REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1917, Page 5

REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA

ABDICATION OF THE CZAR. CABLVET MINISTERS ARRESTED, j TROOPS JOIN THE MOVEMENT. (Extraordinary.) London, March 15. . Revolution has broken out in Russia. The Czar (Nicholas ll.j has abdicated. London, March 15. 9.10 p.m.—The Provisional Government appeals for public support. The revolutionists, supported by the populace and the entire garrison, arrested the members of the Cabinet, 9.40 .m.—The Central News' Petrograd correspondent, under date Wednesday, says that the Government has resigned and a Provisional Committee of the Duma been appointed. The troops have joined the people. Political prisoners have been liberated. There were many military and civilian casualties. The crisis lasted four days. Things are now quieter. The movement is anti-German. 10.25 p.m.—The Czar has abdicated. NICHOLAS' SUCCESSOR. THE GRAND DUKE MICHAEL REGENT. TROOPS JOINING REVOLUTIONISTS. London, March 15, In tli,' House of Commons, Mr. Bonar Law stated that the Czar had abdicated and the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrevitz succeeded him. M. Rodzianka has been 'appointed head .of the Provisional Committee. There was desultory shooting in the streets of the capital on Wednesday night, but things are calming down. The troops in Moscow, Kharkoff, and elsewhere have joined the revolution.

New York, March 15. Mr. Boiifir Law informed the House of Commons that the tear had abdicated, and 'Prince Michael had been appointed Regent.

A GERMAN REPORT. ORDER SWIFTLY RETURNING. New York, March 15. A trans-ocean wireless from Berlin says thai an official announcement from Petrograd states that the Duma, on March 11, refused to obey the dissolution ukase, and, because 'of the breakdown in transport and the food situation, formed an executive committee, which declared itself a Provisional Government and arrested all Ministers. The Petrograd garrison supports the revolution. The Duma declared that the Cabinet is no longer in existence. It has appointed Colonel Engelhard, of the General Staff, commander in Petrograd, and has appealed to the population, troops, railways, and banks to resume, their normal life. Order is swiftly returning. Stockholm, March 15. Regarding the reports of outbreaks in Russia, published by anonymous travellers from Petrograd in Swedish and other neutral newspapers, Mr. Edstroem, "ircc-tor of the Swedish General Electrical Corporation, who loft Petrograd on Friday, states that it is untrue that strikes are taking place on a large scale and that the military and civil population have not come into collision in connection with the food demonstration.

FOOD RIOTS. I . POLICE AND POPULACE CLASH. 'MILITARY SIDE WITH iPOPDLACE. MINISTERS FIERCELY ASSAILED. . Received 'March 10, 3.30 p.m. Vancouver, March 15. The Berlin official agency gives details of the revolution in Petrograd, alleging that food riots followed general disturbances at Petrograd and Moscow. Street parades led to clashes between the mounted police and the populace. ■ An uproar broke out in the Duma when M. Hodzianko and M. Milukoff fiercely assailed the Government. The Premier closed the sitting. Members actually threatened Ministers with their fists. Excitement) in the streets grew. Printers struck in the printing offices, leaving the city without newspapers. On Saturday tht troops fraternised with the people, and allowed it to be known that they would not fire, despite the orders of their superiors. Looting occurred, and the uolica and strikers frequently clashed. GENERAL BRUSILOFF IN COMMAND. Stockholm, March 15. It is announced that General Brusiloff has again taken command of the southern Russian front. ENEMY ATTACK REPELLED. London, March 15. A wireless Russian official message states: The enemy made a night attack on the occupied portion of a trench south-west of Brzcshau. Our counterattack drove him out with great losses. NO NEWS. Renter Service. Received March lli, 0.30 p.m. London.'March l.">. There has /still been no news iron; Russia'since January, 12 (?^

