The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-14
TROOPS co OVER
TO TERRORISTS
Independent Government Set Up in
Livomia.
REIGN OF TERROR AT RIGA
OUTLOOK m RUSSIA is NOT I'M
PROVING.

OF. PETERSBURG. Tuesday. Dec.
y l.. evening Helsingfors,
Finland and Berlin, Dec. 1.-TWO
messengers who arrived here from
Riga today, having walked about 40
miles TO catch a train II Flock, not
only confirm the report that a provis-
.onai government has been set up in
LivOnia. but they say that many OF the
troops have gone over 10 the Insured
tionists. Dvina Firt, commanding Riga
harbOr is in their possession, and the
governor and other Russian officials
are prisoners. The messengers add thar
the provisional government exercises
authority throughout LtVOnia ana part
OF Courland; the new government has
declared the separation Of the Lithon-
ian people from the Russian empire.
They have chosen new local officials
and have decreed the closing of the
spirit shops and breWeries and the an
nulment OF contracts between the
peasants and the land owners. There
is Il general uprising az the native
peasants. who are travelling in armed
bands attacking the estates ard dr1V-
ing of or killing their owners.
Authorities Poweriess.
Some of the land owners have organ
lied volunteer battalions to protect
their property. as the authorities are
pOWerlesS To afford aid but the major
ity are fleeing I'm terror. The peasants
forbid the owners TO sell grain OF lunl-
Der, and formally declare that the tor
ests and estates Of those who have de-
parter Will be conEscated.
The position Of the peasants IN these
provinces has been she most deplorable
almost approaching those Of the feudal
system have been continued down TO
the present time. They practically have
kept the peasants in q state OF NassaI-
age, placing them at the mercy of the
German barOns from whom they rent
land and purchase the right 10 cut
wood and fish in the waters of the gulf.
Reign of Terror at Riga.
The Russian officials are being eX-
PEELED from the provinces and many OF
them have been killed in the streets of
the towns. There is a reign Of terror at
Riga. Women and children are living
in the upper stories of houses, and for
eign merchants are winding up their
business or abandoning everything IN
order to escape
1t is doubtful whether the promise OF
local self-goVernment contained in to-
days imperial ukase will have much
effect. at least for the present. but 1t
furnishes ample proof that the govern
ment realizes it is helpless to restore
order without granting heavy conces-
sions. The partial concessions granted
to the people Of the Baltic provinces
are bound 10 encourage the Poles,
Georgians and other border peoples.
Little is known of General SOllOgub,
who. it is reported, viii be appointed
governor general of the Baltic prov
inces, but he is said TO be a man Of
energy with fairly liberal ideas.
Bourse Weak.
The bourse again weakened on re-
ports of commercial failures every
where in the provinces and also in
sympathy with the extreme panicky
condition of the Moscow exchange.
Runs on the savings banks continue.
The league of leagues has issued an
address declaring that the recent acts
of the government proved it was at
tempting to suppress the emancipation
movement and demonstrated that poll
Lical freedom could only be obtained
by an armed struggle in which all the
progressive elements We're invited to
join.
The Nasha Shisn claims to be In pos
session Of information To the effect
that at a conference of grand dukes
ANA court officials held at TsarskOe-
Selo it was decided that Count Witte
had proved a failure and that the time
had arrived for the adoption Of firm
measures which could be employed
with less opposition under a man like
Prince SviatopOlk- Mirksy, former min
lister of the interior. The paper de-
clares that d further conference will
be held tomorrow. at which Count
Witte viii not be present.
II is reported that Prince John Obo-
[ leusky, former governor general of
Finlapd, viii succeed NJ. DurnOvo as
. ss,sr -. . 81