The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-11
APPEAL TO PEOPLE
Message Of the Gar at the
Opening Of First Russian
Parliament.
CALL TO HIS assistance
DIFFICULT WORK LIES BEFORE
THE MEMBERS

Message Less a Throne Speech Than
Greeting-AdmirabIe and Even Cor
dial Tone of the Sovereign in Re-
newing His Pledges and Asking the
Cooperation Of Parliament for the
Regeneration of the Country Only
Negatively Satisfactory.
st. Petersburg, May 1O-Without a
single hitch and with only a minor ac-
cident to mar the memorable day. the
Russian parliament was inaugurated
to-day. 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 pan
oply Of power, delivered the speech
from the throne to the members Of the
two houses, was perfect. Such a spec
tacle perhaps never before has been
witnessed on the earth's stage.
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 legisla-
tive work elected representatives of the
people, In the expectation of a brill
liant future for Russia greet In your
persons the best men from the empire,
whom ordered my beloved subjects to
choose from among themselves.
IA difficult work lies before you. l
trust that love for our fatherland and
your earnest desire to serve it will In
spire and unite you.
II shall keep inviolate the institutions
which l have granted with the firm as
surance that you will devote all your
strength to the service of your country
and especially to the needs of the peas
antry, 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 freedom but order
founded upon justice are necessary.
II 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
the empire and the imperial douma.
May this day be the day Of the moral
revival of Russia and the day for the
renewal Of it's highest forces.
Approach with solemnity the labors
for which call you and be worthy of
the responsibilities put upon you by
the emperor and people.
MAY God assist us"
The message in reality was less a
throne speech than a greeting and re-
quired only three minutes for its deliv-
cry. Emperor Nicholas read slowly.
The admirable and even cordial tone
of the sovereign in renewing his pledges
and asking the cooperation of the par
liament for the regeneration of the
country was only negatively satisfac-
tory. Courtiers and spectators other
than members of the national parlia-
ment led the cheering, but the members
were ominously silent, expressing neith-
er approval nor disapproval. What
ranked most was the failure of the en-
peror to mention amnesty, and later,
when the members assembled in the
Hauride palace away from the spell of
the throne room, many of them were
with difficulty restrained from precipi-
tating matters by offering resolutions
on the subject. The constitutional dem
ocratic leaders, however, who dominat-
ed everything were anxious not to
weaken the reply which the lower house
will prepare to the speech from the
throne, in which issues with the crown
will be Joined, and succeeded in staving
off premature action
At the Tauride palace tens of thou
sands of people were acclaiming their
representatives; at the winter palace
legions of military and coutriers by the
hundreds cheered for the emperor.
Nevertheless the proceedings of the
lower house were not spectacular; in
fact they were almost tame by compar-
ison 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. Mou-
romtseff, who had been elected presi-
dent of the lower house, invited gov
ernment officials and clerks to leave the
mall and when Ivan Petrunkevitch, in a
few eloquent words from the rostrum
told the audience that the first thought
of the parliament should be for those
who had suffered in the cause of liber-
ty who now filled the prisons, and
whose arms were stretched out in hope
and confidence to the peoples represen-
tatives. More enthusiastic cheering
than that which greeted this appeal
never was heard in a political conven-
tion in the United States.
Constitution and amnesty were the
keynotes Of President Mouomtseff
speech.
By the irony of fate Ivan Petrunke-
witch, whose first mention of the word
constitution twelve years ago was dis
missed by Emperor Nicholas II. as
''foolish dream" to-day stood in the
front rank of the members of the rep
resentative chamber while Emperor
Nicholas put his final seal upon the
Russian parliament and begged the
representatives of the people to coop
crate with him in working for the well
fare Of the country.