The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-24
MAKE APPEAL TO RUSSIANS Dourna Members Adopt Manifesto.
 --->--- MEETING HELD AT vIB0RG Soldiers Sought to Disperse the | Gathering.  Government F Held Responsible for Present Conditions and People are Advised to .say No
 More Taxes. l 4

vilborg. Finland. July 2S.-The cur | tain dropped this afternoon on the
 final act of Russia.s first parliament
 when under the spur of the threat
 of Governor Rechanberg to use mili-
 tary force to end the session and with
 troops already converging on the Hotel
 Beividere. where the meeting was held. the assembled members of the lower
 house. is6 in number hurriedly adopt cd and signed an address to the people which is thoroughly revolutionary in I its nature. elected a perpetual execu- | tive committee headed by Prince Paul Dolgoroukof. viee-president of the house. to carry on the work of libera- ton and adjoufped amidst character istic Russian embracing and kissing. A few members. young President Mouromtseff, M. PetrunkeviteA and Count Heyden, returned to St. Peters burg by evening trans. Tho eonsti | tutional democrat cohorts intend to go to St. Petersburg in body in the morning but many of the radical mem- bers fearing their arrest on their ar- rival at the capital wiI remain for the
 present in Finland or return by round- about routes
 1 The address. which bears remarka- ble similarity to the. manifesto framed by the council of workmen last No- l NSulDSF W men ka1del- ltS hutnUrS ana editors of eight St Petersburg news papers in cells Of the fortress of St.
 Peter and St. Paul, strikes the govern ment in It's most vulnerable point by declaring that the administration and not parliament Is responsible for the delay in the settlement of the agraFian question and by proclaiming a cessa- tion of payment Of taxes and of miIi- tarv service and repudiation of further loans.
 Address of Members. The address Is as follows:
 Citizens of all Russia.
 Parliament has been dissolved by ukaz Of July 21.--You elected us as | your representatives and instructed us to fight for our country and freedom. In execution of your instructions and our duty we drew up laws In order
 to ensure freedom 10 the people, We demanded the removal or the trrespon- : sible ministers who were Infringing the laws with impunity atd oppressing freedom. A g3t First of all. however. we wanted to bring out law respecting the dis- tribution of land to working peasants and involving tho assignment to this end of crown appanages, monasferies and lands belonging to clergy and compul- sorry appropriation of private estates. The Government held such a law to be inadmlssible and upon Parliament once more gently putting forward Its resolution regarding compulsory ex- propriation Parliament was dissolved. The government promises to con- yoke q 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; | kt.. 1. Hr. kk.f. with unrest and when the ministry has definitely shown its lncapacity 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, sI.eservient parliament Shuold 1t succeed, how ever, in completely suppressing the popular movement the government will convoke no parliament at all.
 "Citizens. stand up for your tram pied on rights, to popular representa- tions and for an imperial parliament
 Russia must not remain a day with
 out popular representation. You
 possess the means of acquiring it.
 The government has without the as-
 sent of the popular representatives, no
 right to collect taxes from the people nor to summon the people to military
 service Therefore you arc now the
 government The dissolved parliament
 was justified in giving neither money nor soldiers. Should the government,
 however. contract loans in order tO
 procure funds. such loans will be in-
 valid without the consent of the pop
 ular representatives.
 "The Russian people will never &C.,
 knowledge them and will not be called
 upon to pay them Accordingly until popular representarsve parliament
 is summoned do not give 0 kopec tv
 the throne or a soldier ro the army Be
 steadfast in your refusal No power can resist the united, infiexible will Of
 the people.
 Citizens. in this obligatory and un- avoidable struggle your representa- lives will be with you
 Until the last moment 1t seemed that the desire for unanimous adopt ion of the manifesto would be wreck ed There were sharp differences be- tween the constitutional democrats and the revolutionists. the latter wish. ing to proclaim the house in perpetual session and abrogate the allegiance of the people while the constitutional democrats favored the declaration of a pacific general strike without resort to revolutionary measures as a pro- test against the emperors dissolution of parliament.
 Soldiers Forced Issue,
 The physichological moment which changed the minds of moderates was the arrival of Governor Rechenbers with the curt command to disperse or take the consequences. when even the more conservative of the Constitutional Dmocrats. such at Petralitsky and Pro lessor HertzensteiR, who had made speechs favoring moderation, struck hands with the Radicals and the whole assembly foreswore amendment or de bate ard adopted the foregoing address.
 The Socialists on their part with drew the proviso that the House con stitute itself a constituent assembly and compromised on the election of . permanent executive committe.
 With the exception Ot Count Hey- den. Michaelstakovitch and the Polish delegates, every memoer present sign ed the address. Polish delegates stat ing that they had no credentials to ad- wise the Polish nation as to the future tactics and that they cannot participate