The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-07-27
4 DAY OF RECKONING.

War TO the knife and the knife %
the hilt is the attitude of the opposing
forces in Russia today. The govern
ment seems determined to down the
forces of the opposition, and the dem
ocracy is bent on destroying the rule
of the aristocracy. It looks like it Is
to be a fight 70 the finish. The grand
dukes and the bureaucracy are deter
mined not TO surrender their power,
and the opposing forces of democracy
and the agrarians will fight to the
death for their principles. For more
than year The Messenger has declared
that the Russial question could be set
tied by nothing but a revolutionary
conflict; that there must be life and
death struggle before the conditions
could be clearly and definitely settled,
We have never seen any reason TO
change our opinion as 10 the matter
In fact the events following fast upon
each other from time to time strength
ened our conviction that revolution of
some kind was the only solution of the
question. What the nature of that
revolution would be was the only ques-
ton. We have been and are still Of the
opinion that it will be in the nature of
the one that SO changed the order
of things in France. We believe it will
be as bloody and horrible as that one
After it starts it may be that other
powers will step in and check the prog
This will be the only thing that can
prevent the horrors which accOmpall-
led the revolution in France in the
latter part of the Eighteenth century,
Russia is as ripe for it as WAS
France at that day. The same coIdi-
tiOns, but perhaps to worse degree,
exist as they did then. There is great
er hostility between the two classes
and the lower class has more cause, if
possible, for enmity against the aristOc
racy and the wealthy. The following
dispatch from ST. Petersburg shows to
what extreme the one section of the
revoIutionists has been driven.
There has been tremendous pro-
vocation on the side of the people.
Their sufferings have been great. On
quired through despotic rule for years
the idea that it has the right to govern
without question and with an ir)n
hand. Up to recently the governed
did not know their power and the gov
erning class failed to realize then
their weakness. With a terrible shock
the realization Of the situation comes
to both sides. The aristocracy realizes
it's weakness it finds it can no longer
keep the masses under subjectiOn and
in the position of slaves by the long
established idea that the latter really
are slaves, and the masses of the
people, led by few men whose minds
have grasped the true state Of affairs,
have just begun to understand and to
appreciate their latent power. They
have evidently just found out wha.
force they carry and are just begin
ming to thirst for the privilege of
bringing that power into play. They
have had a taste of freedom-only Il
taste, but it has whetted their appetite
for more and increased the desire to
rule as we'll as to wreak vengeance
on the upper class which has for so
many years ground the people of their
class into the dust and kept them as
paupers and slaves. Their day vii;
soon come, and it will be day of fear
full reckoning.
The dispatch of which we speak
says:
PrOclamatiOnS announcing that the
death sentence has been imposed on
the emperor, General TrepOff, NJ. PO
biedOnOstSeff. who was prOcuratOr gem
eral of the holy synod: General Orloff,
the paCiticatOr" of the Baltic provinces
and others have been scattered over
part of PeterhOf
The terroriSts are said to have sue
Ceeded IN mailing copies of the sentence
on the doors of General Orloff's and
General TrepOff's quarters.
REPUBLICANS CALL FOR HELP.
We are anxious TO have every reDl1b-