Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-03-15
NICHOLAS IS
TEMPORIZING
Gear Issues Reserlpt Allowing Elected
Representation Of the People
to Express Their Views.
IT CONTAINS DISTINCT PROMISE
Nicholas Says He Is Willing to Shed
His Blood for the Good Of
His People.

oSs CCCi oUuIS MdICu Jill Tie
Alexandra palace at Tsarskoe- Selo,
surrounded by the ministers, and few
members of the court, and with the
empress at his side, Emperor Nicho.
las this afternoon affixed his sigma.
ture to a rescript containing his maj.
esty's decree to give elected represen.
tatives of the people an opportunity
to express their views Ill the prepare
ton of the laws of the empire. This
Is the autocracy's final response to
the agitation in favor of participation
by the people in government, which
has brought Russia in the last few
months almost to the brink of revolu-
ton. No condition in the regime Of
autocracy is involved for the present,
and it means neither a constitutional
nor a national assembly. At the same
time it recognizes the principle of the
peoples right to be heard regarding
laws under which they must live
Whatever the result may be, the doc
ument is sure to mark an epoch in
Russian history as important as the
signing of the emancipation manifes-
to, the Gath anniversary of which 1t
was intended to signalze.
The signing of the document came
at the end of a dramatic scene, the
climax of which was an impassioned
speech by Emperor Nicholas to his
ministers. in which he declared that
he sought only the welfare of his sub
jects.
Il am willing" the emperor said,
ito shed my blood for the good of my
people,
From the lips of high parsonage
who was present when the reScript
was signed, the Associated Press is
able to give the following authorita-
tive statement:
THE action of the emperor today
is not step toward representation,
but the actual grant to the people of
the means whereby their duly elected
representatives can place before his
majesty their views of every import
ant measure affecting them, and rec
commended by the counsel of the en-
pire. Moreover, if one reads the re-
script carefully, one will see that it
contains a distinct promise of some
thing further in the future It's small
beginning will not involve the surren-
der to the people of the autocracy
now, but what it may evolve in the
future only the future can determine.
I'VE do not expect that it will meet
the wishes of radicals and extremists
of any class; nothing would satisfy
them but the complete overthrow of
the existing regime. We do hope,
however, that after mature delibera-
ton it will meet with the approval
of moderate men who are sincere we'll
wishers of the country.
THE emperor has been much ma
ligned and misunderstood abroad. No.
body appreciates the trials and sui.
ferings he has endured the last few
months. He has been represented as
indifferent to the condition of his peo
pie. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Not only the welfare OF
the people, but the greatness of Rus
STA, is his sole care. For him the two
are indissoluably linked For this
reason he refuses to surrender the au
tOcratic power in favor of a con
stltutional regime. Why, because he
is convinced, as he virtually says
in so many words in the rescript, tina,
the people are not prepared for pop
ular government. The Heterogeneous
elements of the population-Poles
Firms, Tartars, Armenians, Mongol.
and other races-are only held togeth
er by the autocracy, whose end would
mean the fall of Russia as grea
state. But the emperor recognizes
the strength of the cutlery against thu
bureaucracy, as manifested by ad
dresses and memorials voted by al
classes of society. and has yielded t,
their demand. The peoples repre-
sentatives can make known directl,
to him their views concerning ever.
law which the council of the empir,
proposed.
"The manifesto and the rescrip
must be read together. To Armenian!
the former doubtless will appear as ;
strange medieval document, but i
must be remembered that it is tn,
emperOr's word to his people in CIV
cry condition of life, scattered from
the White sea to the Black sod ant
from the frontiers of Germany to the
Pacific. 1t will be read in ever.
church, in every hamlet of the EN-
pire. 1t is a personal appeal to the
people to support the government il
its hour of trial and should be reat
in that light. The rescript on thu
other hand, is addressed to the min
lister of the interior. Under the Rus
sian law only mobiles have the RICH
to address memorials to his majest,
in person; all other classes must com
municate through the minister of tn,
interior. The rescript therefore mus
be regarded as his majesty'S repl,
to the vast number of addresses adopt
ed by zemstvos, municipalities, erlu
cational, commercial and profession
al associations"
The representatives of each elias
will be constituted into a permanen
body, elected for stated periods. TIL
jurisdiction of each body will be lin
tied to the expression of view on tn
particular legislation affecting sucl
class. Moreover, the sittings of tn
different classes may be held at dill
ferent times. Thus representative
in no sense will constitute an Assem-
bly, to formulate or discuss laws, avoid
ing thereby the danger from the cor
vocation of general Representative
assembly, which, like the states ger
eral of France, might take the rein
In its own hand and transfer itself il
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