Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-24
LAST ACT OF FIRST PARLIAMENT
Members of Lower House Advise
General Strike

By Associated Press.
VIBORG, Finland, July 23.-The cur
tain dropped this afternoon on the final
act of the drama of Russa's first par
Lament, when under the spur of threat
of Governor Rechenberg to use mill
tary force to end the sessions, and with
troops already converging on the Hotel
Belvidere, where the meeting was held,
the assembled members of the lower
house, 1856 In number, hurriedly adopted
signed address to the people which is
thoroughly revolutionary In its nature,
elected a perpetual executive commit
tee headed by Prince Paul Dologouro-
koff, vice president of the house, to
carry on the work of liberation, and
adjourned amid characteristic Russian
embracing and kissing.
A few members, including President
Mouromtseff, Ivan Petrunkevitch and
Count Heyden, returned to st. Peters
burg by evening trains. The Constitu-
tional Democratic cohorts intended TO
go to st. Petersburg in the morning,
but many of the radical members, fear
ing their arrest on their arrival at the
capital, will remain for the present in
Finland, or return by rounda bout
routes.
Strikes Vulnerable Point
The address, which bears a remark
able similarity to the manifesto framed
by the council of Workmen last No
vember, which landed its authors and
the editors of eight st. Petersburg
newspapers in the cells of the fortress
of st. Peter and st. Paul, strikes the
government in it's most vulnerable point
by declaring that the administration
and not parliament is responsible for
the delay in the settlement of the agra
rian question, and by proclaming ceS-
sation of payment of taxes and of
military service and reputation of fu-
ture loans.
The address is as follows:
ITO the people from their popular
representatives:
"Citizens of all Russia: Parliament
has been dissolved by the ukase of
July 21. You elected us as your rep
resentatives and instructed us to fight
for our country and freedom. In exc
cutting your instructions and our duty
we drew up laws in order to insure
freedom to the people. We demanded
the removal of irresponsible ministers
who were infringing the laws with i'm
punity and expressing freedom. First
of all, however, we wanted to bring out
land to working peasants and involving
the assignment to this end, of crown
appanages, monaSteries and lands be-
longing to the clergy, and compulsory
appropriation of private estates.
Conditions Reviewed
"The government held such law to
be inadmissible and upon parliament
once more urgently putting forward it's
resolution regarding compulsory expro-
priation, parliament was dissolved.
1.-The government promises to con-
vene new parliament seven months
hence. Russia must remain without
popular representation for seven whole
months. at time when the people are
standing on the brink of ruin, industry
and commerce are undermined, when
the whole country is seething with un-
rest and when the ministry has def
nitely shown it's incapacity to do justice
to popular needs.
For seven months the government
will act arbitrarily and will fight
against the popular movement in or
der to obtain a pliable, subservient
parliament Should it succeed. how
ever, in completely suppressing the
popular movement the government will
convoke no parliament at all.
Citizens, stand up for your trampled
on rights; for popular representation
and for an imperial parliament. Russia
must not remain a day without popular
representation. You possess the means
of acquiring it. The government has,
without the assent of the popular repre-
sentatives. no right TO collect taxes from
the people, nor to summon the people to
military service. Therefore you are
now the government. The dissolved
parliament was justified in giving
neither money nor soldiers.
Loans Would Be Involved
Should the government however.
contract loans in order to procure
funds, such loans will be invalid with
out the consent of the popular repre-
sentatives. The Russian people will
never acknowledge them and will not
be called upon to pay them. Accord
ingly, until a popular representative
parliament is summoned, do not give
kopec to the throne or a soldier to the
army Be steadfast In your refusal,
No power can resist the united, in
flexible will of the people.
Citizens. in this obligatory and un-
Continued ON page two.