Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-11-02
AUTOCRAT NO MORE
The Car Has Heard the Voice Of
People at Last.
COUNT WITTE MINISTER-PRESIDENT
musyin Now Has u Constitution b"Sc"
ON the British Cabinet Fl"H-
strikers Rejoice and sing
National Anthem.

~ Petersburg, Oct. 31-Monday
might the autocracy Of the Romanons
ana the older order Of things ceasea
% exist l., Russia Emperor Nicholas
Nnu surrendered and Count Wltte
comes into power as minister-presl-
dent with an imperial mandate wn'cn
Will enable him to convert the farcicai
national assembly into a real legisla-
tive body elected by greatly EXTENDED
suffrage and to confer upon the people
Fundamental civil liberties. including
ereo speech. These welcome tidings
reached st. Petersburg shortly BEFORE
aIx o'clock Monday evening. Count
Witte had spent the day with the EN-.
veror at Reterhof, going over the nnal
draft Of the manifesto to which ne IN
mlsted that certain minor notifications
l,e made and before taking tho train
Tor st. Petersburg he telephoned TO a
friend that the emperor had amxeo
his signature and that the imperial
mandate comprising the conditions
mon which he had agreed to accept
once was in his pocket These inciuoe
freedom Of press, the right OF assembly
and the immunity Of the person. includ-
ing the right of Habeas corpus
81 am sure the American people,
VINO understand what freedom 49, ana
ahe American press, which voices the
wishes of the people, will rejoice with
the friendly Russian nation at this mo-
ment. when the Russian people nave
neeeiyed from His Imperial Majesty
the promise and the guarantees OF
freedom, and will join in the hope that
che Russian people will wisely aid IN
ahe realization Of those liberties by CO.
operating with the government Tor
their peaceful introduction. Only thus
will 1t be possible to secure the 1ull
benefits Of the freedom conferred upon
the people"
Count Witte, Russia's first premier
Monday night sent the above message
70 the American people through tn
Associated press. He had Just arrived
1t his residence on Kammeniovro'
Prospect from Peterhof, where, In tn
Alexander palace, the emperor tw'
hours before had given his final ap
proval to a manifesto and to pro
Rramme which will forever end tn
rule Of absolutism exercised by hin
ana his Romanoff ancestors for 80
years.
! A simple perusal Of tho manifest
shows how complete is the emperor
nbdicatlon Of his autocratic powe
The very style Of the document
clear and direct and devoid OF tn
verbose, vague and bombastic phrase
ology which heretofore has character
fzed His Majesty's manifestos. 1t nj
only betrays real authorship, b.
shows that the emperor at last h'
irrevocably bowed to the inevitabl
He does not even conceal the IA
that the discomfort and agitation
his subjects has driven him to tai
the step and practically yields ever
thing-civIl liberty, the inyiolability
person, and liberty Of conseienS
speech and assembly He not on
converts the farcial imperial doun
With only consultative power. into
absolute legislative assembly vitho
the assent Of which no measure sh
become law and before which all 60
srnmental authorities must answer. }
promises eventually universal suhral
The title "sutocrat Of all the RI
sias," with which the manifesto
gins, now takes rs place with the Il
a king Of Jerusalem" born By
King Of Spain and the emperor Of Al
fria, and with other obsolete uues
European soverelens.
}. Pierpont Morgan jr, and Geo
". Perkins we're with Finance Minis
KokovesoH when the latter reeei'
ne news.
i vas a dramatic momnt Ths n
a..-a-----