Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-11-11
PAST week in RUSSIA
WHOLE STRUCTURE OF AUTO
CRATIC REGIME is FALLING.
Emperor Nicholas No Longer Resists
Aspirations Of Finlanders Realized
at Last-sad Story of Their Past
Text Of Cars Manifesto-Old Laws
Wiped out-New Government Now.

ST. Petersburg, Nov. 6.-The whole
structure of the autocratic regime is
falling, and Emperor Nicholas no
longer resists. The memorable week
which began with abdication of abso-
lutism before a political strike dem
ontsration extending throughout the
confines Of the empire, and reducing
the government to impotence, and the
birth of a new and popular regime
amid scenes of disorder, pillage and
bloodshed, ends in a complete surren-
der to the aspirations of the Finland
ers.
The sad story of the classification
of Finland began under the regime
of Emperor Nicholas father with the
introduction of the Russian postal sys-
TEN, and attracted the sympathy of the
world. One by one the Finnish grand
duchy was stripped of ancient privi-
leges by the Russian administration,
including the gendarmerie, and mill
tary CONSUMPTION and the use of the
Russian language were introduced.
Finally the Finnish diet became Who'll
ly emasculated and was powerless. ex-
cept to protest.
The Firms fought sturdily, but Rus
sian troops garrisoned every town and
hundreds OF prominent Firms were
driven into exile. AS with all cities
in Russia, political intrigue and OBJ
to political criminals of various cat
struction, their only weapons, proved
unavailing. After the issuance of the
imperial rescript of March 3, the Fin
landers managed to wrest some con-
cessions, including the restoration of
the Finnish language; and this week
they were quick to see and to seize an
opportunity, while all the attention of
the government was engrossed on the
impore proper They struck and tied
up the railroads over which troops
could be dispatched, and compelled the
emperor's appointed senate to resign
in body. They organized a militia
in Helsingfors, practically drove the
Russian gendarmerie out of the city,
and sent a deputation to Prince John
Obolensky, the governor general, and
also one to Peterhof to demand the
immediate convocation of the diet in
extraordinary session and the oblit-
Grafton of the whole classification pol
icy The situation was so threatening
that the government was obliged to
send warships to Helsingfors and
turn the guns of the fort on the city.
On the advice of Count White and
Prince Obolensky, Emperor Nicholas
yielded and signed a manifesto not
only convoking the diet. but giving it
control of the budget and authorizing
an election law providing for universal
suffrage. Another manifesto abro-
gates the military and other laws of
classification
The success of the Finnish program
may inspire a similar spirit in Poland.
The manifesto of Emperor Nicholas
granting the demands of the Firms
convokes the diet December 20; abol-
ishes the dictatorship; rescinds Cover
nor General Bobrikoff's illegal enact
ments; annuls the manifesto of Feb
ruary Is, 1899, which provides for COM
mon legislation for the empire and all
the laws since then enacted. 1t an
nounces that the extraordinary diet
now convoked is for the revision OF
the diets electoral basis. The ukase
gives power to elaborate a new system
of representation. based on universal
suffrage and for a report to the ad-
ministration which win make it re-
sDOnsible before the diet
The ukase provides for the formu-
lation of laws giving practical auton-
omy. The emperor has accepted the
resignation of the entire senate and
has virtually promised to remove the
governor general of Finland, Prince
John Obolensky.