Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-20
BOTH ARE CONFIDENT
Government and Russian
Strikers on Eve Of Contest.
INTENSE EXCITEMENT
GENERAL STRIKE THROUGHOUT
EMPIRE SET FOR TOMORROW.
Workmen's Decision to Close Down
Everything-Crisis in Army Hoped
for by Leaders.
INTENSE EXCITEMENT

ST. PETERSBURG, December, 20, 1:3o
p.m.-The proclamation of general strike
tomorrow at noon has created the most In
tense excitement If It can be successfully
inaugurated and maintained the revolution
aries are confident that 1t will break the
governments back.
In government circles. however. conf
dence Is expressed that the proletariat or
ganizations cannot effect complete stie-up
and that the strike must be of short du-
ration. This hope seems based on the the
ory that the extreme program OF the reds
has alienated the sympathy of a large pro-
portion of the real workmen and also upon
what they claim to be absolute knowledge
that the organizations are without funds.
The governments calculations. however.
have proved deplorably at variance with
the true situation in the past and the
strike leaders declare the government Is
again hopelessy ignorant of the magnitude
of the struggle confronting it. Their plans
are exceedingly ambitious. From the nature
of the appeals of the leaders to the troops
1t is evident that they expect to precipi-
tate crisis in the army.
The central committee Of the railroad
men of Moscow, which determined the is
sue last night by voting in favor of
strike, has telegraphed over the railroad
lines that the employees Of twenty-five
roads are ready to stop all traffic.
The decision is to close everything in the
empire--railroads, manufactures, whole
sale and retail stores and all government
work except the water works.
The bakeries in the cities, however, will
not be closed SO long as they do not raise
their prices. If they raise the price of bread
even the bakeries will be closed. 1t was
proposed In Moscow to exempt the electric
light plants but this was defeated.
Hope for Gradual Extension Of Strike.
Although the blow Is timed for tomorrow
noon, on account of the difficulty of COM
munication, the strike leaders do not hope
to bring the life of the empire to stand
still by single stroke, but they will labor
for gradual extension of the strike move
ment.
The nature of the manifesto of the work.
mems council of Moscow to the army Is SO
infiammatory that even the radical papers
are afraid to print it. During the striket
is proposed to stop all papers and to print
and distribute only the organ of the work.
mems council.
The ponce are nuntlng GOWN ana drreStlpS
the strike leaders as rapidly as they can be
found, but comparatively few captures have
been made, as the leaders keep in hiding,
avoiding their residences and meeting in
secret, each time at a different locality.
Helplessness of Government.
The helplessness of the government IN
this crisis is demonstrated by the inability
of Interior Minister Durnovo last night to
get through instructions to arrest the men,
bers of the workmen's council of Moscow.
He attempted to use the railroad wires, but
the operators obeyed the dictum Of the
council and refused to send the message.
The government is even unable to forward
Instructions to Gen. Linevitch commander
of the Manchurian army. Five operators in
succession on the railroad lines declined to
send cipher dispatch signed by the en-
peror.
Chance for Saving Situation.
The Molva in an editorial today says the
only possibility of saving the situation is
the supersession OF Premier Witte and
Finance Minister Shipoff.
Should the final decision at Tsarskoe-Selo,
where the cabinet resumed consideration of
the election law today. be In favor of univer-
sal suffrage, 1t might have considerable In
f1uence on the situation.
The Novoe Vremya prints a dispatch from
Riga, dated December 1S saying that the
Let's are completing their armed organiza-
the troops from the country, destroy ng the
bridges and Transforming the castles and
residences of the landlords into forts. AS
fast as the country Is cleared of troops
and Germans the Let's are setting up local
administrations. Preparations are making
for general convention of representatives
of Lithuania, at which women will be
granted the right to vote.