The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-02-03

ST Petersburg ana, MascoN we're I
eject w representatives each, an
ifttse et A trw 9tes. :ltles one e,eh.
Third, where nN ieogd self guNrru
nent Mas organized. representatives &
the general commission were 10 be ur
pointed by h Z government
fourth IN SdditioN - these Their
WSre 90 be some members Of the CON
mission by imperial appointment.
The eeuerll commission Was thus &
be ~ body OF about l5o members. o
whom not more than SIXTY eight wer,
TO b" elected,
THIS general commission MAS to HAY,
no power 10 initiate legislation. Tina
MAS to be the office of a number o
special committees created by imperta
appointment. INC composed of repre-
sentatiNes of the departments If gov
eminent M experts. All bills pre-
pared by these committees We're to b,
cahlnet measures. and couid be intro
auceu IN the convention by imperial al.
thority only. The appointive mem.
hers of the convention We're to be Sc,
iected from the membership of thes,
legislative committees All other mem.
ners were also to be accorded seats in
the c~onVentlon. each of them with a
vote upon all bills coming from his re.
Y = Is. i
er passing the convention. We're to be
introduced in the imperial council by
the cabinet ministers. with Their rec
concentrations.
n procedure in the imperial council
was not affected by thts plan. The inn
perlal ouncil which is the now exist
ing national legislature. is appointed by
the car. and has a consultative voice
only. All bills adopted by the council
are submitted to the ezar for approval.
ana. IN case of division. n minority bill
nay be likewise submitted. The car
may approve either the majority or the
minority bin. which then becomes a
law. He may. however, Veto both.
Assassination of Alexander III.
That was the first great step toward
4 more popular form of government for
Russia ever taken. 1t was approved by
Alexander IL on October %. 1880. on.
March i3. 1881, Alexander II. was as
s~assinated and Alexander III. succeed
ed 10 the throne.
The nihilists greeted Alexander JTT
in a spirit of friendship. In their mani
festo issued on March % they offered
him peace If he would grant a lesisla-
tive assembly to be elected by universal
suffrage. n free press, free speech and
freedom of conscience.
Alexander III assembled the throne
with liberal views. He took up General
l.oris Melikoff's reform program with
a WILLINGNESS to carry it out and call a
representative assembly. In fact. two
days before the nihilist manifesto had
offered Alexander III. peace he had
assembled a council of his ministers.
at which the Aielikoff program had been
approved. 1t received : affirmative
votes against > negative votes. Grand
luke Vladimir was among those who
voted in the affirmative.
Old StruuoIe is Removed
The influence of the reactionary
party, however, led by NJ. Pobiedonot-
self, %procurator of The holy synod. was
strong enough to secure the final de-
feat of the Melikoif program.
The struggle between the bureaucracy
Loris Melikoff and other liberal mem
bers of the ministry resigned and the
r~eactionary party had full control.
Alexander III. under the influence of
the reaetionary party, inaugurated a
reign of OPPRESSION more Yer thar any
yet felt in Russia. General Ignatieff,
chief minister, Issued a proclamation on
May %. 1881. declaring for the suppress
sion of the rebellion" Year after year
the struggle continued. The nihilists |
to assassination, the govern
ment to executions, imprisonmeuts and
banishments. General Strelnikoff, pub
lie prosecutor, was assassinated M
~ CIV o'. 1907, Z itIllOJ |
Sudeikin, chief of the st. Petersburg
police. and his nephew We're assassin
December Is. 1884.
Plots on Life of the Car.
In March, 1887. a plot against the life
of Alexander III. was frustrated. Two
hundred arrests followed, of whom
seven were executed.
In November of 1887 the stringent re
in the studies of the univer-
ttiA- Id $50
students. Hundreds Of the students
were arrested. and the universities of
Petersburg, Moscow and Odessa
We're closed. The students, however.
their agitation for a consti-
Lution and popular government.
On October 90, 1883. another attempt
on the life of Alexander III. was made.
The imperial train was derailed. near
Borlli station. in southern Russia. and
-~wenty-one persons killed. The car
himself was slightly hurt.
This attempt on the life of the car
followed by still more repressive
Count Tolstoi, who had src-
ster. brought in a program of admin
.strative changes, substituting a CEN
radiation for local self-government.
virtually abolishing the zenstvos which
been created In 1864. The program
vas so radical and SO extreme in its
FSeiGlIDtlei y lblittIlGleS bldI the grand
'ouacil OF ministers refused to sanction
t. Alexander Ill. however, approved
t. ana it went into effect in February.
-S99.
More Expressive Measures.
Count Tolstoi, the reactionary minister
on May /, 1899, and his successor. Nj.
continued his repressive policy
On March 5. 1890, Maria Tshebrikova.
writer on education, addressed
etter to Alexander III, threatening him
With death for continuing to suppress the
iberties of the people. She was exiled
md almost Immediately the students oi
he universities of st. Petersburg, Kfeff
nd other cities organized demonstrations
lemanding q more liberal form of govern
e More wholesale arrests and pun.
shments followed.
l'or ten years the same struggle %contin-I
The nihlists had dropped into tho
'ac kground, but their demands for populI ,
ar government We're taken up by the
bodies. The burden of agitationI ,
always the same-free speech. a freej
ress. free conscience, a representative
~ =aA ;