Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-07-26
DOUMA'S ADDRESS TO
RUSSIAN PEOPLE

I
hundred members of the dissolved
douma. assembled at the Hotel Belvi.
dere today. which declares that Rus.
STA must not remain a day without
popular representation. and that they
have the means Of securing it. Fur
thermore. the manifesto urges that not
kopec shall be given to the govern.
ment or soldier to the army until
parliament is summoned.
The manifesto had been prepared by
several of the deputies during the
night. and while it was under discus
sion the governor of Viborg arrived at
the hotel and announced that he had
been ordered by the governor general
of Finland to Immediately close the
meeting and to use military force if
necessary to dispense the deputies.
He informed NJ. Mouromtseff that
such meetings would not be allowed
to be held anywhere in Finland.
At the time of the appearance of
the officers the discussion of the ad.
dress was considerably heated, but the
appearance of opposition served to sol.
idify the delegates and the address
was adopted without division.
Text Of the Manifesto
Following is the text of the parlia.
mentary manifesto adopted:
"To the people from their popular
representatives:
"Citizens of all Russia: Parliament
has been dissolved by ukase of July FL.
You elected US as your representatives
and instructed us to fight for our
country and freedom.
"In the execution of your instruc.
tions and our duty we drew up laws in
order to insure freedom to the people.
1--WE demanded the removal of ire
sponsible ministers who were infring.
ing the laws with IMMUNITY and op-
pressing freedom.
First of all, however. we wanted
to bring out law respecting the dis.
tribution of land to working peasants
and involving the assignment. to this
end, of crown appanages. monasteries
and lands belonging to the clergy. and
compulsory appropriation of private
estates. The government held such a
law to be inadmisssible, and upon par.
Lament once more urgently putting
forward its resolution. parliament was
dissolved.
Predict Descretory Acts
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 and in
dustry and commerce are undermined
when the whole country is seething
with unrest and when the ministry has
definitely shown its incapacity to do
justice to popular needs.
For seven monlhs the government
will act arbitrarily and will fight
against the popular movement in order
to obtain more pliable parliament.
Should it succeed, however, in com.
pletely suppressing the popular move.
ment the government will convoke no
parliament at all.
"CitiZens, stand up for your tramp.
ledon rights for popular representa-.
ton and for an imperial parliament.
Russia must not remain a day with
out popular representation. You pos
sess the means of acquiring it.
1.-The government has, without the
assent of the popular representatives,
no right to collect taxes from the peo.
pie nor to summon the people to mill
tary service. Therefore you are now
the government.
The dissolved parliament was JUS
titled in giving neither money nor sol
diers. Should the government. how
ever. contract loans in order to secure
funds. such loans will be invalid
without the consent of the popula,
representatives. The Russian people
will never acknowledge them and will
not be called upon to pay them. Ac
cordingly. until popular representa-
tive parliament is summoned. do not
give kopec to the throne or soldie,
to the army. Be steadfast in your re-
fusal No power can resist the united
inflexible will of the people.
"Citizens, in this obligatory and
unavoidable struggle your representa-
tives are with you"