Arizona republican., 1905-12-14
AN UPRISING
 IN LNONIA lithuanianS Get a Taste of of Liberty and Blood
Conditions in Russia Growing Stead. lily Worse, Indicating the Early Coll lapse of Witte.

St. Petersburg, Dec. 12, Tuesday via Helsingfors, Finland and Berlin, Dec. 13.-Two messengers who arrived here from Riga today, having walked about 13O miles to catch a train at Flock not only confirm the report that a pro- visional government had been set up in Livonia, but they say that many Of the troops have gone over to the in surrectioniSts. Livonia fort, command ing Riga harbor is in their possession and the governor and other Russian officials are prisoners. The messengers add that the provisional government exercises authority throughout Livonia and part of Courland. The new gov ernment has declared the separation of the Lithuanian people from the Rus sian empire. They have chosen new | local officials and have decreed the closing of the spirit shops and brew cries and the annullment of contracts 1 between the peasants and the land owners. There is a general uprising l of the native peasants who are tra- yelling in armed bands attacking the estates and driving off or killing their owners.
 Some of the land owners have or ganiZed volunteer battalions to protect ! their property as the authorities are powerless to afford aid but the major ity are fleeing in terror. The peasants | forbid the owners to sell grain or luin : Der, and formally declare that the for ests and estates of those who have de- parted will be confiscatt d.
 The position of the peasants in these provinces has been the most deplor- able of any in the entire empire. Con- l al of the feudal system. have been continued down to the present time. They prac- tieally have kept the peasants in a state of vassallage, placing them al | the mercy of the German barons from whom they rent land and purchase the l right to cut wood and fish in the wa | ters of the gulf. The Russian officials are being expelled from the provinces and many of them have been killed in the streets in town. There is a reign of terror at Riga Women and chil- dren are living in the upper stories of houses and foreign merchants are 1 winding up their bus mess and aban- doning everything in order to escape. It is doubtful whether the promise of local self government contained il | todays imperial ukase will have much effect at least for the present but il furnishes ample proof that the govern ment realizes that it is helpless to re. store order without granting heavy concessions. The partial concession
 granted 10 the people of the Baltic provinces are bound to encourage tn. Poles, Georgians and other border peo. pie.
 Little Is known of General Sellogub who 1t is reported will be appointed governor of the Baltic provinces, bu
 he is said to be a man of energy witt fair, liberal ideas. The bourse agair weakened on reports of commercial failures everywhere in the province! and also in sympathy with the eX.
 treme panicky condition of the Moscow exchange. Runs on the savings bank
 continue.
 The league of leagues has issued al address declaring that the recent act
 of the government proved that it wa! attempting to suppress the emancipa
 tion movement and demonstrated tha
 political freedom could only be obtain. ed by an armed struggle in which al the progressive elements were invited to join.
 The Nasha Shisu claims to be il