New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-19
Huge Meeting Held at Tiff
lis to Celebrate Success of
Russian Revolution
A Great Assemblage
Crowds Addressed from Plat
forms simultaneously; Grand
Duke Sends Message

Tiflis. Caucasus. April 2O.-The Rus
sian revolution came to the Caucasus
several days after it had won at Pet
rograd. and the new order was put into
effect without hitch and with great
enthusiasm. The new government was
ratified by one of the most picturesque
public gatherings that has been held
anywhere in the Russian Empire.
The peoples Of Tiflis and all neigh
boring districts were invited to at
tend this huge ratification meeting.
For several hours before the hour set
for the meeting the bridge over the
Kura and the streets leading to the as
sembly square were filled with incom-
ing delegates, serious and silent, i'm
pressed with the Importance OF their
mission.
1t was the largest mass meeting OF
Caucasian peoples that has ever been
held. In the great square six plat
forms were raised and the crowd was
simultaneously addressed from all six
platforms, the area being too large to
enable any speakers voice to carry
across the entire crowd.
Every Element Represented
The crowd included every element in
the muti-racial population of this part
Of Russia. There were wild mountain
tribes, Lesgians, Avars, Chechens and
Swanetians in long black cloaks and
sheepskin caps. Their homes lie in the
recesses of the Caucasus range. Sunk
in patriarchal feudalism, many of them
did not know. until the war brought
them in touch with the outside world,
whether they were subjects Of the En-
peror Of Russia or the Sultan of Tur-
key.
Hundreds of the picturesque peas
ants Of the province of Georgia were
also there. The Georgians are politi-
cally the most advanced of all the
races in the Caucasus, having in the
last twenty years developed every form
of Western political thought. Then
there were Armenian merchants, the
Tartar peasants of the East Caucasus,
men from the railway works and the
oil fields at Baku, and the student ele.
ment was prominent.
The platforms were occupied by So
cial-Democratic leaders, who hereto
meetings in secret. They called upon
the people to preserve the public order.
While they were speaking regiment
of the Tifis garrison, headed by their
colonel, marched into the square. eve
have come" said the colonel, "to put
our services unreservedly at the COM
mard of the provisional government.
Long live Great Russja!"
Then a soldier orator took the coll
onel's place on the platform. "Let US
not forget" he said, that over yonder
in Germany we have brothers too
crushed under the same tyranny from
which we have now, thank God, been
delivered. May God grant that the
hour of their deliverance also may
strike soon"
Message from Grand Duke
In an automobile drove up the chief
of staff of the Caucasus army, who
mounted the platform and read mes
sage from Grand Duke Nicholas, in
which the latter stated that he real
lied the old regime had got to go, but
asked the people to preserve quiet and
keep the army free from political
strife.
Among the distinguished guests"
who visited the various platforms were
twenty political prisoners who had
been in the dungeons of Tifis prison
since 1905. when thew were implicated
in local attempt at revolution. There
were women speakers, too, representa-
tives of the Women's League of Post
office Employees and of the Women's
Educational League. There were
speeches in ten different languages, in
'cluding Russian, Georgian, Armenian,
Tartar and six mountain dialects.
A band played the "Marseillaise" at
frequent intervals, the troops present.
ing arms, the peasants doffing their
hats and many voices joining in the
chorus. After four hours the meeting
quietly dispersed.