The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-11-03
FREEDOM FOR THE EMPIRE
To Count Witte is Dele
gated Tightly Work of
Bringing Order Out
of Chaos.

An Associated Press dispatch from
st. Petersburg says:
The autoeraey Of the Romanoffs and
the old order Of things cease to exist
in Russia. Emperor Nicholas has sur
rendered and Count Witte comes into
power as ninloter-president with an
imperial mandate which will confer on
the people fundamental civil liberties.
II am sure the American people
who understand what freedom is, and
the American press. which voices the
wishes Of the people, will rejoice with
the friendly Russian nation at this
moment, when the Russian people
have received from his imperial maj
esty the promise and guarantees OF
freedom, and will join in the hope
that the Russian people will wisely
aid in the realization of these Liberties
by cooperating with the government
for their peaceful Introduction. only
thus will t be possible to secure the
full benefits Of the freedom conferred
upon the people,
Count Wittc, Bussia's fist premier,
Monday night, sent the above mcssaG'
TO the American people. lie had jus,
arrived at his residence On Kammoni.
ovroy prospect from PeterhoH, where
in the Alexander palace the emper-
or two hours before had given his
final approval to a manifesto and to-
a program which will forever end IN"
rule OF absoIutism exercised by him
and his Rumanon ancestors for three
hundred years.
Abdioation Complete.
A simple perus1l Of the Manifesto
shows how complete is the emperor =
abdication Of his autOcratic powe..
The very style OF the document 10
clear and devoid of the verboseNagu
and bombastic phraseology, which
heretofer has characterized his MAJ
esty's man;fcstoes. II not only beiraFs
real authorship, but shows that the
emperor At last has irrevocably bow
ed to the inevitable. He does no. con-
ceal the fact that the discomfort an /
agitation uf his subjects have driven
him TO take this step and practically
Weld CvCryrhiug-civil liberty. the in.
volatility of person ana liberty ~
conscience, speech and assembly.
News Spread Like Wild Fire.
The news spread like wild fire
throughout the city. The revolution
lists and act,ve agitators generally de
clared loudly That the government J
promises would no longer suffice an
that the strike must be continued. In
fact. an hour after the news became
known. the reYoiuton:sts took occa'
sion to throw the first bomb In s..
Petersburg used since the strike be-
gan. The incident occurred near IN"
polytechnic school but there was NJ
fatality Practically all classes, except
the socialists and extreme radicals,
however, -ead the document with de-
fight and amazement, declaring that
1t could not fail to rally the moder,
ates to the support Of Count Witte.
BY the irony Of fate, while the strik-
ers are clamoring for a constitution,
It hae been impossible 10 persuade
the striking printers TO resume work.
and. therefore. not n single newspaper
except The Oficial Messenger. print
ed the momentous document for dis
trIbutlon. Arrangements have been
made TO plscard the manifesto on
every dead wall in the city.
Full Text Of the Manifesto.
The following IS the text Of the i'm.
perial manifesto:
I'VE. Nicholas. the Second, by the
grace OF God, emperor and autocrat OF
all the Russias, Grand Duke OF Fin.
land. etc, declare to all our faithful
subjects that the troubles and aglta'
ton in our capitals and in numerous
other places flls our heart with e1-
cesslve pain and sorrow.
The happiness OF the Russian SOW
ereign is indissolubly bound up with
the happiness OF our people, and the