The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-07-25
The RUSSIAN CRISIS.
RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT ISSUES
REVOLUTIONARY ADDRESS.
Urges Resistance to Imperial Author
.ity-Declares That Taxation With
cut Representation is Tyranny.

Urges Resistance to Imperial Author
.ity-Declares That Taxation With
cut Representation is Tyranny.
viborg, Finland, July 23.-The cur
tain dropped this afternoon On the
final act of the drama Of Russia's first
parliament when under the spur Of
the threat Of Governor Rechanberg to
use military force to end. the session,
and with troops already converging on
the Hotel Belvedere, where the meet
inc was held, the assembled members
of the lower house, 1S6 in r,lmber,
hurriedly adopted and signed an ad-
dress to the people which is thorough
ly revolutionary in its nature, elected
perpetual executive committee head
ed by Prince Paul Dolgourokoff, pres
ident of the house, to carry on the
work of liberation and adjourned
amidst characteristic Russian embrac-.
ing and kissing. A few members, in
Guiding President Mouromtseff, Ivan
Petrunkevitqh and Count Heyden, re-
turned to st. Petersburg by evening
trains. The constitutional Democratic
representatives intend TO go to St.
Petersburg in a body in the morning,
but many of the radical members
fearing their arrest on their arrival at
the capital will remain for the present
in Finland or return by roundabout
routes.
The address which bears a remark
able similarity to the manifesto franz
ed by the council Of worknlen last No
venber which landed its authors and
the editors Of sight st. Petersburg
newspap pers in cells Of the fortress OF
St. Peter and St. Paul, strikes the gov
ernnent in it's most vulnerable point
by declaring that the administration
and not parliament is responsible for
the delav in the settlement Of the agra
rian question and by proclaiming
cessation of payment Of taxes and Of
military service and reputation Of
future loans.
The following is the text Of the par
lament manifesto:
ITO the People from their Popular
Representatives:
"Citizens of Russia: Parliament has
been dissolved by ukase Of July 2l..,
You elected US as your representatives
and instruced US to fight for cur coun-
try and freedom. In execution OF
your instructions and our duty we
drew up laws in order to ensure free
dom to the people We demanded the
removal of irresponsible ministers
who were infringing the laws with i'm
punity and depressing freedom. First
of all. however, We wanted to bring
out law respecting the distributing
of land to working peasants and in
volving the assignment to this end, OF
crown appendages, monasteries and
lands belonging to the clergy and
compulsory appropriation Of private
estates. The government held such
law to be inadmissable, and upon par
liament's once more urgently putting
forward its resolution regarding COM
pu,sory appropriation parliament was
dissolved.
The government promises to con-
woke a new parliament seven months
hence. Russia must remain without
popular representation for seven
whole months, at a time when the
people are standing on the brink OF
ruin, and industry and commerce are
undermined, wnen the whole country
is seething with unrest and when the
ministry has definitely shown its in
capacity 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 p!iable, 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 tram
pled-on 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. The
government has, without the assent OF
the popular representatives, no right
to collect taxes from the people nor
to summon the people to military ser
vice. Therefore, you are now the gov
ernment. The dissolved parliament
was justified in giving neither money
nor soldiers. Should the government,
1,o,vever contract loans in order to