The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-22
PICKED TROOPS ARE
 GUARDING THE PALACE
City of St. Petersburg Seems
 in a State of Siege.
Minister Muravien Attempts to Dis suade Father Gopon from Endeav- bring to Present Petition to the Cxar, But the Priest
 is UnshaIken In His
 Resolve.

e, petersburg. Jan. 22.-Despite of- aciaI assurances at midnight that the situation was well in hand. that ample precaution had been taken to protect the industrial quarter and to insure the safety of the city, the greatest un- easiness today pervades the entire population Picked troops are station d at various points in the city ana each house contains a miniature gar rison with gendarmes in the conrt wards and machine guns ready TOT the first emergency. The winter palace IS strongly picketed with Grand Duke Vladimir in command. Final ihstruc tions were issued tonight.
 The nIan of the government is to preyent the workmen from coming to the centre of the city today by guard ing gates and bridges. colnslop therefore is believed to be more hKeiy to occur in the outskirts of St. Fe- tersburg.
 Meantime strikers are carrying out their original program The few nitis and factories remaining active in the citv were closed during the day, one of the last of them being the great nowder mill. Strike leaders visited avery shop in the city and all of them even those of butchers and bakers and laundries. were closed. Traffic was stopped on the street car lines. the men having joined the strikers.
 Plans Not Abandoned.
 pranarations for a big demonstration fin the winter palace square at ? o'clock today have not been suspended. all though the leaders have been warned that if cannot take place and that the Emperor will not be there. The workmen are convinced that His Ma desty will appear and listen to the grievances set forth in the petition.
 xrghi the invitation to Emperor Nicholas to attend the meeting having failed to gain access to his ajesty. Father Co., pon today sent 1t by his Secretary 10 Interior Minister Sviatopolk-Mirsky.
 During the day Antoniuss Metropon- tan of St. Petersburg. formally excom- municated Father Gopon on the ground that he was causing the people to rise against the Emperor. the head of the church.
 Rumors that the troops have plainly indicated their sympathy with the strikers and that if 1t comes to col lision they will refuse to fire on the strikers, are everywhere rife and the workmen themselves are thoroughly convinced that such Is the case. But the authorities maintain that the loyal ty of the troops is beyond question pointinE out that the only time that Russian regiments showed treachery was in the December revolution of 1921, when the guard regiments parti- cipated, but they say that the troops were then soldiers of fortune return ing to Russia after the Napoleontc wars. fmbued with the revolutionary ideas of France. If the troops mutiny end join the strikers the government will not be facing riot, but revolution.
 Priest and Minister.
 Father Gopon at the request of the minister. went to the Ministry of Justice today and had long interview with M Muravieff, at which the min ister tried to dissuade him from his program for Sunday. Father Gopon, however, could not be budged, and at the end of the interview left saying:
 we must each do our duty accord ing to the light given us."
 The plan of the workmen is to as- semble at three points, the Putiloff, and the Oubokoff works and the island of Vassili Ostov and march to the palace square.
 They are fully convinced the Elm peror will be there to receive their petition. The representative of the As sociated Press went among many groups of the workmen but found no one who expressed doubt as to the emperor's meeting him. All spoke of him most reverently. and they insisted that ne IS kept ln lBHOEduCS Oh tlAS truth and that once he has heard of their grievances they will receive jus tice. They said that they wanted shor- ter hours and better pay and also polf- tical liberty; but the ideas of most of the men on the latter subject are rudi- mentary and they could not exactly ex- plain them; the only concrete coneep- tion being that they wanted condition such as exists in Germany.
 fhaxy did mt want any amnerOr at all They declared their peaceful intentions and says they did not want to fight They seemed to entertain little fear of being shot down.
 The soldiers are on our side" said one of the leaders. They may fire on the place but not on us"
 Accuse Grand Duke.
 Not one of the workmen raised a voice against the emperor though they did not spare some of the imperial family, especially Grand Duke Alexis who with others they charged with being responsible for Russia's defeat in the war in the far east saying that these persons kept the emperor in ignorance of the true situation. Some of them repeated current gossip about Grand Duke Alexis and the Russian Fleet. We know what happened in a eAeatre some time ago. when his mis- tress came on the stage covered with jewels, said one of the men. ''The galleries hissed her and the people present cried out, Take them of; they are not diamonds, but drops of Rus sian blood"
 Late tonight it was reported that q strike had been declared in the paper mills In Finland. and rumors are cur. rent that if blood is spilled in St. Pc. tersburg today there will be many SC. rious rislngs throughout Russia. The rumors, however, probably belong tC the crop of startling stories with which the city Is filled. Private letters from Helsingfors tonight do not give tho slightest intimation of movement among the Films.
 Father Gopon sent a letter to Min. ister of the Interior Sviatopolk- -AIirsky today begging that E;panaror Nicholas