Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-14
LIBERTY AND LAND The CRY
Representatives Of Popular Movement in
Russia Address Omaha Audience.
NEW OUMA UNDER THUMB OF AUT0cRAcY
POpuIacc is Aroused and win Not Be
Denied, Though a Generation of
Patriots May he Martyrs
to the Cause.
NEW DUNA UNDER THUMB OF AUTo:RAcY

Alexis AiaQl0n, members Oh AAlc hAF
sian dums. and Nicholas Tchaykoy x .
addressed a largely attended ,SSsSat
the First Congregational chul Aday
evening. which was presided ovel Gov
arnor Sheldon Of Nebraska.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor
ames c. Dahlman, who said
We are here tonight to do honor to two
distinguished foreigners and learn from
hem the situation in Russia from the YleWSN
point OF men actually in the held. We aS
glad also to have with US our dis
guished fellow citizen, the governor @
braska Governor Sheldon, who has : ty
consented 10 leave his arduous duties at
lincoln to preside at this meeting
Governor Sheldon said:
I am very much pleased 10 be here to-
night TO preside over so large and intelli-
gent an audience as Is here asseInbleo.
There IL always a warm place IN my near
OF any occasion that calls me to Omaha
and especially as at this time Wnen we az
70 hear the story of 5ISisbed E patriots as
Mr.. Aladjan and Mr.. TchaykoXsky re, re
member hearing as boy Polish speaker
once say that no true man was ashaihe9
OF his native land. And to you men OF
Russia who have fought the great balues
for the betterment of your people IN rsCra yOul
! far more than to men who have come mere
and made the cry for liberty Ior I..iI hussto "a
| Nebraska in tho name Of the people OF Ne
| braska and am proud Of this honor.
Tells of Russian Struggle.
Governor Sheldon then introduced MI
| Aladian. Mr.. Aladjan was given cor
dial welcome as he stepped forward to
speak. He is a young man OF possibly %
wears and speaks English fuentiy, though
with a slight Russian accent At times
during his address he was extremely eio-
ouent and at all times deeply earnest He
said in part
] Nae Na
| From all my heart l thank you 10, IoI ,,fIS 1llIs
| nnitted to tell this intelligent audience
/ something of the great struggle Tor consu-
tutional and civil liberty that my IpSiSInS, pGi0IPle
/ for the last fifty years. For thls s suusSlS S
/ Is not a new one; it has been going on by
| e-roups IN this last half century, and Is
! Analiy combined together in one general
| cause and has at last wrenched from tle
government the right to form Dume1 OF
| a congress, or parliament we nave unitsu tt
| ourselves in one mighty effort for the
| liberty of 100000 people. II was IN IVo
that the first Duma Of $40 men, Representa-
| tives from every quarter OF our mighty
| empire, assembled to do we hardly knew
| what We had no previous experience IN
legislative work and had TO ma com
mon ground upon which TO make our fight
for freedom. we had to contend with the
! traditions OF centuries in that the Russian
people had never known how TO frame an
| answer to a crown speech. We were there
only five days and five niehts- The nights
! we spent in our committee work and the
! dnEH In the mouse. anu NAcu RANcShAOA CNt
1 answer 10 the crown. Our address was not
! exactly conciliatory, but our demands We're
extraordinary We had much to do. much
| 10 think Of.
Many OF Rest People In Prison.
The conditions Throughout Russia were
not unlike those that prevailed at the close
! Of your civil war. But with you II was
a spirit of conciliation. Some or the best
and brightest of our people, who had been
laboring in this cause for years, were In
Siberis-S0,O0O men and women had been
L. snFa In
without trial and were sent to Siberia or
the northern mines or some unknown
prison, merely because they sought lloera-
tion for their fellowmen. The prisons were
crowded and the best of our people were
rusting somewhere in Siberia or prison.
Freedom OF conscience, speech and press
III you do not give US what we ask, we
will take IT," We objected to martial law
in time Of peace. There were two kinds
Of court-martial-merce and drum
head. II mattered but little by which one
you were tried, for you would be shot
anyhow
The condition Of our people. our peas
antry, IS beyond your comprehension. The
great mass Of the Russian people eat meat
but about five times a year, and bread is
not always on tn etables of our farmers.
Every FIVE years Russia is beset by famine.
We expect TO lose 100000 OF our people
within the year by starvation. There Is
no help for II. Privation and poverty and
starvation compels in a great many in
stances the sale Of lS and iI-year-old girls
In Russia who bu. these girls. With the
poverty and self-denial of years and gem
erations. with the recurrence OF famine
every fve years, It is almost impossible
for our peasant people to accumulate any
thing. The tax, tax. tax consumes ali the
surplus. So with the most rigid economy,
and it cannot be more so than it is now, 1t
will take from ten to forty years for the
average peasant Russian to accumulate
anything.
Dunn Come TO Stay.
Who is the state? The peasantry, which
| comprises 81 per cent OF the population OF
Russia, is the state. We pay the crown a
salary OF S6,0O0.1o per year That Is quite
enough. There is but one way to meet an
emergency, and that Is the national way,
and We will meet Il that way. We can say
othe crown, you must come 10 US; you
must give US a constitution and a ministry
that can work with and for US. The gov
ernment has recognized the fact that the
Duma has come to stay. It dissolved the
first Duma, Of which ! was member, and
allowed US to elect a second one, which Is
taken by the government that only such
should be elected TO this second Duma as
would serve its interests, at least suf-
lcient majority TO do its bidding. II must
have q Duma that viii do its bidding.
belonged 70 the party OF the xtreme left
there were l16 members OF the extreme left
now there Is over a0, but they all are not
permitted TO serve. am one Of those who
| Is not permitted TO serve though I was
elected to this second Duma- The reason il
apparent But we have to ight en- OuI
D cannot conceive the dread and terror Oi
the situation, you can merely look on from
afar believe that II this second Duma Il
arbitrarily dissolved Russia will appeal e
Z the force OF arms as a last rescrt The
E national spirit Is aroused The resort q
arms Is the Anal resort Of a despairing na'
ton. We come here 20 ask you which side
will you take, that OF a government which
oppresses our people OF people who suf
fer sacrifice and die. Remember, my peo'
pie. many OF whom fought for you In you
. great cause for liberty. Can you not al
least give them your moral support in thk
great struggle for constitutional liberty.
I Governor Sheldon then introduced Mr.
1 Tchaykovsky. saying;
I feel that know more Of Russian nov
! 7 than I have ever known before IN hearing
! Mr.. Aladjan. i can appreciate the dilems
OF the first Duma Of which he was mem
Der, IA that they had so much 20 do IN
. ! I'VE days, and did Il. toe. i see here In thii
! audience some few men who have beeI
2 members OF the Nebraska legislature and
they VAL bear with me in the suggestion
that we had no end Of trouble IN accom-
E plishins anything in sixty days.
Masses Not IntelIiaent.
! Mr. Tchay kovsEy is a distinguished look
ing man OF probably % years. who bears 1
strong resemblance 20 the pictures OF cOun
Leo Tolstoi. He has been In Amertoa
about four years and - the head Of th'
! ! Russian movement IN America He said:
II