DESULTORY SHOOTING CONTINUES. A REAL RUSSIAN government WANTED. REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT SPREADING LIKE WILDFIRE. Received March 10, 9.35 p.m. Loudon, March 15. The Central News Petrogrart correspondent states that on Wednesday night the Ministers for War and Communications had been taken to the meeting place. Petrograd is gradually assuming a quieter aspect, but desultory shooting continues in most streets, few venturing out-doors. To-night the workmen declared their determination to work overtime to make up arrears of work in order to prosecute the war to victory. Soldiers have taken over the Imperial palaces. The comriiander of the palace visited M. Rodzianko, head of the provisional committee, stating that the Empress wished to see him. TJie Grand Duke Cyril lent a mo to.' to the troops/detailed to meet the ma-chine-gun regiments, which joined the revolution, and he addressed the troops as follows:—"We are all Russians, and must try to prevent superfluous, disorder and bloodshed. We all desire a real Russian Government.''

The Central News says the revolutionary movement is spreading like wildfire. Enormous quantities of provisions are arriving in Petrograd. ' M. Protopopoff has personally surrendered to the Duma. SANGUINARY FIGHTING. t N BETWEEN POLICE AND POPULACE Received March 16, 11 p.m. 'Stockholm, March 15. An eye-witness of Saturday's events in Petrogrnd states that the authorities from the first feared to "nploy troops against the revolutionaries. The'fighting between the populace and police, supported by some Cossacks, was very sanguinary, but part of the Cossacks sided with the people. When the superintendent of police in the Vyborg quarter ordered the Cossacks to charge, he was cut down. IMMEDIATE REVICTUALLING. WHAT LED UP TO THE OUTBREAK. Received March 16, 11 p.m. 'Paris, March 16. A wireless Pctrograd message doscribes the events leading to the outbreak. After the Duma adopted M. Milikoff's motion demanding revietuallin< a council of Ministers was held M Rodzianko urged trusting the Zemstvo to rcvictnal. Prince Golitzin stated this would necessitate a complete remodelling of the laws. MM. Rodzianko and Chteheglovitoir promised to secure a vote for remodelling the laws, but the Duma was dissolved next day.

GREATEST DEMOCRATIC VICTORY. PROMOTION OP DEMOCRATIC IDEALS. PRO-GERMANS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABSOLUTISM. Received March 18, 5.5 p.m. Washington, March 15. The State Department has received confirmation of the substance of the Russian revolution. There are no details to any extent. Officials regard it as probably the greatest democratic victory of the century, ensuring closer political sympathy with democratic ideals. The Allies are more tenacious in 'the prosecution of the war to liberalise Europe. The New York Globe states that the pro-Germans in Russia were responsible for absolutism. Their overthrow i? assured by the success of the revolutionists.

THE CZAR'S. WEAKNESS. . A WARNING DISREGARDED. REVOLT AT MOSCOW SUCCESSFUL. Received March 16, 5.5 p.m. Vancouver, March 15. Rodzianko despatched a special courier to the Czar demanding the dismissal of the Government, and declining responsibility for coming events if the Czar supported M. Golitzin. The latter answered the letter by dissolving the Duma. The Czar thereupon left Petrograd for Tsarskoe Selo, en route to the army at the front. 3 The revolution then entered its'final stage. Particulars are not- disclosed. It ended with the establishment of a revolutionary committee and a revolutionary Government. At .Moscow the revolt was also successful, troops joining the Zemstvos whole-hearfedly.

