The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-24
RUSSIA'S BATTLE FOR NEW ERA
Struggle Tor Popular Government Began i, n SOD
5s When Alexander III. Freed the Serfs. iS


Il was Of ganized repre- entatives to tho gem
era oomnlisE!o,, were y be appointed by
\, sToelrtls-inS addition t.. these there were
Ito no some riembers OF tho comralssio =
by trlperial appoint ment. ".
The general commissio n wa IS thus &to he
not more than sixty.ejght were Y to Z DO ..
!telccted. W NJ
II Assas sination Of Alexander II.
That was the first great step toward 2
moro pop larS form of e government FOR
Sussia eve. ken. u yao appro0Syed sb g
March Is, 1851, Alexander il. was assassi:i
mated, and al exa NJ der III !. succeeded ITO
1.-The throne. 81
sfsSlso fs
issued on March ed they; Q offered IL him
pea ce..$ he would ggrant n n leg islatlve
ssei1lbly to be elected by universal ,stlt-
dom OF consct fence.
Alexahder III. assembled the I rone with
liberia views. ~ He4 took up General Itor!s
to carry II ont and cali d repre-
sentative assent bly,. $s In fa ct, g two days
before he N! htllsts manifesto had offered
he haa
M ikoff prog ramme had been approved.
It Sts received seven d flrrnatl i've s3a votes,
against five mega tive " tes.$ Grand Duke
the affirmative, ifS 5 N ST.. 3s3 e
Old Struggle is Renewed.
81 The influence Of Stfe reac tionaryS party
however, y led BY NJ. 4, p donotseff, pro
sourat or Of the holy synod . was strong
enough to SCI uro5 the Y final defent OF the
fa AZ struggle between the bure ucraoy;
5Lorls aIeltkofr and Sother'i LIBERAL members
tns Eng reac
Al exander II II. under the infuenceS Of
the react lonary party, lnaugurated u
regn Of oppression more severe than any
CHIEF .lnlnister, issued "a proclamation on
May g, 1851, declaring for the suppression
81 lhe Z,
&to to assassinatlon, the government to exc
cutions iniprl sonme and banishments,
Gen ral streln off. public proseeut tor was
sysInatsd at,0dessa on 1882
petersburg pol Ice, and lais nsp heW were
Plots on Life Of the Gear.
In March, 1887. 4 a plot galnst the life
| Eof IA exund der III. was frustrated. . Two
hundred arrests followed. OF whom seven
In November Of 1887 the stringent res
| estrictlons In the studies OF Il the l,nyersl-
ties led to insu bordina ton among the stu
ed, and the Universities Of ST. Petersburg.
IEAIoscow8 and Odessa were G losed. Z Tho stu
dents ioWcyer, ontinued their agitation
for III constitution and popular govern
On October %, 1883. another attempt on
| tho life OF AZ lex der III. was made The
imp erlal train was ileraI led & near IT B orki
one persons Killed. The Gar Himself was
fills attempt on the lie Of the Car
was folio wed Vi Y =, stu more lepresslve
ceeded General IgnalIeff an chief minister,
Shrougll IN 10 Pre- ira nlme of admlnistra-
tive changes. subs ttutlng q centIaliza ton
ishlng tho zemstvos which lrad been ere
ated In 1854, n The pro gramme was so rad
sical and i SO extreme In its reac tionary
tendencies that the grand council OF min
tn saneton
into erect In FEBRUARY 1SsS. MN 'S'''
More Repressive Measures. "
Count TolstoL the reactionary minister,
died on May ~ 1899, and his successor, M,
IJournovo, continued his policy.
On March s. 1890 Maria rshebrlkoYa, q
Eopula writer on EDUCATION, addressed a
letter to Alexander + III threatening him
liberties 8of the people U She was cxlled,
and almost immediatelS Tho students 81
the uniyorsities OF ST. Petersburg, Is jeff,
and other cities organized demonstrations
demandins more lIberai form os goY,
punlslmcnts followed, q & x r s.5 y
ssF For ten years the Same strllgglo cons
tinuGd Tho nlhilists had dropped into tho
background, but their demands for pop,l-
oaiss Ss bas saos
was always the sam e--fleo speech, q free.
/ press, Ill free conscience. a. le presenta tlye
form, of government f q constitution, ~
irp II. y