The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-08

fed form. At one stroke it put an end
to the claim which the new cabinet
tried to foster, namely, that the down
fall Of the Witte cabinet was due to
imperial disapproval of the original
draft Of the law.
An article in the law not mentioned
in last nights dispatches exempting
crown lands from taxation and another
reassuring the power of amnesty for
political prisoners to the emperor, run
counter to the already expressed will of
the ma jority, and are bound to produce
a clash.
Gear Holds ALI Power.
The only commendable new feature of
the fundamental law is provision to
the effect that imperial orders must be
countersigned by the president of the
council Of ministers or the member of
the cabinet whose department is af-
fected
But so long as the cabinet is not re-
sponsible to parliament, it is easy for
the emperor to dismiss an unwilling
minister and replace him by one who
will do his bidding.
Police Dispense Meetings.
The Indignation aroused by the en-
peror s attempt to build an artificial
dyke around the prerogatives Of the
crown, has been intensified by the
| astounding action Of the police in dis
pe5sing meeting of some members of
the lower house Of parliament, and Of
the upper house or new council of the
empire at, the hall of the economical
| society. : - -..-s5
Without any warning the building
was surrounded by the Ismailovsky
guard regiment, and a detachment of
/ cavalry and 100 policemen marched into
the hall where Count Veyden, a marshal
of the nobility and a member of par
Lament for st. Petersburg, was presid-
ling, and ordered the meeting to dis
perse, under instructions from the chief
of police.
Draw Up Protest.
In spite Of vigorous protests that the
meeting was entirely legal under the
regulations governing the <ociety, the
police captain who was in charge of the
police and troops was memorable, and
the members of parliament were COM
PEELED to yield to force, and left the
hall after drawing up formal protest,
which was signed by twenty-eight mem,
bers of parliament.
M. Roditcheff, member of parlia-
ment for St. Petersburg, hurried after
midnight to the hall where the consti-
ttutlonal democrats were holding their
convention, and announced to the mem
bers there assembled the action taken
by the police.
Sent into Exile.
An indescribable scene of fury fol-
: lowed, after which Roditcheff, in an i'm
pressive speech which was cheered to
the echo, declared that the govern
1nent s appeal for confidence had again
been false, and that the people must
rely upon themselves.
It was decided that one of the first
things after the assembling of parlia-
ment shall be a demand for the dis
missal of the chief of police.
AS if these incidents were not suffi-
cient to excite: the members of parlia-
ment, the local authorities, with fatu-
| GUS genius for laundering, infamed the
; working classes yesterday. Without
warning. they ordered many of the lead
) ers of the .workmen to leave the CITY.
They were not even given time to re-
move their families.
Strike to End Parliament.
The matter was brought to the atten.
ton of meeting of peasant workmen
members of parliament, who denounced
it as an attempt on the part of the
government to bring about strike on
the eve of the assembling of parlia
+ ment for the purpose of provoking 8
= struggle, and under cover of the dis
=, order to dissolve parliament.
Nevertheless the meeting appealed tt
the workmen at this critical iuncture tt
do nothing rash and to trust in parlia
ment to fight for liberty against repres
sion.
This meeting. also appointed 'tScan
! dial committee to collect evidence OF
violations of rights of members of par
Lament, two of whom, one priest
have been searched since the arriva
: in st. Petersburg, and also to investi
gate the conspiracy ON tie part of thu
= authorities to induce members of parlia
ment to lodge in government build
. ings.
Pledged to Autocracy.
A mass meeting of "Black Hun
dreds,'' held yesterday under the presi
: dency of NJ. Dubrovin, poured oil OF
the flames by exaction of an oath from
. all present to the effect that if parlia
70 ment is found to consist of traitors
e they will offer their lives to protect tn
. autocracy.
u u No better evidence of the feveris
!. haste OF the government to strengths
assembling of parliament could be give
% than the fact that twelve columns o
4 the Official Messenger today are do
- voted to ukases and orders.
II The emperor has yielded to the d.
- mand of the Russian people of the Ba
% tic provinces and Poland, where no ele.
tions have been held, by granting tw
seats in parliament to each. They wi
be selected from the purely Russian il
gu habitants.
is Thirteen members are also assigne
lc- to central Asia, Samarkand, Russia
Turkestan and Syr-Darya. Asiatic Ru
STA. with the restriction that they elet
S. one Cossack; six are for the Ussur
a South Siberia, and Trans Balkalia
81, ea provinces aad one for Yakutsk, Eal
Siberia.