Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-12-14
By Emperor for Plotting
Against Government?
Wild Rumor Says He Plotted
to Establish Dictatorship.
Affairs in Russia 6oing From Bad to Worse
Riot Rules in Riga.

| London, Dec. 1.-THE correspondent
| of the Times at ST. Petersburg says a
wild story is in circulation there that
| Gen. Count Alexis Ignatieff has been
| arrested by order Of the Emperor for
| plotting to establish a dictatorship. In
quiry at Count Ignatieff's house, the
correspondent says, failed to elicit Ell
ther confirmation or denial of the story.
ST. Petersburg, Tuesday, Dec. IA
Evening).-Via Helsingfors. Finland,
| and Berlin, Dec. 13.-Two messengers
who arrived here from Riga, today,
having walked about 100 miles to catch
| train at Plock, not only connrm 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 insurrectionists.
Dvina Fort. commanding Riga har-
Dor, is in their possession and the gov
ernor and other Russian officials are
prisoners. The messengers add that the
provisional government exercises au-
Ithority through Livonia and part OF
Courland. The new government has
declared the separation Of the Lithua-
nian people from the Russian empire.
They have chosen new local officials
and have decreed the closing of the
spirit shops and breweries and the an
nulment Of contracts between the peas
ants and the land owners. There Ia a
general uprising of the native peasants
who are travelling in armed bands, at
tacking the estates and driving off or
killing their owners.
Some of the land owners have organ
lied volunteer battalions to protect
their property, but the majority are
fleeing in terror
me position of the peasants in these
provinces has been the most deplorable
Oh any IN the entire empire. Conditions
almost approaching those Of the feudal
system have been continued down to
the present time.
Ihe Russian officials are being expell-
ed from the provinces and many of
them have been killed in the streets of
the towns.
There is reign Of terror at Riga.
Women and children are living in the
upper stories of houses and foreign
merchants are winding up their busi-
ness or abandoning everything in order
to escape.
1t is doubtful whether the promise
OF local self-government contained in
today's imperial ukase will have much
erect. at least for the present but IL
furnishes ample proof that the govern
ment realizes it is helpless to restore
order without granting heavy conces-
Sons.
Runs on the savings banks continue.
TIE Almary, private bank capitalized
at $25O.0O0, has closed it's doors, being
the first bank failure in ST. Petersburg.
Inc state bank, in order to reassure
pubic opinion, opened two additional
windows to accommodate the frighten-
ed holders of paper who desire to ex-
change it for gold
The League of Leagues has issued an
ADDRESS, declaring that the recent acts
OF the government proved it was at
tempting to suppress the emancipation
movement and demonstrated that polit
1cal freedom could only be obtained by
an armed struggle in which all the
progressive elements were invited to
Join.
Th" Nasha Shishn claims to be in
possession of information to the effect
that at conference of grand dukes
and court officials held at Tsarskoe-Se-
~ - "do ueciueu tndt OouHt Wltte mad
proved failure and that the time had
arrived for the adoption Of firm meas
ures which would be employed with LEGS
opposition under a man like Prince
Sviatopolk-Mirsky, former minister OF
the interior The paper declares that
a further conference will be held. to-
morrow. at which Count Witte will not
be present.
1t Is reported that Prince John Obol-
ensky, former governor general Of Fin
land. will succeed M. DurnOyo as min
lister of the Interior
Twelve thousand Cossacks have been
despatched to the Baltic provinces.
ho