Omaha daily bee., 1905-01-22
They Will March from Three Parts Of City
to Winter Palace,
ZAR TO GIVE THEM HEARING
Father sopOn Writes Letter to Emperor
Informing Him Of Move
COUNTRY ON VERGE OF REVOLUTION
Strikers Confident that Troops VIII
Not Fire Upon Them-Street Rail-
way Service IL Suspended
More Factories Close.

81, PEI EhSB u NJ, jail AN'-i'VS a. ''i'
Despite official assurances at midnight that
the situation was well in hand and that
ample steps had been taken to protect the
vast industrial section of st. Petersburg
and insure the safety of the city, the
greatest uneasness for today pervades the
entire. population.
Picked troops are stationed at various
points in the city and each house contains
a miniature garrison with gendarmes IN
the courtyards and machine guns ready
for the first emergency. The winter palace
is strongly picketed, with Grand Duke
Vladimir in command. Final instructions
were issued tonight.
The plan of the government Is to prevent
the workmen from coming to the center
of the city today by guarding gates and
bridges. collision therefore is believed
to be more likely to occur in the outskirts
of ST. Petersburg.
Meantime the strikers are carrying out
their original program. The few mills and
factories remaining active in the city were
closed during the day, one of the first OF
them being the government powder mill.
Traffic was stopped on the street car lines,
the men having Joined the strikers.
Big Denomination This Afternoon.
Preparations for big demonstration at
have not been suspended, although the
leaders have been warned that it cannot
take place and that the emperor will not
be there. The workmen all are convinced
that his majesty will appear and listen to
the grievances set forth in the petition.
The deputation which on Friday took the
invitation to Emperor Nicholas to attenu
the meeting having failed to gain access to
his majesty Father Gopon sent 1t today by
his secretary to Interior Minister Sviato-
polk k-Mirsky.
During the day Antonius, metropolitan of
st. Petersburg, formally communicated
Father Gopon on the ground that he was
causing the people to rise against the EN-
peror, the head of the church.
Rumors that the troops have plainly in
dicated their sympathy with the strikers
and that II it comes to a collision they
will refuse to fire on them, are everywhere
rife and the workmen themselves are thor
oughy convinced that such is the case.
But the authorities maintain that the 10y
atty of the troops is beyond question, point
ing out that the only time that Russian
regiments showed treachery was in the De-
cembrist revolution of 1921, when the guard
regiments participated, but they say that
the troops there were practically soldiers of
fortune, returning to Russia after the Ma
poleonic wars, imbued with the revolution
ary ideas Of France. 1t is more fully rea.
lized, however, that II the troops mutiny
or actually join the workmen that the gov
ernment will be faced, not with riot, bun
with revolution.
Father Gopon Stands Pat.
Father Gopon, at the request OF Minister
of Justice Muravieff, went to the ministry
of justice today and had a long interview
with NJ. Muravieff, at which, the minister
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:
I'VE must each do our duty according to
the light given US"
The plan Of the workmen is to assemble
at three points, the Putiloff and Oubokoff
works and the Island of Vassli Ostrov, and
march to the parade square. They are
fully convinced that the emperor will be
there to receive their petition.
The representative of the Associated
Press went among many groups of the
workmen, but found no one who expressed
doubt as to the emperor meeting them All
spoke of him most reverentially and they
insisted that he is kept in ignorance OF
the truth and that once he has heard of
their grievances they will receive justice.
They said that what was wanted were
shorter hours and more pay, and also po-
litical liberty; but the ideas OF most of
the men on the latter subject are rudimen-
tary and they could not exactly explain
them, the only concrete exception being
that they wanted a condition such as ex-
lists in Germany.
II not that, they did not want any en-
peror at all. They declared their peaceful
intentions and said 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 pal
ace, but not on u.s.
wOrkmen CriticIse Royalty.
Not one of the workmen raised a voice
against the emperor, though they did not
spare some OF the imperial family, espe-
cially Grand Duke Alexis, who, with others,
they charged with being responsible for
Russia's defeat in the war in the far east,
saying that they kept the emperor in ignor-
ance of the true situation. Some of them
repeated current gossip about Grand Duke
Alexis and the Russian fleet I'VE know
what happened in a theater some time ago
when his mistress came on the stage COW
cred with Jewels" said one of the men.
1.-THE galleries hissed her and the people
cried out: Take them off: they are not
diamonds but drops of Russian blood"
RumOrs of other Strikes.
Late tonight It was reported that a
strike had been declared in the paper mills
in Finland and rumors are that II blood is
spilled here today there will be many
serious risings throughout the land. The
rumors, however, probably belong TO the
crop OF sensational stories with which the
city is filled.
Private letters from Helsingfors were re-
ceived by the Associated Press tonight
not giving the slightest intimation of the
imminence Of a movement among the Firms
Metropolitan Antonius has pronounced an
anthema Oh Father Gopon for melting the
people I'm a time Of trouble.
Father GOpOn Writes TO Gear.
Father Gopon sent a letter TO Minister
OF the Interior Prince Sviatopok- -Mirsky
heRpinR that InfnDerOr NipboIau