Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-25
CRISIS is
AT HAND
Russia Face to Face
With Civil War
Test of Strength Must
Come at Once
RevolutIonarIes Have Made Good
Their Threat to Transform the
Strike into an Armed
Rebellion
By Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. "a, $40 p.
rn.-With Moscow's baptism of blood,
the revolutionaries made good their
threat to transform the strike into
armed rebellion and the next forty
eight hours should determine whether
they can marshal sufficient strength to
plunge into an actual state of civil war
and seriously threaten the immediate
downfall of t. government.
The government processes confidence
that the whole attempt will fail owing
to the woeful insufficiency of arms in
possession of the proletarlat and by
reason of the loyalty of the army.
A few arsenals might be seized
to furnish arms, or the open sup
port of few regiments might start a
landslide on the army. Certainly the
shrewdest of the revolutionary leaders
fully appreciate that the issue must be
decided by the attitude of the army,
which is yet to cast the die.
Instructions have gone forth that ris-
ings must occur everywhere in order
to test the troops. and If foothold can
be secured 1T is the intention of the
revolutionaries to set up a provisional
government and proclaim republic.
Thus far reports from MOSCOW do not
clear up the vital point as to whether
any of the troops here actually refused
to obey commands, although there are
persistent rumors that they did. Revo-
lutionary leaders here claim to have
confirmation of a report that a grena-
dier brigade and some Cossacks mu-
tinted and are now locked up in their
barracks.
While the military succeeded every
where in driving the insurgents from
their barricades in Moscow Satur day
light. the defeat evidently was not
q decisive one, as barricades were again
thrown up in dozens of places this
morning and fighting was renewed be-
fore II o'clock.
The Associated Press understands
that orders have been issued for an up
rising here, but the governments s
measures seemingly render this impos-
sible. No meetings, public or private,
are allowed, which makes an assembly
of more than five persons in a private
lodging illegal. The prisons and jails
are filed with leaders of the revolu"
tionaries and agitators. Two caches of
arms have been seized and an entire
organization consisting of 300 Cru
jipa," as the student militia is called,
has been captured.
Rumors were purposely circulated that
o conflict wo lid be inaugurated at a
demonstr alton of worlmen in the New
sky Prospect this afternoon, but they
proved to be unfounded. The city in
fact was unnaturally calm ON the sur
face. and q stranger dropping down the
Nevsky Prospect this afternoon would
have seen no evidences of ferment. 1t
was a bright crisp winter day and
smart sleighs and equipages of the aris-
tooracy. with their occupants cloaked
in sables and other rich furs, were out
in force. Only the sullen faces of the
crowds of strikers on the sidewalks
and heavy horses and foot patrols on
every block looked ominous.
If the plans of the revolutionaries
TO produce an uprising in st. Peters
burg fail, as 1t is believed they will, an
attempt certainly will be made to ter
rorize the government by guerrilla
warfare in which bombs will play the
chief role. The government having
embarked in a war against the "Reds"
it is difficult to see how it can draw
back one step.
The acceptance by Governor General
Doubassoff of Moscow Of the offer of
the notorious reactionary, Prince
Tcherbatoff, to organize the loyalists
as militia has created a shudder of
horror.