The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-22

st. Petersburg, January 22.-dO5 a. n1.)
Despite official assurances at midnight
the situation was we'll in hand and that
ample steps had been taken to protect
the vast Industrial quarter OF st. Petrs-
burg and to insure the safety of the
city, the greatest uneasiness for today
pervades the entire population.
Pickets of soldiers are stationed at
various points in the city, and each
house contains a miniature garrison with
gendarmes in the court yard and ma
chine guns ready for the first emer-
gency
The winter palace is strongly guarded
with Grand Duke Vladimer in command.
Final instructions were issued tonight.
The plan of the government is to pre-
vent the workmen from coming to the
center Of the city today by guarding
gates and bridges. A collision therefore,
is believed to be more likely to occur
in the outskirts of st. Petersburg.
Many More Mills Close.
Meantime. the strikers are carrying out
their original programme. The few mills
and factories remaining active in the
city, were closed uurng the day, one of
the last of them being the great powder
mill. Strike leaders visited every shop
in the city and all of them, even those
o: butchers and bakers, and laundries,
were closed Traffic was stopped on the
street car lines, the men having Joined
the strikers.
Preparations for big demonstration in
the winter palace square at o'clock to-
day have not been suspended, although
the leaders have been warned that it
cannot take place, and that the En-
peror will not be there The workmen
are convinced that his majesty will ap-
pear and l.-ten to the grievances set
forth in the petition.
The deputation which on Friday took
the invitation to Emperor Nicholas to
attend the meeting, having failed to gain
access to his majesty, Fa.aer Gopin to-
day sent 1t by his secretary to Interior
Minister Sviattopolk-Mirsky.
During the day Antonius metropolitan
of st. Petersburg, formally excommuni-
Gated Father Gopin on the ground that
he was causing the people to rise against
the Emperor the head of the church. y
Rumors that the troops have plainly
indicated their sympathy with the strk-
ers and that If 1t comes to collision they
will refuse to fire on the strikers, are
everywhere rife, and the workmen them
selves are thoroughly convinced that
such is the case.
Claim Troops Are Loyal.
But the authorities maintain that the
loyalty of the troops is beyond question.
pointing out that the only time that Rus
sian regiment showed treachery was in
the Decembrist revolution of 1921 when
the guard regiments participated, but
tisy say th.t the troops were then SOL
diers of fortune returning to Russia after
the Napoleonic wars, imbued with the
revolutionary ideas of France 1t is more
fully realized, however, that If the troops
mutiny or actually join the workmen,
that the government will be facing not
riot. but revolution.
Father Gopin at the request of Minis
ter of Justice Muravieff went to the min
istry of Justice late Saturday and had
a long interview with M Muravieff, at
which the Minister tried to dissuade him
from his programme for Sunday. Father
Gopin, however, could not be buged, and
a. 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 the
Oubokoff works, and the Island of Vas
sill Ostov, and march to the palace
square
Think Emperor Will Meet Them.
They are fully convinced the Emperor
will be there to receive their petition.
The representative of the Associated
Press went among many groups of work.
men. but found no one who expressed
doubt as to the Emperor's meeting them.
All spoke of him most reverently and
tley insisted that he is kept In ignorance
OF the truth and once he has heard of
their grievances they will receive justice.
They said that they wanted shorter hours
and better pay and also political lib
erty; but the ideas of most of the men
or the latter subject are rudimentary
and they could not exactly explain them.
the only concrete conception being that
they wanted a condition such as exists
in Germany.
II not they did not want any En-
peror at all They declared their peaceful
intention, and say they do 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
palace but not on us"
No Word Against Emperor.
Not one of the workmen raises a voice
against the Emperor, though they did not
snare some of the imperial family. es-
pecfally Grand Duke Alexis, who with
others they charged with being respon-
sible for Russas defeat in the war in the
far east saying that these persons kept
the Emperor In ignorance of the true sit
nation Some of them repeated current
gossip about Grand Duke Alexis and the
pu~xjan fleet 1--WE know what happened