STIRRING EVENTS. A POPULACE GOADED TO CIVIL WAR. BY GOVERNMENT'S NEGLECT DUE TO GERMAN INFLUENCES. DUMA NOW IN THE SADDLE. GERMAN GANG TO BE EXTIRPATED Received March l<j, 11,20 p.m. Reuter Service. London, March 18. A correspondent wiring from Petrogrud, describing the stirring events at the capital, says lie has been day and night in the streets during the last three days. He has seen long queues of hungry men, women and' children outside the bakers' shops; he has seen wanton firing with machine-guns and rifles; he has seen civil war in the main thoroughfares, yet he had not heard a single word against the war. The shortage of food and the lack of organisation and. neglect of the most elementary precaution were popularly ascribed to German influences. The padetermination to exterminate influences was fired by the recent killing of the monk' Rasputin. The conflagration burst on the 12th. The regiments declared for the Duma and the people, and the Naval barracks w ei e opened to enable the sailors to pur- < ticipate. TROOPS FIRE BLANK CARTRIDGES. Describing the scenes in the streets, the correspondent says troops were ordered to use their rifles and machine gun?. They had only a few cartridges in the bolts of the machine guns, but tilt crowds were so dense that many fell The riflemen either had a large number of blank cartridges, or their shooting intentionally bad. The garden fronting the cathedral was packed with the populace. When'a large forco of Cossacks came up the.v all kneeled and the Cossacks - did not fire. The people are particularly resentful against, the police, because several were employed on Sunday to fire on the crowd in consequence of the refusal of manv of the military to do so. Several police, including a high official, were shot. GUARDS FAVOR THE PEOPLE. Later, several Guards regiments, numbeiing •25.(100, joined the people with the,r arm-. !>onic of their officers were shot. Another Guards regiment refused to fire. The arsenal and artillery headquarters were taken and the commandant killed. 1 lie British military attache was there at the time, and was escorted to the Embassy by a guard. The fortress Perpetual was also entered, and this is now the headquarters of the revolutionary forces. ' DEFLORATIONS TO THE CZ,(R. The Duma members, on assembling on the 12th. found an Imperial rescript'suspending the sessions till April. Thereupon the party leaders decided not to disperse, and a historic sitting,was held, at the conclusion whereof the president telegraphed to the Czar describing the prevailing conditions. He mentioned that the troops were firing against each other, and requested that a person enjoying the confidence of the country should be charged with the formation of the new Government. He proceeded: Delay is impossible, for any delay i.ieiuis death. I pray to Clod that tliis may be our responsibility, and will not lall on the crowned head." MILITARY CHIEFS' INTERCESSION. The Duma President similarly wired to the Chief of Staff, General Alexieff, and the commanding Generals, asking them to use their influence with the Emperor General Brusiloff replied: "[ have fulfilled, my duty to the Tsar and my country." General Russky replied that he had carried out the request of the President, and telegraphed to the Tsar that the situation was worse, urging immediate measures, and saying: "For to-morrow may bo too late. The ] as t hour has arrived, when the fate of the. country and the dynasty is being decided." THE HOUR HAD STRUCK. Replying to the deputation froih the revolting troops, who inquired as to the Duma s attitude, the President com-municated-the resolution that the hour had struck for a change of authority, wherein the Duma would take the most active part. The President dwelt on the urgency of preserving order, and stated that ne had appointed a noil-party committee with that object. Later, more troops and armed citizens arrived at the Duma, where the guard was replaced by the troops in revolt, who took over the charge of the building. REMOVING THE REACTIONARIES. _ At 5.30, a revolutionary escort brought in the President of the' Council of Empire, under arrest. He, with the exMinistor of Justice, one of the prominent leactionaries, will be lodged in the Ministerial room. The Duma has intimated that steps Mill be taken to remove the so-called 'Gorman gang" once and for all. POLITICAL PRISONERS LIBERATED. Thix news spread, and revolutionaries seized the hated Kresty prison after short resistance. All the political prisoners were liberated. The same cours& was followed in the case of other pris- • oners. The detentive headquarters were demolished, and the archives relating to political persons and organisations were burned. Early in the afternoon the Preiniet i (Prince Golitzini) telephoned to the President of the Duma that he had resigned. The revolutionaries .searched the ' houses of several pf the Ministers of the i Council. WORKMEN TAKE A HAND. The workmen's delegates issued 'a ' manifesto to the revolting troops and factories, inviting them to attend a meeting at the Duma on the basis of | one representative per battalion, and one | per thousand or less of the workmen re- i spectively. They also appealed to the people to assist in provisioning the troops, pending the organisation of supplies. Civilians continued to arrive at i the Duma, some in motor lorries, bring- 1 ing large reserves of cartridges, which i nromptjjr distributed, i

