Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-31
BY Associated Press.


ST. PETERSBURG, Oct. 30.-Tonight
the autocracy of the Romanoffs and the
old order of things cease to exist in
Russia.
Emperor Nicholas has surrendered
and Count Witte comes into power as
minister-president, with an imperial
mandate which will ena BILE him to cover
the farical national assembly into a
real legislative body elected by greatly
extended suffrage and to confer upon
the people fundamental civil liberties,
including free speech.
These were the tidings reaching st.
Petersburg shortly before o'clock this
afternoon. Count Witte had spent the
day with the emperor at Peterhof, go
ing over the final draft of the mani
festo to which he insisted that certain
minor notifications be made, and be-
fore taking the train for st. Peters
burg he telegraphed to a friend that
the emperor had affixed his signature
and that the imperial mandate COM
prising the conditions upon which he
had agreed to accept office was in his
pocket. They include freedom of the
press, the right of assembly and the
immunity of the person, including the
right of habeas corpus.
Adopts English System
The official announcement issued this
evening says:
"An Imperial manifesto will be issued
this evening appointing Count Witte
prime minister, with special authority
to coordinate and unity the power of
the different branches of the army.
Civic liberties are granted to the Rus
sian people, and to the national assem-
bly, is given legislative power, While
the suffrage is enlarged.
Count Witte insisted on cabinet on
the British model. with selected pre-
nier responsible to the imperial douma,
or parliament while the emperor clung
to the appointment of the members of
the cabinet on the American plan, by
the emperor as chief of state.
The state department has instructed
Charge d. Affaires Eddy, in case of
emergency, to give American citizens
asylum at the embassy and If necessary
to charter a steamer.
Former Minister Lamsdorf is reas-
suring the ambassador by formally
the safety of foreign resi-
dents. He announces that the govern
nent is prepared to afford them mill
tary protection in st. Petersburg ana
elsewhere in event of disorders.
The Manifesto
Following is the text of the imperial
manifesto:
1--WE, Nicholas the Second, by grace
of God, emperor and autocrat of all the
Russians, grand duke of Finland, ETC.,
declare to all our faithful subjects that
the troubles and agitation in our cap
itals and in numerous other places nil
our heart with excessive pain ana
sorrow.
"The happiness of the Russian sover-
eipn is indissolubly bound up with the
happiness of our people, and the sorrow
of our people is the sorrow of the
sovereign.
From the present disorders may arise
great national disruption. They menace
the integrity and unity of our empire.
"The supreme duties imposed upon
us by our sovereign office require us
to efface ourself and to use all the
force and reason at our command TO
hasten in securing the unity and CO.
ordination of the power of the central
and to assure the success
of measures for pacification in all cir
cles of public life, which are essential
to the well-being of our people.
Gives Legislative Power
1--WE therefore direct our government
to carry out our infleXible will In the
manner:
First, to extend to the population
the immutable foundations of civic
liberty, based on the real inviolability
of person, freedom of conscience,
speech, union and association.
Second, without suspending the al
ready ordered elections to the state
douma, to invite the participation in
the douma, so far as the limited time
before the convocation of the douma
will permit those classes of the popula-
tion now completely deprived of cleo
toral rights, leaving the ultimate de-
of the principle of electoral
right in general to the newly estab-
llshed legislative order of things
Third to establish as an unchange-
able rule that no law shall be en-