The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1905-11-03
WITTE REAL RULER.
Imperial Manifesto Promul-
gated Granting Civil Lib
erty, Freedom of
Speech and
Press.

An Associated Press dispatch from
ST. Petersburg says:
The autocracy of the Romanoffs and
che old order Of things cease to exist
in Russia. Emperor Nicholas has sur
rendered and Count Witte comes into
power as Hinister-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 White, Russia's first premier,
Monday night, sent the above message
TO the American people, He had just
arrived at his residence on Kammenl-
ovrov prospect from Peterhoff, 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 the
rule of absolutism exercised by him
and his Romanoff ancestors for three
hundred years.
Abdication Complete.
A simple perusal Of the manifesto
shows how complete is the emperor's
abdication of his autocratic power.
The very style of the document is
clear and devoid Of the verbose, vague
and bombastic phraseology, which
heretofer has characterized his maj
esty's manifestoes. 1t not only betrays
real authorship, but shows that the
emperor at last has irreVocably bow
ed to the inevitable He does not con
ceal the fact that the discomfort AMI
agitation III his subjects have driven
him to take this step and practically
yield everything-civil liberty. the in
volatility of person and liberty Of
conscience, speech and assembly.
News Spread Like Wild Fire.
The news spread like wild fire
throughout the city. The revolution
lists and active agitators generally de-
clared loudly that the governments
promises would no longer suffice and
that the strike must be continued In
fact. an hour after the news became
known, the revolutionists took occa-
sion to throw the first bomb in ST..
Petersburg used since the strike be-
gan. The incident occurred near the
polytechnic school, but there was no
fatality. Practically all classes, except
the socialists and extreme radicals,
however, read the document with de-
light and amazement, declaring that
If could not fail to rally the moder-
ates to the support of Count White.
By the irony of fate, while the strik-
ers are clamoring for a constitution,
# has been impossible to persuade
the striking printers to resume work,
and, therefore, not a single newspaper
except The Official Messenger, print
ed the momentous document for dis
tributlon. Arrangements have been
made to placard 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:
1--WE. 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 agita-
tiop in our capitals and in numerous
other places fills our heart with ex-
cessive pain and sorrow.
4The happiness Of the Russian SOW
ereign is indissolubly bound up with
the happiness Of our people and the