troops took charge of the electric light
stations, which were operated by sail
ors, so that the city was not placed
in darkness tonight
No dispatches have arrived from the
interior, however. to show that the
wOrkmen in other cities are respondent
to the demand for cooperation, ana
dissensiOn has broken out among the
leaders,, some of whom believe the
strike to be has+y and ill-advised, and
who say that if it does not succeed the
result will be loss of prestige. At the
meetings tonight this faction urged the
leaders to announce tomorrow that
the strike was only intended as a dem
onstration, but the radicals, whose aim
is to keep up the revolutionary ag:ta-
tion at all hazards refused to listen
to such counsa.s. They insisted that
it was vitality necessary for the sue
cess of their propaganda among the
army and the navy that they should
get credit for saving the lives of the
mutineers and that if they could foccs
the government to recede from it's po-
sition regarding Poland they would
have it by the throat. At strike head
quarters tonight reports were being re-
ceived, and the leaders refused to admit
that the question of abandoning the
strike had yet been raised
The situation has caused a renewal
of the panicky feeling among the in
habitants whose nerves were already
ho4 +lo of ho 411
fortnight. and hundreds of persons who
had just returned are again leaving
for Finland The foreign residents
are becoming more and more alarmed,
and many of them are hastily prepar-
ing to go abroad for the winter.
In case the Finnish socialists should
join their Russian comrades and tie up
the Finnish railroad the only egrass
would be by water, and the freezing of
the Gulf of Finland fortnight hence
would close the last exit. The foreign
embassies share the public alarm, and
the British embassy is advising the
immediate removal of women and
children.
There are a.. sorts of wild runors
about interference by foreign powers
in circulation and the Bourse Gazette
prints a report that all the great pow
ers have joined in a notification 10
Russia that they intend to interfere
and prevent anarchy
This is as false as the story circulaI-
ed .ha. MrI Edcy. the American charge
d'affaires, has teiegraphed for a wac-
ship ard that the cruiser Minneapolis
was now procee ling hither.
The American embassy has not asked
for a warship, and has not been advis-
ed by .he state department that one is
coming.
Count Witte and his cabinet were N
session throughout the afternoon and
evening discussing the situation, and
q number of prominent liberals were
called in for consultation Grand