Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-09
RUSSIAN TROOPS
SLAY OFFICERS
SERIOUS REVOLT BREAKS OUT
At HARDIN
It Is Reported That WItte Has Offered
His Resignation, but That the
Gear Has Refused TO
Accept II
icnntInneh frnm Pnre One,

before 1t is issued. This law abolishes
the censorship I'm cities, but not In
the country. While Il Is based on the
principle of the responsibility Of editors
before the courts, It includes, beside. the
usual inhlbitions against lese majeste,
penalties, fines and imprisonment for
iucitations to strike which threaten the
safety Of the tie and which may cause
mutnies in the armies and navy. Such
inctations, II is said, are also punisha-
BILE with exile.
AS the publishers have agreed to act
together, there certainly will be another
struggle
Efforts Of Government
With an eve to the future, the gov
ernment Is making q great effort to re-
lieve the discomfort In the army by
removing the causes of complaint. The
sum of $1S,500, 900 has been added to
the military budget for the improve
ment of the soldiers food and clothing.
Though the Moscow zemstvoists say
they are ready to support Premier
Witte on the conditions laid down in
the resolutions of the congress, NJ.
Petrunkevitch believes that the idea
of cooperation is now too late and that
the only salvation for the government
is the retirement of the whole Witte
ministry and its replacement by "a
ministry having the confidence of the
people"
Nj. Petrunkevitch, who is charged
with harboring the ambition to sue
ceed Count Witte as premier. modestly
declined to suggest proper man
when questioned on the subject, say
ing that was the prerogatve of the
sovereign. but he emphatically ex-
pressed the opinion that a real Liberal
ministry would instantly change the
situation and rally to its support not
only the zemstvoists but the consti
tutional Democrats in general and the
great mass of the orderly disposed peo-
pie who have not associated themselves
with the Socialistic revolutionists.
Though many of his colleagues might
be ready to accept or compromise sUf-
frage on an indirect basis for the coun-
try. personally M. Petrunkevitch was
of the opinion that the peoples hopes
were so fixed in universal, direct and
secret suffrage that it was doubtful
whether the elections could be held un-
der any other system.
Beside, NJ Petrunkevitch was skept-
cal as to whether .'ittes government
would accept the compromise offered.
He believed the reactionary influence
might refuse to go beyond the plan for
the extension of the suffrage to the
classes, merchants and persons paying
$120 rent annually.
NJ Petrunkevitch was much alarmed
at the successful propagation of the
Socialistic doctrine among the peas
antry. He said:
"a single agitator, promising the So
cialization of state and private lands,
can inocu1ate a thousand Moujiks with
blind passion to appropriate land
.
and accomplish harm which a genera
tion Of good government could not
counteract. The crying need of the
hour is liberay ministry to begin the
realization of social reforms toward the
betterment of the conditions of the
peasants and workmen, but drawing a
line between realizable reforms and So
cialstic dreams and then gradually
wean the people away from the paths
Of agitation and discomfort"
Praises Father Gapon
NJ. Petrunkevitch concluded with
praising the work of Father Gapon,
who, he said. was preaching the right
doctrines to the workmen.
"The union Of all the Russian Deo-
ple," formed of all the reactionary or
ganizations which participated in the
landlords congress at Moscow Is dis
playing great activity in founding
branches to resist the revolution ami
armng its members to fight the
strikers. In St Petersburg 5000 per-
sons have been enrolled and the city
has been divided into districts, each
under leader. The result is sure to
be street fighting in the event OF Il
general strike. The union has Drawn
up an address to the emperor in favor
of the maintenance of the autocracy
and imploring his majesty to grant only
consultiVe functions TO the national
assembly and not to take the great step
OF abdicating the autocratic power
without following the traditions IF his
ancestors and consulting with all the
estates convened in the zemstvos and
in zemstvoist platform designed to
secure the adherence of the peasants.
two of its planks to be the restoration
of order and more land for the peas
ants, founded on scheme not only for
the division of the crown lands but on
the appropriation of a portion of the
private lands in densely populated dis
tricts.
Cannot Protect Estates
In many regions of Russia the local
authorities are practically unable any
longer to protect the estates, both ow-
ing TO the insufficiency of troops and
the temper of the soldiers. The mill
tary commanders have secretly noti-
fled the landlords that it is doubtful
whether the troops will fire upon the
peasants. If the soldiers are split up
In small detachments and sent to the
country, it is likely that they will
make common cause with the peasants
and murder their officers.
The commander of the fortress at
Brest has notified all the land owners
isa nc IIrt n haf Ve5t IL
such provisions as they can for their
own protection.
Owing to the situation, the governors
of provinces are authorizing the in
crease of the village police and the
erming of the policemen.
Revolving stories of the savagery Of
the peasants which are now coming in
give only a faint Idea of what the
world would witness should a wide
spread uprising of the peasants take