New-York tribune., 1905-01-25
THE RESSTAN DENANnS

Inc RUSSIAN lnsurrectlon is evidently extend
Ing in scope and increasing in intensity of pur-
pose. Moscow, KovnO, Wilma and other great
cities have aligned themselves with ST. Peters
burg. Polish towns are In a state Of siege.
Wherever there is not open outbreak there is
Ominous unrest. In a day or two more practi-
cally the whole empire threatens to be involved.
If the troops are sufficient to restore order at
the capital will they be able TO do so simuIta-
neously In a score Of other places? We must
remember also that the best regiments are those
at st. Petersburg There is much more danger
Of disafectiOn and Of sympathy with the revo-
lutionists among the provincial forces. If
der the very eye of the Emperor one regiment
threw down its arms and refused TO fire upon
the people, in places more remote regiments
may become actively instead of passively dis
loyal There must be passionate wish among
the court and government that Kuropatkin and
his legions had never been sent beyond the
Urals. That will be intensified by the reflection
that in present circumstances he and his army
are not only Of no value to Russia when they
are most needed, but are actually in imminent
danger Of being lost altogether For there can
scarcely be any thought now of sending them
reinforcements, and without reinfOrcements they
Will soon be decimated and then overwhelmed.
The growth of the revolutionary demands is
commensurate with the widening of the scope
of the outbreak. From the beginning the move
ment has, we believe, been revolutionary 1t
has been political rather than social or indus
trial. But il was at first a revolution against
the governmental system, and not against the
Emperor Note the manifesto of the Russian
Social Democratic Labor party, which was is
sued on Sunday morning last. There is not a
word of disloyalty to the Gar or Of antagO-
nism to the dynasty. In fact with the exception
OF the demand for immediate cessation of the
"a g.
lishment Of a system similar to that of other
European monarchies. The terms demanded
are such as were long ago granted in Germany
They are moderate and reasonable from every
non-Russian point Of view. But they were not
granted Instead, the imperial troops fired upon
the people Then note the next manifesto of
the same party, twenty-four hours later It's
keynote is the dethronement of the Emperor
and the expulsion of the dynasty. That was
the change effected by that days bloody work
A movement for reforms under the Emperor
was transformed into one for revolution against
the Emperor.
That fact emphasizes the point which we
made yesterday. that the Emperor permitted
the psychological moment" TO pass unimproved.
1t is to be feared that 1t is now too late to re-
call II. Had those first demands been granted
before force was used on either side, the Emperor
would have assumed the attitude of q states
manlike sovereign. who was sincerely devoted
to the welfare OF his people, and who had grant
ed them desirable reforms voluntarily, as soon
as the need of them and the desire for them
were made known TO him. He did not do so.
Now, this is his alternative: He must turn back
and grant concessions, or he must persist In re-
preston. IL he elects the former, as il was
limited yesterday he might do, there is no as
surance that his belated concessions would be
accepted; and even IL they were he would thus
be placed In the unfortunate attitude of a SOW
ereign who had yielded to rebellious violence
what he would not yield 10 loyal reasoning
Such an attitude would be intolerabie TO a ruler
who wished to retain even the semblance of
authority. 1t would make him the puppet of
the mob. and not Its master. But If he elects
the other course, he has TO consider whether the
military resources OF the empire are sufficient
TO deal at once with great foreign war and
with great rebellion at home.
few weeks ago. at an imperial council of
state. the Gear stood at the parting of the
ways, halting between two opinions. Mr.. Po-
biedonostsen told him that II he granted any