Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1905-11-02


night the autocracy Of tile Itomanon
ant the older order of things ceased
TO exist IL Russia. Emperor Nicholas
has surrendered and Count Wittn
comes into power as minister-presi-
den, with an imperial mandate which
will enable him to convert the farcical
rational assembly into a real legisla-
tive body elected by greatly extended
suffrage and to confer upon the people
fundamental civil liberties. including
srea speech. These welcome tidings
reached st. Petersburg shortly before
six o'clock Monday evening. Count
Witie had spent the day with the en-
peror ut Peterhof, going over the final
draft of the manifesto to which he In
sisted that certain minor notifications
je made and before taking the train
for st. Petersburg he telephoned to n
friend that the emperor had affixed
his signature ami that the imperial
mandate comprising the conditions
upon which he had agreed to accept
Office was in his pocket These include
freedom Of press. the right Of assembly
ind the Immunity OF the person. includ-
ing the right of Habeas corpus.
81 am sure the American people,
who understand what freedom is. and
the American press. which voices the
wishes Of the people, will rejoice with
the friendly Russian nation at this mo-
ment, when the Russian people have
received from His Imperial Majesty
the promise and the guarantees OF
freedom. and will join in the hope that
the Russian people will wisely aid in
the realization of those liberties by CO.
operating with the government for
their peaceful introduction. Only thus
will it be possible to secure the full
benefits of the freedom conferred upon
the people"
Count White, Russia's first premier,
Monday night sent the above message
to the American people through the
Associated press. He had just arrived
at his residence on Kammeniovrov
Prospect from Peterhof, where, in the
Alexander palace, the emperor two
hours before had given his final ap-
proval to q manifesto and to a pro-
gramme which will forever end the
rule of absolutism exercised by him
and his Romanoff ancestors for 800
years.
A simple perusal of the manifesto
shows how complete is the emperors
abdication of his autocratic power.
The very style of the document is
clear and direct and devoid Of the
verbose, vague and bombastic phrase
ology which heretofore has character
lied His Majesty's manifestos. 1t not
only betrays real authorship, but
shows that the emperor at last has
irrevocably bowed to the inevitable.
He does not even conceal the fact
that the discomfort and agitation of
his subjects has driven him to take
the step and practically yields every
thing-civil liberty, the inviolability of
person, and liberty of conscience,
speech and assembly. He not only
converts the farcial imperial douma,
with only consultative power, into an
absolute legislative assembly without
the assent of which no measure shall
become law and before which all gov
ernmental authorities must answer, but
promises eventually universal suffrage.
The title "autocrat of all the Rus
sias," with which the manifesto be-
gins, now takes its place with the title
Of king of Jerusalem" born by the
King of Spain and the emperor of Aus
tria, and with other obsolete titles of
European sovereigns.
]. Pierpont Morgan, jr., and George
w. Perkins were with Finance Minister
Kokovesoff when the latter received
the news.
1t was a dramatic momnt. The min
listers was called to the telephone and
when he returned he was greatly agi-
tated, and said:
Gentlemen, the old order of things
has changed. Russia has a constitu-
ton.
BY the irony Of fate, while the strik-
ers are clan.oring for u constitution 1t
has been impossible to persuade the
striking printers to resume work, and
therefore not n single newspaper ex-
cept the Official Messenger will print
the momentous document for distrj-
button Tuesday. Arrangements. how
ever. have been made to rlacard the
manifesto on every dead wall in the
city. and III" text will he telegraphed
Tuesday 20 every city, town and hamlet
with which there is telegraphic CON-
II also has been ordered