Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-21
RUSSIAN EDITOR
GOES TO PRISON
PUBLISHED MANIFESTO OF
WORKMEN
Accusation Against Newspaper Man Is
"Ineitation to Treason"-Applied
Emperor's Sacred Adectlves
to Revolutionary Power
By Associated Press.

ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 20.-M.
Alexievitch Souvenir, editor Of the
Russ, has been sentenced to n years
imprisonment in a fortress for publish
ing in December last the manifesto OF
the workmen's council announcing that
the government had declared civil war
on the proletariat and saying that the
challenge must be accepted. Efforts
are being made to secure a mitigation
Of the sentence.
The accusation against the editor was
incitaton of the people to treason by
publishing proclamations and state
nlent designed to instigate riot, SeditiOn
and armed revolt and tending to cause
the bankruptcy of the state which
charge was based not only on the pub
fishing of the proclamation by the pos
tai telegraph union but applying to the
revolutionary power adjeCtiveS tradi-
tionally saced to emperor and also the
appeal of League of Leagues in which
it was said that the political liberty of
the people was obtainable only through
an armed uprising for a great battle
against the autocracy.
NJ. Souvenir pleaded in his defense
that the proclamation published in his
paper gave, in his opinion, facts in
political life of such Importance to all
circles of society that it was impossible
and contrary to the interests of the
government to pass over them in
silence
1t is the general opinion that this
feature of his defense merely aggra-
waited the offense in the eyes of the
judges and without it he could escape
with the fortnight's sentence given to
Notovch, editor of the NoVosti, for
publishing statements subversive of the
existing form of government. The
heavy sentence imposed upon the ed
ltor of q most widely circulated Daper
In Russia and who Is also a prominent
publicist and litterateur, has caused a
great commotion in all circles of So
ciety. At the constitutional democrat
ic convention it eclpsed the interest of
the discussion of the agrarian question
which was the order of the day. NJ.
Hessen and Prof. Milukoff were the
centers of agitated groups during the
evening. Their friends made it no Sc
cret that they believed the same fate
was overhanging them and the other
editors under indictment. Conviction
will debar them from further partici-
patton in the new political regime. NJ
Milukoff said to the Associated Press
ut is my turn next"
Panic in Liberal Camp
There was veritable panic in the
camp of the Liberal press after the
sentence of M. Souvenir was made
known. The Nashtshisn ha., refused to
print the appeal of the League Of
Leagues proclaiming Monday as a day
of general mourning, even though the
manifesto expressly stated that the
demonstration would be confined to the
placing of crepe on windows and abb
staining from labor The Russ, which
yesterday prominently displayed an
identical proclamation of the Work
min ,o,I,, |, Loo
concerning it. There is strong move
nlent in favor of a direct appeal to the
emperor through the ministry of justice
in favor of a reduction of the sentence
of M. Souvenir to three months inn
prisonment. This is approved by sew
eral judges of the courts M. Souvenirs
attorney will file a petition with the
senate for a revocation of the sentence
and asking for a new trial.
A prominent official of the ministry
of finance said today that the govern
ment was waiting for the conclusion
of the Moroccan conference before re-
suming the negotiations for q loan
which were interrupted in October.
Should the outcome of the conference
be peaceful the government anticipates
little difficulty i'll obtaining a loan even
should the national assembly be not
convoked when the financial negotia-
tions are resumed.
The prospects throughout the coun-
try are much brighter with the col
lapse of the armed revolt and the
progress made in restoring order. The
official admitted, however, that Rus
sia would probably have to pay a
high rate of interest for a loan, but
cash was necessary. The December
receipts from taxes and customs, over
which apprehension had been ex-
pressed in the budget report, We're
most encouraging. The importations
were heavy in order TO escape the
higher duties of the new tariff which
becomes effective March !, and the
peasants. from whom the government
during October and November re-
ceived practically nothing, were now
resuming payments.
New Uprising Planned
An official of the department of po-
lice said today that new general
armed uprising had been scheduled
for January %, but the premature eX-
plosions at Moscow and elsewhere had
found the military so loyal and effec-
tive that the revolutionists were dis
couraged and changed their minds.
Minor rioting might be attempted, and
In fact the police learned of an at
tack on several postal telegraph sta
tlons in the suburbs and have taken
measures to put down any such rioting
with the utmost severity. The police
did not even expect the one-day strike
TO begin in st. Petersburg, as there
were too many idle workmen and the
others We're afraid to risk loss of their
positions in midwinter
The authorities have evidence that
the uprising and terrorism in Russia
were largely organized abroad. A
bomb thrower arrested i'm Odessa has
been identified as a Partisan who was
under the surveillance nf tho oh
police on account of completely in the
International anarchistic movement
having it's headquarters there. The
agitators arrested and shot at Warsaw
were mostly of foreign origin.
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