The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-11-01
TIE AU1OCRiT YIELDS.
MANIFESTO OF CAR GRANTING
CONSTITUTIONAL GOV
ERNMENT.
He Could No Longer Withstand the
Pressure and Bows to the Demand
OF His Aroused Subjects for a
Measure Of Liberty.

Measure of Liberty.
St. Petersburg, October 30.-When
Car Nicholas II tonight affixed his
signature to the manifesto proclaim
ing a constitutional government, he
ceased to be autocrat of all the Rus
slams, in name even, and became
merely a figure head-a monarch by
courtesy. Tonight Count Stegius
Witte is the real ruler of Russia, and
nenceforth even this strong man will
direct the government only as the
representative of the people of Rus
sia.
Emperor Nicholas has surrendered,
and Count Witte comes into power as
alinister-president, with an imperial
mandate, which will enable him to
convert the farcical National Assem-
bly, into real legislative body elected
by greately extended suffrage and to
confer upon the people fundamental
civil liberties, including free speech.
These welcome tidings reached ST.
Petersburg shortly before s o'clock
this evening, Count Witte had spent
the day with the Emperor at Peter
hof, going over the final draft of the
T., which ba inCicfa6 thof
certain minor notifications be made,
and before taking the train for st.
Petersburg he telephoned to friend
that the Emperor had affixed his sig
nature. and that the imperial man
date, comprising the conditions upon
which he had agreed to eccept Of
fee was in his pocket Thee include
freedom Of the press, the right Of as
sembly and the immunity Of the per-
son, including the right of habeas
corpus.
Count Witte insisted on cabinet
on the British model. with a selected
premier responsible to the Imperial
Douma, or parliament, while the En-
peror clung to the appointment Of
members of the cabinet, on the Amer
lean plan, by the Emperor as Chief
of State.
The Manifesto.
The following is the text of the
imperial manifesto:
eve, Nicholas the second, by the
grace of God emperor and autocrat
Of all the Russias, grand duke Of Fin
land, etc., declare to all our faithful
subjects that the troubles and agita-
ton in our capitals and in numerous
other places fill our heart with ex-
cessive pain and sorrow.
1.-The happiness Of. the Russian SOW
ereign is indissolutely bound up with
the happiness of our people and the
sorrow of our people is the sorrow of
the sovereign.
From the present disorders may
arise great national disruption. They
menace the integrity and unity of our
empire.
1.-The supreme duty imposed upon
us by our sovereign Office requires us
to efface ourself and to use all the
force and reason at our command to
hasten in securing the unity and CO.
ordination Of the power of the central
government and to assure the success
Of measures for pacifcation in all
circles of public life, which are es-
sential to the we'll being Of our peo-
pie.
1--WE, therefore, direct our govern
ment to carry out our inf1exible Will
in the following manner:
"First-To extend to the population
the iramutable foundations Of civic
liberty, based on the real inviolability
of person, freedom Of conscience,
speech, union and association.
"Second-W Without suspending t-le
already ordered elections to the state
duoma, to invite to participa-
ton in the duoma, so far
as the limited time before
the convocation of the duoma will
permit, those classes Of the popula-
ton now completely deprived Of cleo
toral rights, leaving the ultimate de
velopment of the principle of the
electoral right in general to the new
ly established legislative order Of
things.
"Third-To establish as an un-
changeable rule that no law shall be
enforceable without the approval Of
the state duoma and that it shall be
possible for the elected Of the people
+o ovoro;co roo1 particiD ma tiOn in the