New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-22

PIE regarded as the of many of their misfort
unes' was blown to pieces by a bomb thrown
within the walls Of the Krenlin Governor generals
| OF provinces and chiefs of urban police had fallen
by scores under the bombs or bullets of the fight
ing wing The campaign of violence did NOT lack
populaT support General strikes and attacks on
op' hao oeen queiled in one city only to begin
| - a'1o'her- over 1880 persons killed or
wounded at LODI June g and "a
Inc leaders Of the people realized that as long
's the army and navy remained LOYAL attempts to
ueleat the government were hopeless Efforts
Uuce the forces to their against their
ocers seemed to have borne little fruit until
60 "hen the battleship Kniaz Potemkne, flying
the red flag. steamed into Odessa Harbor The
crew mad risen and killed their officers The troops
ieaieu the warship's guns. mobs destroyed by fire
unions or dollars in property, and before the riot
ing ended over thousand lives had been lost On
June 80 the main squadron of the Black Sea fleet
sailed into the harbor under destroy
the mutinous battleship The refused to fire
on the KniaZ Potemkine, which Joined by the
battleship Georgi Pobiedonosetz and two torpedo
boats. Admiral KRUGER forced to put back to
Sebastopol with the remaining vessels. The hniaz
Potemkne sailed on July for Kustenji. Unable to
get supplies there, she went to Theodosia. where
she coaled. and returned to Kustenji. She was
surrendered to the Rumanian authorities on July
8. and on the following day transferred to
Admiral Rutgers squadron. " hose crews had been
replaced The Georgi PobedonosetZ surrendered
at Odessa This outbreak complicated with
mutinies of 5000 sailors at Libau and 5000 at Cron-
stadt The rebels at Libau were brought to terms
after hard fighting. and the Cronstadt mutineers
were persuaded to return to duty
Through the remainder of July and the opening
days of August measure of quiet seemed to have
been restored. By August the Rescrfpt Commits
sion had finished fits protracted work, and the En-
peror signed document providing a national as
semby. 1t a meagre share of government
which the people had wrested from the autocracy.
The body to be purely consultative, chosen py
indirect suffrage. and the voting qualifications ex-
cuded all the lower classes. On the day when THIS
measure was signed an order issued cancelling
the maneuvres of reserves which showed that the
government had little hope that the nation would
accept the pretence Of reform. congress of peas
ants from twenty-five governments met at Moscow
August Is and demanded the transfer to them
of the crown lands Four days later manifesto
was issued sunmoning a national assembly to
meet in January. 1t received without enthusi-
asm. and the Poles promptly struck in protest
against their exclusion from the scheme of repre-
sentation
The news that the intensely unpopular war IN the
East had ended evoked signs of rejoicing
among the people Matters had gone too far, and
Of the original causes Of discomfort was lost
in the greater issues which the agitation had de-
veloped. Peace was signed September 5. while
the Caucasus afame with civil war in which
property worth many millions Of dollars was de-
stroyed. The supply Of oil, widely used as fuel,
was cut off Famine and disease menaced sew
eral provinces
The zemstvo delegates met again at Moscow on
September Is. They decided to accept the imperial
offer OF a parliament only means to gain
their ends. They demanded equal rights for all
the inhabitants OF the empire, freedom of ballot,
speech meeting and union, the abolition of the
passport system and national assembly which
should govern.
The situation grew steadily worse throughout
Russia A general railway strike began on Octo-
Der 90 and within three days not a wheel was
turning on any line. Workmen of all classes joined
the movement. The nations industry was par
alyzed. the first great test of strength be-
tween the government and the people, and the
people won. The Car hesitated, afraid either to
use force or to accept Count Whites proposal OF
a cabinet and constitution. There were grave
rumors regarding the loyalty Of the troops Dtsat-
lection reached part of even the Imperial Guaro'
One week of the strike brought the autocrats to
terms On October 30 a manifesto proclaimed
Count Witte Premier and granted o. civic liberty,
based on freedom of conscience, speech union and
association co extension of suffrage TO all classes
and 81 the enforcement of no law without the con-
sent of the National Assembly.
The nation put little trust in princes promises
The strike committee demanded the removal of
General Trepoff military dictator at the capital;
the withdrawal of all troops. general amnesty ana
the creation of national militia. Amnesty hav-
ing been refused. mobs stormed the jails OF the
cities Fifteen thousand persons were reported
killed or wounded in Odessa alone. 1t was time
for further concessions. On November the car
a grant of freedom TO political prisoners
and on the following day the ancient rights or
autonomy were restored to Finland. The railway
employees were conciliated by higher wages right
If union and amnesty to strikers The use Of the
Polish language permitted on Polish lines
The strike was declared off. but the period OF
oo1r, was short Rumors spread that Jewish mas
sacres were being planned with official sanction
in order to turn the popular excitement into
new channel. Bad treatment caused another mu-
tinv at Cronstadt, and the continued rsings in
Nov annie
of martial law and the revocation OF all previous
concessions In protest partly against this action
and the delay in carrying out reforms, but mainly
AGAINST the sentences of death passed the lead
ers Of the mutiny at Cronstadt' the Council OF
workmen at the capital two days later declared
another general strike Discussions arose among
the chiefs of the labor parties on the question
of the advisabty Of setting in motion such a
vast engine of coercion except for adequate rea-
sons The Codly received outside OF
St Petersburg but the threat and the remembrance
NJ the previous defeat brought the autocrats TO
terms The strike abandoned on November
10 after the sentences at Cronstadt had been re-
voked and after the Emperor had granted to the
peasants a part of the Crown lands and hao re-
duced by one-half their taxes
A review of the gains of the people showed them
m he rich in promises. They had not con-
stitr,tion but they had the expectation OF an as
semhly which could extort one The Russian
uvorkingman received when he chose to earn it,
q sum commensurate with the labor expended and,
IN cases beyond the worth of the task. 1t was
a natural result that it should become ncreas-
,g1v difficult to present a united popular front
70 +he methods of the autocracy. Some Of the
Ir+altqencia (the parties OF professional men) pre-
farred to trust the word of the Emperor. while
o+bers saw in these pledges only the nterminable
r,eeian commission the drag by which so many
lonae had been deferred. The zemstvo delegates
,vere no longer one in their demands. They met at