Arizona republican., 1906-05-11
THE RUSSIAN
 PARLIAMENT
The Opening of the Body
 Was OminOuS
The More Extreme Democrats Were Hardly Restrained From Joining Issues With the Crown at Once.

st. Petersburg. May 10.-Without a single hitch and with only minor in- cident to mar the memorable day, the Russian parliament was inaugurated today. The weather was superb and the stage management Of the impress sive ceremony at the Winter Palace. where Emperor Nicholas, surrounded by courtiers and all the pomp and panoply of power, delivered the speech from the throne to the members of the two houses, was perfect. The mes sage in reality, was less a throne speech than a greeting. and required only three minutes for it's delivery. Emperor Nicholas read slowly. The admirable. and even cordial tone of the sovereign in renewing his pledges and | asking the cooperation of parliament | for the regeneration of the country. was only negatively satisfactory. The emperor's speech was as follows: "The supreme providence which gave me the care of our fatherland moved me to call to my assistance in legis- Iative work elected representatives of the people. In the expectation of t, brilliant future for Russia I greet in . your persons the best men from the empire, whom I ordered my beloved subjects to choose from among them : selves.
 "A difficult work lies before you. I l trust that love for your fatherland and your earnest desire to serve it will in- spire and unite you.
 "I shall keep inviOlatc the instTuC- tions which l have granted with the firm assurance that you will devote all your strength to the service Of your country and especially to the needs Of the peasantry, which are so close to my heart and to the education of the people and their economical welfare. remembering that to the dignity and prosperity Of the state not only free dom but order founded upon justice is necessary.
 "I desire from my heart to see my people happy and hand down to my son an empire secure, well organized and enlightened.
 May God bless the work that lies before me in unity with the council of lthe empire and the imperial douma. tNIay this day be the day of the moral revival of Russia and the day for the renewal of its highest forces.
 Approach with solemnity the labOrs for which I call you and be worthy of the responsibility put upon you by the lemperor and people.
 ,i May God assist us.''
 Courtiers and spectators other than members of the national parliament led the cheering. but the members were ominously silent, expressing neither approval nor disapprovaL l What ranked most was the failure of | the emperor to mention amnesty, and later, when the members assembled in ] 4Ie f~,. spell of the throne room, many of them were with difficulty restrained from preclDitating matters by offering res 1 olutions on the subject. The constf- tutional democratic leaders however who dominated everything. were anx- ious not to weaken the reply which
 the lower house will prepare to the speech from the throne in which is- sues with the crown will be joined, and they succeeded in staving off pre- mature action.
 The scene around the Tauride pal ace was in striking contrast with that at the Winter Palace. Each. indeed was typical and told an eloquent story. At the Tauride palace, tens of thousands of people were accIaiming thelr representatives; at the Wintel Palace legions of military and cour- tiers by the hundred cheered for the emperor. Nevertheless. the proceed ings of the lower house were not spec tacular; in fact, they were almost tame in comparison with those at the Winter Palace.
 The only genuine flashes of fire which showed the real temper of the members of the house were when Prof Mouromtzef. who mad been elected president of the lower house invited the general officers and clerks 10 leave the hall. and when Ivan Pet runkevitch in a few eloquent words rom the rostrum told the auditors 1 that the first thought of the parlia- ment should be for those who had suf | Iered in the cause of liberty who now l hlled the prisons and whose arms were 1 stretched out in hope and confidence 10 the peoples representatives. More enthusiastic cheering than that which greeted this appeal never was heard in political convention in the United States.
 Constitution and amnesty were the keynotes of President Mouremtzeff,s l speech. By the irony of fate Ivan Pet 1 run hkeVltcn whose first mention Of tbe word constitution twelve years ago was dismissed by Emperor Nicholas II, as a foolish dream" today stood m the front rank of the members of the representative chamber while Elm l peror Nicholas put his final seal upon | the Russian parliament and begged the representatives of the people to cooperate with him in working for the welfare of the country.
 The lower house adjourned over un- LII tomorrow, in order not to interfere WlIh the opening exercises of the council of the emperor and also to | permit the committee of the constitu-
 lonal democrats to consider the reply to the speech from the throne. Dis patches received here from all parts i of Russia, indicate that the opening of parliament was celebrated every where.