THE REVOLT IN RUSSIA

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 13947, 2 January 1906, Page 7

THE REVOLT IN RUSSIA

THE FIGHTING AT MOSCOW. A LAST STAND. IMPENDING OUTBREAK IN THE CAPITAL. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received January 1, 9.35 a.m.) ST PETERSBURG, December 31. Ten thousand rebels made a last stand in the Prisna quarter. They barricaded the streets, finally taking refuge in th© Prokeoroff factory, which the infantry and cavalry surrounded and bombarded for hours. Two hundred rebels and seven soldiers were killed. The Council of Workmen at St Petersburg has decided to close the strike on Monday, and organise an armed insurrection. AN OFFICIAL CLAIM. THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT CHECKED. ST PETERSBURG, December 31. It is eemi-o-fficially claimed in St Peteifeburg that tho revolutionary movement has been checked, and that a complete collapse is only a matter of a few weeks. Order has been completely restored in Moscow, and th© factories and shops have been reopened. WORKERS AND COSSACKS IN CONFLICT. ARRESTS OF SOCIALISTS. ' ST PETERSBURG, December *3l. A squadron of Cossaoks stopped an open-air meeting of three thousand workmen at St Petersburg. An officer split open th© head of the leader, who protested against the interference. The workmen then fired, killing the officer and eight Cossacks. Twentyseven workmen were killed and many wounded. Six hundred Socialists have been arrested at Lodz. Two hundred members of the Moscow Social Revolutionary Committee have been arrested. An immense number of bombs w-as seized. A GOVERNMENT PROCLAMATION. (Received January 1, 9.36 p.m.) ST PETERSBURG, January 1. The Government, in a proclamation, states that its chief aim is to restore order and enforce the manifesto of October 30. Officials opposing the Government’s ideas, and refusing to obey, must give way to those prepared to serve the authorities faithfully. THE MOSCOW RISING. RUTHLESS REPRESSION. BOMB OUTRAGES. (Received January 2, 1,25 a.m.) LONDON, January 1. The “ Standard’s ” Moscow correspondent describes ruthless repression by means of artillery, intended to prevent a similar rising in St Petersburg. Five hundred projectiles were fired into a quarter consisting mostly of wooden houses, firing them with a view- to smoking out rebels. There have been fatal bomb outrages at Odessa and peasant excesses at Radom. THE CZAR’S HEALTH. * RISING OF MINERS. LONDON, January 1. Tho St Petersburg correspondent of the “Times” says that it is rumoured' that the Czar has a recurrence of epileptic strokes. The miners at Donetz captured several towns and disarmed -two regiments sent to subdue them. The ambulances at Moscow recovered a total of 200 dead and 500 wounded, all non-combatants. Th© revolutionary casualties at Presnya numbered 500. THE IMPERIAL MANIFESTO. The following is the text of the Czar’s manifesto of October 30, to which frequent reference is made in the cable messages “ We, Nicholas 11., by the Grace of God, Emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, Czar of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland, etc., declare to all our faithful subjects that the troubles and agitation in our capitals and numerous other places fill our heart with great and painful sorrow. The happiness of the Russian Sovereign is indissolubly bound up with the happiness of the people, and the sorrow of the people is the sorrow of the Sovereign. From the agitations may arise great national disorganisation and a menace to th© integrity and unity of our Empire. The supreme duty imposed upon us by our sovereign mission requires us to efface ourself, and with all our reason and all our power to hasten the cessation of th© troubles so dangerous to the State. “Having directed the different authorities to take steps to prevent open manifestations of disorder, excesses and violence, and to protect our peaceable subjects who are anxious for the quiet accomplishment of the duty which lies upon us all, wo have recognised that, in order to assure the success of the general measures for the pacification of'the public life, it is indispensable to co-ordinate and unify tho powers of the Central Government. We therefore direct tho Government to carry out our inflexible will in the following manner. 1. To grant the population tho immutable foundations of civic liberty, based, on real inviolability of the person, and fredom of conscience, speech, union, and association. 2. Without deferring the elections to the State Duma already ordered, to call to participation ip the Duma, as far as is possible, in view of the shortness of the time before the Duma is to assemble, those classes of tho population now completely deprived of electoral rights, leaving the ultimate development of the Di'iuciplc of the electoral

