New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-14

seItgers who arrived here from Riga to-day,
having walked $50 miles to get train at Plock,
not only confirm the report that a provisional
government has been set up in Livonia but they
say that many of the troops have gone over to
the rebels.
Dvina Fort, commanding Riga Harhor is in
their possession, and the Governor and other
Russian officials are prisoners. The messengers
add that the provisional government exercises
authority throughout Livonia and part of Cour-
land. The new government has declared the
separation of the Lithuanian people from the
Russian Empire. They have chosen new local
officials, decreed the closing of the spirit shops
and breweries, and have annrflled contracts be
tween the peasants and the land owners.
There is general uprising of the native peas
ants. who are travelling in armed bands, attack
ing the estates and driving off or killing their
owners. Some of the landowners have organ
lied volunteer battalions to protect their prop
erty, the authorities being powerless TO afford
aid but most of the proprietors are fleeing in
terror. The peasants have forbidden the OWL
ers to sell grain or lumber, and have formally
declared conf1scated the forests and estates Of
those who have departed.
Twelve thousand Cossacks have been dis
patched to the Baltic provinces
The condition of the peasants in these prov
nces has been the most deplorabIe of any in the
entire empire The feudal system practically
has continued to the present time. The peas
ants have been in a state of vassalage, at the
from J<h0
rent land purchase the right to cut wood and
to fish in the waters of the gulf.
The Russian officials are being expelled from
the provinces, and many of them have been
killed in the streets of the towns
There is a reign of terror at Riga. Women
and children are living in the upper stories of
houses, and foreign merchants are winding up
their business or abandoning everything in order
to escape.
It is doubtful whether the promise of local
self-government contained in to-day's imperial
ukase will have much effect, at least for the
present but it furnishes ample proof that the
government realizes it is helpless to restore
order without granting heavy concessions. The
partial concessions granted to the people of the
Baltic provinces are bound to encourage the
Poles. Georgians and other border peoples.
The Imperial Bank has announced that the
rates on all loans and discount operations will
be increased by one-half per cent until further
notice
The Bourse again weakened on reports of
commercial failures everywhere in the provinces,
and also in sympathy with the panic on the
Moscow exchange. Runs the savings banks
continue. The Almary, private bank, capital
lied at S25OO0O has closed its doors. This is
the first bank failure in st. Petersburg. The
State Bank in order to reassure public opinion,
opeued two additional windows to accommodate
the frightened holders of paper who desired to
exchange it for gold.
The League of Leagues has issued an adj !
dress saying that the recent acts of the govern |
ment proved it was attempting to suppress the !
emancipation movement, and that political free
dom could be obtained only by an armed strug- /
gle in which all the progressive elements were /
invited to join.
This league. which is now called the "Invisi-
BILE Government" has worked out a plan for
constituent assembly of 96S members, elected
from districts of 10000 inhabitants. The as
sembly on its convocation is TO assume entire
sovereignty. executive, legislative and judicial
The "Nasha Shisn" says that at conference
of grand dukes and court officials at Tsarskoe-
SaIo # was decided that Count White had proved
failure. and that the time had arrived for the
ad ,ption of firm measures, which could be EN-
pIoyed with less opposition under man Ike
Prince Sviatopolk- Mirsky, former Minister of
the Interior The paper says that another con
ference will be held tomorrow. at which Count
Witte will not be present
1t is reporte4 that Prince John Obolensky,
former Governor General of Finland, Viii sue
reed NJ Durnovo as Minister of the Interior.
The news drifting III from various parts OF
the interior shows that violence is decreasing,
but that the fernent is undated Every class
IF society is organizing parties and celebrating
,oIitical programmes. In some places the land
lords threaten that unless the government sup
presses the agrarian disorders they will refuse
TO nav taxes 10 the nobility or interest 10 the
banks on loans They say that they will take
the law into their own hands. organize guards
10 protect their property. and. if necessary,
make reprisals by burning the peasants vii
ages.
A meeting of six thousand workmen has
been held in Moscow, which it is said soldiers
we're present who pledged themselves to fight to
he last drop of blood to bring about the down
fall of imperial rule. an eight hour work day
and division of the land to the peasants.
bas haan in