The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-08-22
national ASSMBLY
Emperor Nicholas ProCIaims Long
Promised Concession to the
Russian People.
GIFT WITH A STRING TO IT

New Body TO Be Only a Consultative
Organization In Connection With the
Council of the Empire and Not a
Legislature - Liberals Disappointed,
Having Hoped For More.
Emperor Nicholas on Saturday pro-
mulgated manifesto constituting q
Russian parliament in accordance with
his promise Of March last The mani
festo has been generally well received,
but the Liberal newspapers voice their
disappointment over the restrictions
under which the new assembly will la
Dor. The manifesto in full is as FOL
lows:
The empire of Russia is formed and
strengthened by the indestructible sol-
idarity of the emperor with the people
and Of the people with the emperor. This
concord of emperor and people is the
great moral force which has created
Russia in the course Of centuries pro-
tecting her from all misfortunes and all
attacks and has constituted up to the
present time pledge of unity, independ-
ence, integrity, material well being and
intellectual development.
In our manifesto of Feb. "a, 1903 we
called to close understanding all the
faithful sons of the fatherland in order to
protect the organization of the state by
establishing on firm basis the domestic
life of the empire, and then we devoted
ourselves to the task Of co-ordinating
elective public institutions with govern.
mental authorities and of removing the
disagreements existing between them
which had reacted so disastrously on the
normal course of our national life.
The autocratfc emperors, our ancestors,
constantly had that object in view, and
the time has come to follow out their
good intentions and to summon elected
representatives from the whole of Russia
to take constant and active part in the
elaboration of the laws, thereby attaching
to the higher state institutions a special
consultative body intrusted with the pre-
liminary elaboration and discussion Of
measures and with the examination OF
the state budget.
1t is for this reason that, while preserv-
ing the fundamental law regarding the
autocratic power we have deemed it well
to form gosudarstvennaia douma dover
house of the assembly, and to approve
the regulations for elections to this
douma, extending the validity of these
laws to the whole territory of the en-
pire, with such exceptions only as may be
considered necessary in the case of some
regions in which special conditions OBJ
tain.
AS regards the participation in the la
bors of the gosudarstvennaia douma of
delegates from the grand duchy of Fin
land on questions concerning the empire
in general and the grand duchy in partfc-
ular we viii take special measures.
AT the same time we have ordered the
minister of the interior to submit immedi-
ately for our appreciation regulations for
the elections to the douma, so that depu-
ties from fifty governments and from the
military province of the Don may be able,
to assemble not later than the middle of
January, 1906.
We reserve TO ourselves entirely the
care of perfecting the organization of the
gosudarstvennaia douma, and when the
course of events shall have shown the me-
eessity for changes corresponding COM
pletely to the needs of the times and the
welfare of the empire we shall not fail
to give at the proper moment the neces-
sary directions.
We are convinced that those who shall
have been elected by the confidence of the
whole people and who will thus be called
upon to participate in the legislative work
of the government viii show themselves
in the eyes of all Russia to be worthy of
the imperial trust in the virtue of which
they have been invited to cooperate in
this great work and that, in perfect har-
mony with other institutions and authori-
ties of the state established by us, they
will contribute profitably and zealously to
our Iabors for the well being of our COM
mon mother, Russia, and for the strength
ening of the unity, the security and the
greatness of the empire as well as for
the tranquility and prosperity of the peo-
Pile.
In invoking the blessing of the Lord on
the Iabors Of the institution established
by as and with unshakable confidence in
the grace of God and in the infallibility
of the great historical destinies reserved
by divine Providence for our beloved fa-
therTand we firmly hope that. with the
help of God almighty and with the COM
bined efforts of All her sons, Russia will
emerge triumphant from the trying or
deals through which she is now passing
and viii be born again In the strength,
the greatness and the glory of her his
tory, extending through a thousand years