Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-07-27
POLICE WATCH
OVER zEMSTvO
The First Representative Rus
sian Congress
Meets.
GATHERS IN PRIVATE HOME
Prince D~oIgorukoff Takes the Init
ative-Many Persons Not Delegates
Request That Their Names Be
Taken BY the Police.

Moscow, July 20.-With the project
Of police present the first zemstvo
congress was called to order at noon
yesterday in the home OF Prince
Dolgorukoff.
st. Petersburg, July 20.-The EN-.
stvo congress at Moscow is exciting
keen interest in st. Petersburg but
the newspapers have received strict
orders not to mention it. The Sloyo
however, defes the prohibition and
prints a dispatch of several thousand
words, covering the proceedings Of
the congress-.
Moscow, July 20.-The meeting OF
the congress was attended by 225 del
egates. Count Heyden. leader of the
deputation representing the congress
recently received by the emperor, pre-
sided.
M. Golovine, president of the organ
izing committee, had barely started a
statement dealing with the obstacles
placed in the way of the congress, an
%nouncing that Governor General Kos
loft had promised that there would
be no recourse to extreme measures,
when the chief of police with numer-
Gus commissaries and officials enter
ed the room. The chief announced
that The project had prohibited the
meeting of the congress and ordered
the seizure of the documents. Count
Heyden protested against the pro-
~ceedings, but the chief of police be-
gan taking the names of the dele
gates. Then cries were raised of
write down the whole of Russia"
Many persons present who were not
delegates to the congress, requested
that their anne also be taken. The
police then departed In order to draw
up summons and the sitting was re-
sumed.
The scheme of a national assembly
on the basis outlined by the committee
presided over by M. Bouligin, minister
of the interior, was minutely and
critically discussed and denounced as
totally inadequate to remove Russia's
internal grievances, because, includ-
ing a property qualification n an
electoral system by classes, it pre-
vented the assembly from thoroughly
interpreting the will of the nation,
while he exclusion of numerous cate
gories of citizens from the franchise
was a contradiction of the principles
of equity and reasonable state policy.
At the same time it was recognized
that the proposed assembly would
comprise a considerable portion or
the social forces of the empire n
serve as the center of a social move
ment which would ten to secure pol
itical liberty and regular national rep
resentation. Therefore it was conSit-
cred desirable that in the event OF
the carrying out of the Bouligin or a
similar project, the delegates of the
zemstvoists and municipalities should
participate in the assembly to the
greatest possible extent with the OBJ
ject of forming a compact group and
to obtain a guarantee of individual and
public liberties.
Numerous resolutions, embodying
the foregoing criticisms were adopt
ed unanimously. as were also resolu-
tions complaining of excessive admin
istrative and police control Of cleo
lions and insisting that publicity he
given to the proceedings of the pro-
posed assembly which should be in
direct relations with the Emperor
without interference from the council
of the empire.
Moscow July 21.-The Zemstvo con-
gress reassembled yesterday without
interference on the part of the auth
critics and commenced a discussion of
the proposed constitution.
The meeting was again held at the
residence Of Prince Dolgorukoff. The
first resolution proposed protested
against the violation of private rights
and the general arbitrariness of the
authorities. A delegate from Tver,
central Russia, maintained that the
resolution was not strong enough and
it was finally referred to a committee
to be redrafted.
Later an amended resolution was
presented and passed. 1t likewise
protests against the constant violation
of the private and social rights of Rus
sian citizens by administrative Off
cialdom, and calls upon all local Off
Gals to protect the sufferers from
the present abuses and protests
against illegal and arbitrary acts car
ried out by the authorities.
The scheme for a constitution as
elaborated by a committee of the
congress was next discussed and It's
details criticised by the delegates.
The chief points raised were the omis-
sion of adequate pr~oportionate rep
resentation and nonrecognition Of fe-
male suffrage.
BY a vote of 220 to Z the congress
passed the first reading of the project
as submitted and copies of it vii! now
be distributed for examination and
distribution.
The congress rejected a proposal
that after the denomination OF the
project the zemstvos organize a gen.
eral petition thereon to the emperor.