The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-01-03
L|THuAN|ANS NOW REBEL
Russian Troops Aid |nsurgents-'
Riga Fort in Their Hands,
A REPUBLIC HAS BEEN FORMED

Con neral Peasant U~prIsing-Many Officials
and Landlords slain-Provisional Gov.
ernnent Formed - Rebels in Fua
Possession Of. Mltau, id Courland-
Heign Of Terror at Riga. .
st. Petersburg. Russia.-Two mes
who arrived here from Riga,
having walked about $50 miles to
catch a train at Plock, not only con-
firm the report that q Provisional Gov
eminent has been set up in Livonla'
but say that many of the troops have
gone over to the insurgents.
Dvina~ Tort, commanding Riga har-
Dor. is in possession of the rebels and
the Governor and other Russian off,
Gals are prisoners.
There is a reign of terror at Riga.
Women and children are living In the
upper stories of houses and foreign
merchants are winding up their bust
ness or abandoning everything in or.
der to escape.
LIE EIONlSlOudl NOfCllIhCnI SAS
cises authority throughout LiVonla
and part of Courland. The new Gov
eminent has declared the separation OF
the Lithuanian people from the Rus
sian Empire.
The Russian officials are being eX-
PEELED from the provinces, and many
of them have been killed in the streets
of the towns.
The people have chosen new officials
and have decreed the closing OF the
spirit shops and breweries and the
annulment of contracts between the
peasants and the landowners. /,
There is a general uprising of the ma
tive peasants, who are travelling in
armed bands, attacking the estd ties and
driving off or killing their owners.
Twelve thousand troops have been
dispatched to the Baltic provinces.
Some of the landowners have organ
lied volunteer hattalions to protect
their property, as the authorities are
powerless to afford aid, but the ma
iority are fleeing in terror, The peas
ants forbid the wner to sell grain or
lumber and formally declare that the
forests and estates of those who have
departed will be confscated.
The position of the peasants in these
provinces has been the most deplor-
able of any in the entire empire. Con-
ditlons almost approaching those OF
the feudal system have been contln-
ued down to the present time. The
peasants have practically. been kept in
4 state of vassalage at the mercy of
the German barOns, from whom they
rent land and purchase the right to cut
wood and fish in the waters Of the gulf.
-. An imperial ukase orders the convo-
cation of representatives Of the va
rious classes of the Baltic provinces,
including the peasants. to work out a
scheme for the creation of a zemstvo
to control local affairs. 1t is doubtful,
however, whether the promise of local
self-government contained in the ukase
will have much effect, at least for the
present, but it furnishes ample proof
that the Government realizes that it is
helpless to restore order without grant
ing heavy concessions. a..
The partial concessions granted to
the people, Of the Baltic provinces are
bound to encourage the Poles, Georg-
ians and other border peoples.
Little is known of General Sollogub.
who. it is reported. will be appointed
Governor General of the Baltic prov
inces, but he is said to be a man OF
energy with fairly liberal ideas.