right in general to the newly-estab-lished legislative order of things. 3. To establish it as an immutable rule that no law can oome into force without tho approval of the State Duma, and that it shall be possible for the els, ted of tho people to exercise a real participation in the supervision of the legality of the acts of the authorities appointed by us. Tho Government is to abstain from any interference in the elections to th? Duma, and to keep in view a sincere desire for tho realisation of the ukase of December 25, 1904, it must maintain the prestige of the Duma. It is especially important to secure a reform of the Council of tho Empire on an electoral principle. We believe that in the exercise of the executive power the following principles should bo embodied:— 1. Straightforwardness 1 and sincerity in the confirmation of civil liberty, and in providing guarantees for its maintenance. 2. A tendency towards the abolition of exclusive laws; 3. Tho co-ordination of the activity of all the organs of government. 4. The avoidance of repressive measures in respect of proceedings which do not openly menace society or the State. 5. Resistance to acts which manifestly threaten society or th© State, such resistance being based upon tne law and on moral unity with the reasonable majority of society. Confidence must be placed in + be political tact of Russian society. It is impossible that that society should desire a state of anarchy, which would threaten, in addition to all tho horrors of civil strife, the dismemberment of the Empire. We appeal to all faithful sons of Russia to remember their duty towards the Fatherland, and to aid in bringing to an end these unprecedented troubles, and to apply all their forces in co-operation with us to the restoration of calm and peace upon our natal soil." Given at Peterhof on the 17th (30th) day of October, 1905, in the eleventh year of our reign. THE MOST HATED MAN IN RUSSIA. THE PERSECUTING PROCUR ATOR. A Russian correspondent of the London “ Daily Chronicle” writes:—M. Pobiedonostseff, one of the most gifted nien in Russia, has ceased to be a power .for evil in that unfortunate country. He was one of that remarkable group of men, which, whilst making the Czar apparently responsible for their evil’ deeds, actually ruled the Russian Empire. Th© ©x-Procurator of tho Holy Synod was probably tho most feared and hated man in all Russia. And no wonder. He was a persecutor who regarded liberty as a deadly tiling. He ■was hated by Old Believers, Catholics, Lutherans, Dissenters, Doukhobors, Baptiste, Stundists, ToJstoites, Pashkovites, and other sects. Ho was hated, too, by th© priest® of the Orthodox Church, who were compelled to ho his unwilling instruments on pain of losing their livings or being incarcerated in far-distant monasteries where life was an unceasing burden and misery. One of the most gifted jurists and scholars in Europe, he was tho most bigoted of ecclesiastics, another Laud without that prelate’s sincere piety, another Torquemada, but destitute of the latter’s noble qualities. Th© unfortunate priests of th© State Church, who were made to carry out his unrighteous behests, are perhaps l the best fitted to speak of him. On© of these, a priest named Father Petroff, thus described in th© columns of the “Ruskoo Slovo,” “ This Great Inquisitor, this Terrible Nihilist, whose blighting influence, like the simoon of Sahara, has swept over Russia, withering and destroying everything in its path ” : “ Pobiedonostseff is a wonderful man, a rare personage. Over seventy years of age, wiry, thin and dried-up, like a piece of parchment, this man has never ceased', to occupy himself with intellectual work. His study is full of books, magazines, and newspapers. He has, moreover, published a number of learned books on jurisprudence, theology, pedagogy, and the current questions of the day. Everywhere throughout his works one finds traces of a rich • knowledge, a keen and deep analysis; but notwithstanding all this, his learning has a ‘stifling effect on "the reader, and lies like a tombstone on his soul. His statesmanship also creates the same impression. Thanks, however, to Uis manifold gifts, his rare culture, and his continued attachment to the ChurcU, he has always enjoyed powerful simport, and has, therefore, been a great power. But this enormous power, by a strange fatality, has inflicted both on his country and the Church irreparable harm, for it has not permitted any one or anything to go forward. It has also been the means of keeping both the clergy and the people in darkness, and it has aroused general bitterness. A* lor sincere believers, they have lest heart and have fallen into despair, whilst weak, wavering natures have sin uak hack in fear, having in view only one idea, and that was to save their own skins.” This w-riter goes on to say: —“ I was once shown this parchment old man, and was told in detail all about his personality and work. I met him, and looked straight into his eyes, which he fixed on me. They were terrible eyes; God grant that no one has such! They shone with an evil contempt for everything, and were full of deep anguish.” According to this authority, who has studied the great inquisitor so closely, Pobiedonostseff is the evil genius of the Russian people. Those who are not acquainted with the career of Pobiedonostseff will be perhaps surprised at the vehement language used by Father Petroff. But those who have beheld the results of his secret and open persecutions of the Lutherans, Stundists, Baptists, Doukhobors, and other harmless sects, think no language too harsh to use in speaking of the misery caused by the mistaken zeal of this man, who has broken up the homes of thousands, and caused the death of hundreds, through his persecutions.

The comparison of Pobiedonostseff with Torquemada is to the credit of the latter. Torquemada lived in an age of darkness, and, as a zealous Catholic, burned-and tortured heretics in th© belief that by so doing he was saving their souls from the wrath to come. Pobiedonostseff was under no such delusions, for his persecutions all originated from one idea, viz., to cement tho union of Church and State, to bring the people more under the power of an ignorant and superstitious priesthood. v Ho has but used the Orthodox Church as a means of increasing the power of the Czar over the benighted and ignorant peasantry. Like Cardinal Wolseley, he has sacrificed the best years of his life_for his Czar and the Church, and has lived to say, in th© words of England’s greatest poet:— Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, He would not in mine ago Have left me naked to mine enemies. Ono thing may be said to Pobiedonostseff’s credit: ho did not amass riches; notwithstanding he was head of one of tho wealthiest Churches in the world, ho retires from office a poor man.

Tho smallest bird in the world is said to be the Pajaro mosea or fly bird of Cuba. It is of the humming bird family, but far smaller than any of its kindred.