The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-18
DIRECT CHALLENGE.


 DIRECT CHALLENGE.
 As.avsinatiOn Work of sOciaIistic Rev- OIutiOnists.
 st. Petersburg, Feb. 1S.-(2 a. m.)-- The assassination of Grand Duke Ser gius undoubtedly was the work of the fRhting organization of the socialistic revolutionary party. which condemned and executed Count Bobrikoff, Govern or-General of Finland, and NM. Sipi- guaIne and von Plehve, Ministers of the Interior. It Is regarded as di- rect challenge from the terroristS to autocracy and revival of the famous duel between the Nihilists and the Government of twenty-five years ago. Opinions differ to the political ef- Y feet of the tragedy, some tnelining to | a view that the killing of a member of | the imperial family may cause Nich- | oIas II. to revive a period of reaction, but this opinion is not generally shared. The murder of Grand Duke Sergius l just at the time when the forces of Liberalism were again in the supremacy and when the summoning of the gem sky zabor was assured, meets with universal disapprobation, even by ex- treme Social Democrats, who denounce the crime as strongly as do the lib- erals ana the COuSeTNdLlV6S.
 According to a high authority the decision had been already taken ofi- cially to proclaim the zemsky zabor on Feb. 22. M. Souvorin, editor of The Novoe Vremya, said to the Associated Press last night:
 "I do not believe this crime can now interfere with the carrying out of re- form, to which the Government Is too far committed I am certain the xem- z1r zat xryfI1 Esa 0kA as,A assembled without awaiting the tsrunl- nation of the wal"
 Prince shirinsky sehahmatofR, who had an audience with Emperor Nicho- las at Tsarskoe-selo yesterday, was frankly told by the Emperor that the zemsky zabor would be elected under a class franchise by the nobles, clergy, , merchants and peasants. but that all the deputies would sit together, and the committee of ministers. the As- sociated Press is informed, was yester- day charged by the Emperor with the appointment of a committee to work up the details of the electoral machinery.
 Shocked the Emperor.
 The news of the tragic death of his uncle was brought to the Emperor while he was giving an audience to General Grippenberg and caused him great shock. By the Emperors direction, the members of the imperial family who are at Tsarskoe-Selo in connection with the visit of Prince Frederick Leopold of Prussia, were immediately summoned to the chapel, where a requiem was held. A state requiem. at which members of the diplomatic corps will be present, is an- nounced for today, the funeral arrange ments have not yet been made; but in acordance with tradition the funeral probably will be on an imposing scale The body will probably lie in state several days in the church of the | Ascension In the Kremlin, where Elm | peror Nicholas was crowned. Thence it will be brought to St. Petersburg and | placed in the RomanofH tomb in the great cathedral of St. Peter and St.
 Paul. inside the fortress. The tragedy
 was the sole topic of conversation at
 the clubs and hotels last night, news ! paper extras early in the evening hav- ing spread the news throughout St.
 Petersburg.
 The story is going the rounds that Grand Duke Sergius himself, at the last moment, finding the tide against
 him, was won over to the plan of | summoning the zemsky zabor and that he sent a messenger to Emperor
 Nicholas outlining his views as to the
 composition of the body. It is added
 that the messenger arrived at almost
 the same time that the bomb was | thrown in Moscow. According to Ser | gius's plan 1t was proposed that each l province should have six representa-
 lives in the convention. two each of BoIes, the merchants and peasants. 1 All theatres were closed last night. | The period of court mourning will put
 an end to the little gayety which SO | far has marked the social season at | the Russian capital
 Sensntion in Paris.
 l Paris. Feb. 1.-The assassination of
 Grand Duke Sergius caused a sensa-
 tion here and is everywhere discussed
 as another of the long series of Rus
 the tragedy as being part of a sin
 Rular line of fatalities.
 The Temps says: It is is easy to
 see why Grand Duke Sergius was
 marked out as a victim of the revo- lutionists, as among all the uncles of the Emperor Sergius had the great
 est influence upon him. It was known l that the EmperoT's valuable efforts
 were checked through Sergius, who In particular recently opposed the Rp- peal of the provincial delegates.
 '"The grand duke was unpopular in Moscow owing to the haught de-
 meanor and hard reactionary spirit. although the Grand Duchess Elizabeth
 was pOpularly adored. Recently she
 was warned not to appear with her husband, which meant that his as- l sassination had been decided upon. It
 is significant that the assassins pur- sued the plans as on the occasion Of the assassination of the late Interior
 Minister Won Plehve."
 News in Rome
 1 Rome. FeL. 1T.-The tragic death of
 Grand Duke Sergius produced a pro-
 found impression here, especially as 1 his wife was known in Rome, having 1 9A.- ..f.g4.a tha aI{ar "a uffa1 Erfug