New-York tribune., 1906-07-23
Government and People Anayed for Struggle Which
May Decide Fate Of Empire
FORMER DOUMA MEETING IN FINLAND.
NJ Stoypn Succeeds NJ Coemykm PremerCaptal AIMED
Camp-Labor Organizations Ready to Fight

gated early this morning the curtain rose upon
possibly the last act in the great drama of the
Russian revolution. The people and the govern
ment now stand face to face, and upon the 10y
atty of the army depends the immediate issue.
Even should the government, however, sue
ceed in getting the upper hand. the victory prob
ably would be only temporary and simply con-
fine the energy for the final explosion. No one
doubts the severity of the storm which will arise
in the country in response to the EmperOr's dis
persal of the men whom he welcomed two
months ago at the Winter as the best
men in Russia" The govern has elected to
fight, and the capital to-day be: witness to the
preparations made TO Tepress the masses by
force The city resembled an armed camp.
An imperial ukase removes NJ. Goremykin
from the Premiership and appoints NJ. stolypn
Premier. He also retains his present post of
Minister of the Interior NJ. Stichinsky. Min
lister of Agriculture, has resigned.
The parliament building was closed to-day
and guarded by police, who refused admission
except to the president and the vice-president of
the house.
During Saturday night additional troops were
brought in and disposed according to plans
previously adopted These reinforcements in
cluded four infantry regiments of the Chevalier
| Guard. hussars. mounted grenadiers and a bat
terry of machine guns. The troops occupied the
railroad stations and the bridges across the
rivers and canals. and the patrols of both police
and gendarmes were everywhere doubled.
RIOTING IN ST. PETERSBURG.
In spite of the excitement, the day passed
with comparative quiet in the capital. Street
rioting began with the coming of darkness. but
the collisions generally were ON a small scale.
Crowds armed with stones had the gendarmes
and police on the run in Sadovia street, when a
squadron of Cossacks came to the rescue and
| charged and dispersed the mob with whips. The
trouble grew out OF a raid on a tea house by
Russian patriots-that is Black Hundreds-be-
fore the arrival of the Cossacks who fired three
volleys in the air. battle with stones ensued.
Three officers and number of policemen were
wounded and scores of persons were badly beat
en- by the COssacks, but no one was killed.
About midnight there were rumors OF heavier
fighting at the Narva gate, where the massacre
of the followers of Father GapOn took place
eighteen months ago to-day. The troops are said
to have fred several vOlleys. and it is reported
there were a number of casualties.
Other collisions occurred late tonight in
Nicolaievsky and Pushkin streets At the Semi
nOvsky Barracks crowd gathered and broke
the windows with n shower Of stones, where
upon a detachment of cavalry appeared and
charged and dispersed the crowd with the flats
of their swords. number of persons were
badly cut
There was no demonstration at the Tauride
Palace, which was in possession Of the military
No one was allowed to enter the building Upon
a column in front of the palace the ukase dis
solving parliament was posted. II is understood
that search of the building was made, in the
belief that it was mined and ready TO be blown
up at o'clock Monday morning.
HUNDREDS ARRESTED IN CAPITAL
The work of gathering in revolutionary agi-
tators began Immediately after the ukase plac-
ing st. Petersburg in "a state of extraordinary
security was promulgated, and hundreds of ar
rests were made before daylight.
The powers conferred upon NJ Won der Lau-
nitz. Prefect of Police, and NJ. ZinOvief Gov
ernOr Of the province, are little short of those
of petty dctatOrs. Searches and arrests can be
made without process of law newspapers forced
to suspend publication and persons depOrted by
administrative order without trial. Public and
private meetings are forbidden. Those arrested
may be tried by military courts and summarily
executed The only real difference between "ex-
traordinary security" and full martial law is
that power is exercised by so-called civil instead
of military authority.
Although the news of the dissolution of par
lament spread like wildfre among the members
of the various political organizations the masses
here generally are hardly awake TO the mOmen-
tOus event. The news travelled fast in the cOun-
try, and the general expectation is that the
peasants. accepting the dispersal of parliament
as the final blow to their hopes, will everywhere
rise.
LABOR PARTIES PREPARED FOR WAR
The prOetariat organizations have been pre-
pairing for months for just such provOcatlOn TO
declare open war. Ii is impossible TO describe
the CONSERVATION with which the constitutional
Democrats learned the news. Although IL had
been bruited for the last three days the ukase
was received by them in blank amazement. Even
the caucus ON Saturday night did not believe the
government would dare 20 take the threatened
step and discussed the attitude TO be taken
toward the Minister of the Interior NJ. StOlypin
,-I.o,, I,o onnaorod In n9rliau,ant e. ,,.r.~