The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-03-20
ELECTIONS
A FARCE
Workmen in Cars Cities
Refuse to Vote
PEASANTS BEING C0ERCED
Reactienaries Being hosen--0nly . Few
Hundreds in Some Districts Go to
the Polls--Thousands Stay
Away,
PEASANTS BEING C0ERCED
Away,

ST. Petersburg, March 20.-As tho
elections proceed, there is more and more
evidence Of the virtual exclusion front
participation Of the radical elements of
the population, which will rob the ma
tional assembly Of much Of its national
character. Indeed, its authority to speak
viii be absolutely denied by the prole
tariat organizations, which bore tile
brunt Of the fight Tor Liberty.
Complaints OF interference and duress
iii the country districts are increasing.
Many fragrant Instances are cited of the
I terrorism Of local officials who are pre-
l venting free expression Of the viii of
! the peasants ard are often practically
compelling the selection Of priests and
/ village elders The seeming apathy Of
the small land owners assemblies, In
which an average of only 10 per cent Of
the voters wers present, il explainable
by the feeling that they we're not free
TO choose,
The most serious phase Of the nitus-
| ton. however, il the attitude Of the
workmen III the cities. who constitute,
politically, the most developed and most
radical faction Of the masses OF the
population.
| In spite OF repression, Wholesale al-
rests and frequently the exile Of their
! leaders since Che strike disorders began,
many workmsn are inclined to reject
1 the advice OF the Socialists to boycott
4 the elections, but the authorities, instead
Of taking advantage of this sentiment
and inducing the workmen as class
1 10 participate, have with fatuous blind
ness. openly discouraged THEN participa-
| ton where the radical elements are liz
the majority, thus deliberately playing
4 the game Of the boycotters and driving
alie whale Eogking class into reyolt.
1 'this was apparent at the workmcn's
4 elections in ST. Petersburg Sunday.
/ eaqefully collected information from
lilie outlying industrial districts yester-
DAY shows that the elections were a.
complete farce. Nominally, eleven out
81 the thirty-Rinc working groups en-
/ titled TO participate elected twenty out
of ffty-seven delegates to the conyen-
! ton, who in turn will select eighteen
\ representatives for the city to the con-
ventian, which in turn elects for ST.
/ Petersburg six members of the national
assembly. In reality, the number of
/ workmen participating was ininitesimal.
\ Where the elections were ostensibly
I held only $50 ont Of 2l,7s0 worlSmen
voted. and they almost invariably chose
reaetjonarieE. Fer example, at The New
sky works 100 vsfsrs ont OF 1000 elected
1--WE members sf the League Of The Rus
sian People and three men belonging
to tile party of Law ard Order, tive
prominent reaetionary organizations.
There was All overwhelming display Of
troops and police in the districts and
places where the men assembled.
Some Of the workInen held meetings
and discussed the advisability Of partici-
pating, but the great mass simply with
drew, declaring that during the present
reign Of error the designation of their
real choice was equivalent to turning
over the men to the police.
! In The big 0khta and Moscow dis
1 triets, not a single man has been elected.
The railroad employees unanimously re-
fused to vote until the imprisoned mem
bers Of their organization are released
from Jail.