The Irish standard., 1905-12-16
RIGA Insurgents
/ Capture fortress
ST. PETERSBURG RUMoR GIVES
GRAVE ASPECT TO RUS
SIAN SITUATION.
GOVERNOR MAKES AN
APPEAL FOR TROOPS
Baltic Provinces Ter Civil War
Governor Gs.lc.sA, with Sweeping
Power, ApEoi,,.ad to Rule District
Soldiers III Neas.iness.

AS"SAs SrSN W 4Nu1S 11SIi4CI
Soldiers i'll Readiness.
ST. Petersburg, via Eyiltkuhnen,
East Prussia, Dec. ll.-Reporls are in
Gil cuiation to the eject that lle in-
surgents at Riga have captured the
fortress there. lnqniries made at the
ministry of the interior resulted in the
statement being made that the gov
ernmcnts advices TO not confirm the
capture of the fortress and the seizure
OF the governor. The situation, how
ever, is admitted TO be grave. The
t>...itonal troops, Which were dis
patched
Near War in Provinces.
St. Petersburg. Via Ey,itkuhnen. PruS-
sia Dec 14.-Thc situation in the Baltic
provinces is NOW he most grave OF the
empires conditions. 1t approaches
civil war and the government has been
forced to appoint a governor general
with sweeping administrative powers
in an effort to restore order All The
troops in these provinces have been
placed under his command The im-
portation of arms, which nave been
entering the country in Large quaEli-
ties. and sale of weapons have been
prohibited. and the authorities are even
empowered to arrest for three months,
under an administrative order. persons
having arms i'll their possession.
Demand Autonomy for Poland.
Warsaw. Russian Poland. Dec. a.
A meeting of Az Catholic clergymen
of Russian Poland after ten hours
session during the night resolved
"Wednesday to demand autonomy for
Poland with its own parliament, gen
eral secret ballot. the reinstatement Of
the Polish language in government OIL
fees. the abolition of capital punish
ment and full amnesty for political
LriS0nCrs.
Claim He Advised Slaughter.
Two prominent men of Odessa hav,
declared their readiness to take a for
NAL oath that Gen. Kaulbars. gov
crnor-general of Odessa, said on Oc.
tober 19 that all the Jews in Odessa
must be massacred. The trains to the
Austrian frontier are booked full ter
days ahead. The police of the first
district Of this city have struck and
the authorities have been ordered to
arrest II Of the leaders. The rest are
confined to their barracks.
Set UP Provisional Government.
Berlin, Dec. 14.-A dispatch to the
I.okal Anzeiger from st. Petersburg.
via Eydtkuhnen. says that a message
from Riga announces that the Lithuai.
have formed 7 secret prOviSC i,al st~v.
ernment lil:, c...,:srs do rot d. X t.
go on the streets in uniform. that the
army is regarded by the Russian au.
thorities as unsafe.
Capital Again Cut Off.
The restoration of cable commnnica-
ton with points abroad lasted only Il
few hours. Very soon after ii was
reported that the cable was cut and
that dispatches must again be for.
warded by courier via the German
frontier Nevertheless the outlook is
clearing. The government is breath
ing freer with fighting chance that
Premier Witte will yet be able to steer
his way through the rocks which be
set his path. The threat of 4 genera
strike in the immediate future has dis
appeared and the telegraph strike moi
being supported is going to pieces ir
spite of the wild appeals of the uniol
to stand firm. At Moscow the tie-ul
remains complete but at many othel
places communication has been re
! opened, although in precarious fash
ion, as the employees of both the tele
graph and postal services, who wert
discharged by wholesale for refusin;
to work. are cutting the wires whereve
| it is possible to do so.
Leaders Realize Weakness.
| The real leaders of the workmen ant
other proletariat organizations, realiz
ing fully their weakness and lack o
| preparation for a decisive struggle. have
| carried the day aver the hOt-headet
| strikers and have easily convinced tht
majority that il would be an irretriev
! able blunder to prostitute what the!
I regard as the supreme instrument fol
! forging free nation by using it for 6
minor issue like redressing the griev
| ances Of private individuals. In reg
J istering this decision they placed
themselves on record "to continue the
| organization and equipment Of the fight
ing legions which the old president
! Krustaleff, began" thus virtually fur
! nisfling the government with evidenc.
confirming it's charges that articles 10.
and 1876, of the criminal code. prohibit
! ing participation in associations ths
object of which is armed revolt and th'
punishment for which is death, hav,
been violated by the strikers head or
! ganiZation.
Made Bishop Coadjutor.
Grand RAPIDS. Mich. Dec. 14.-Rev