Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-09
PEASANTS CATTLE
STARVE TO DEATH
TERRIBLE CONDITIONS ARE
REPORTED
From Various Portions Of Russia Come
Stories of Pitched Battles
Between Warning
Factions
BY Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
ST. PETERSBURG. July S-The
first para agraph Of the proposed agrar-
ian law, viz, the augmentation Of the
lands of the peasants by the expropra-
ton of all state and crown domains
and church and monastery lands. has
been accepted by the commission of
the lower house with practical una
nimity.
The commissioners have now locked
horns over the mode of appropriation
and the method of disposal of private
estates, and the end is not yet In sight
The determination to appropriate
church lands which in distinction to
the great estates owned by the mon-
asteries lie scattered like the lands of
the common schools in America i'm
small tracts throughout the country
and support the local clergy will cause
complications.
Such action will deprive the parish
priests of the principal part of their
soanty emoluments and necesstate an
E equivalent from some other source.
Peasants Suffering
A correspondent of the Associated
Press has just completed a tour Of the
provinces of Samara and Saratov. He
reports that the drought Is finally
broken, but the rains have come too
late to save the crops and help the
peasants, who are in a pitiable condi-
ton.
Their cattle have either been sold
or are starving in the fields.
The government relief granaries were
completely exhausted during the last
years famine. The present agrarian
disorders. which can be expected to
grow worse, are due largely to the
necessity of the peasants selling food
and forage to preserve their lives and
save from starvation the remainder of
their cattle.
These disorders have reached the
highest pitch in the province of Vo-
rontzh, where the troops and CossackS,
although in considerable force are
practically helpless and on the defen-
slve. Many peasants have been killed
or wounded in desperate attacks on
military patrols and the rural guards.
Kill Three Peasants
According to a telegram received
here from TambOv, peasants on the
estate of the Princess Bariatinsky at
tackled commissary and a posse of
rural police. The commissary and four
policemen were seriously wounded. In
another section of the province of
Tambov body of peasants armed
with pitchforks and spades resisted a
squadron of dragoons. Because of
these resistances the troops fired, kill
ing three peasants and wounding many
others.
At Kedabey, southeast of Tifis,
hand-to-hand fight has occurred be-
tween Cossacks and an armed band of
peasants, with the result that seven
men were killed on both Sides
There has been a fatal encounter at
Krasnopolsk in the province of Podolia
between rich peasants and poor peas
ants. The poor men were incensed be-
cause the rich men had sent telegram
to the lower house protesting against
the proposed distribution of land. In
the fighting one of the wealthy peas
ants killed four and seriously wounded
several of the poorer men.
Report Grave Disorders
There have been grave disorders on
the estate of Minister of Agriculture
Stichinsky in Tula province.
The representative of the Associated
Press at Rostov reports that the crop
districts in the Kuban and Don dis
trlcts are above the average.
Asrarian disorders among the Cos
sack agricultural population are not
expected, although some ferment ex-
lists among the military levies having
to do police duty