| EMPRESS PLACED UNDER GUARD. PRO-GERMAN MINISTERS ' MURDERED.. Received March 17, 12.55 a.m. London, March 16. The Daily Chronicle's l'etrograd correspondent states that the Empress Ims been placed under a guard. Copenhagen, March Hi. It is reported that the pro-German exPremier von Sturnier and M. I'rotopopoir have been murdered. ON THE SIDE OF THE PEOPLE. NAVAL AND MILITARY FORCES. i . ; CASUALTIES A FEW HUNDRED. i ! FEELING OF DEEPEST THANKS- ! GIVING. ; 'I ' Renter Service. Received March 16, 11.50 p.m. 1 Petrognid, March 10. Orators from the Duma steps dwelt • "poll the necessity for the preservation of order and the need for the immedi- • ate resumption of work in all factories, i lest the armies at the front should be handicapped when on the verge of victory. The correspondent, after listening to the speeches, returned to the centre of the city, whore he found the district law courts aflame. A little distance oft' he saw signs of a recent fight between factions of the guard, with, machine-guns and rifles, but there were few casualties, Generally the Government troops showed little reluctnce in accepting the (inevitable. • ° Telegraphing on 'the evening of the 13th he savs all the naval/nnd milifarv forces in I'etrograd have now declared themselves on the sid< of the people. The troops from Kronstadt, with a few officers, arrived and joined the revolutionaries. Jhe streets art.' now periectly safe, though there is bceasional exuberant firing. I hero lias been a wholesale demolition and burning of the police stations, in revenge for the police in soldiers' uniforms maiming the maelnne-g'.ms 'and dropping grenades from buildings and houses upon the naval brigade. This machine gunned force rotal'atcd with a sharp fusiladc, and arrested two hundred Russian officers and took them to tile Duma. I'orcign officers who were wounded, including Britishers, were treated with the greatest courtesy :md transferred elsewhere. It is estimated the civilian casualtics were a few hundred, mostly wounded. The streets present an animated appearance with the troops and hospital \ans. There is ceaseles... cheoriii<r, ami a 1 ecling of "die deepe-t thanksgiving Jor v.hat has been accomplished with so little bloodshed. When the disturbances culminated. Ministers were sitting at the Admiralty, which was defended by troops, but the guard finally went over to the revolutionaries. The "Minister for Justice refuged -n tiie Italian Embassy, whence he telephoned to M. Rodzianko, president of the Duma, to send a motor ami take s,im to the Duma Committee. M. Dubrovin, the '-.Black Hundredleader, was arrested and taken to the Duma late last night. The c-x-Mmister M. Pvofopopofl", y () ]. iintarily surrendered. Commissioners of the executive committee of the Duma were overtaken, and Ministries and other important appointments were made There is little doubt but that the army is now unanimous, includins a number of officers of crack regiments. STATEMENT BY MR. BONAR LAW. REVOLUTION COMPLETELY SITCESSPUL. Received March IT, 12.55 a.m. London, March 10. Tn the House of Commons Sir 11. Dalv.iei. asked whether the Government had any information to give the House, regarding the wild rumors as to the condition of affairs m Russia. Air Bonar Law replied that in a matter' of this gravity it was the duty of the Government to give all the information possible. It was only to-night that tho Government had received definite information as to the happenings in Russia. Rebellion was a serious thing at any time, not only to the country afl'c#- , ed, but to oui allies. The first news the , Government had of any serious trouble ] in Russia came by telegram on Friday , night). It simply said there were dis- . turbances in the streets: Since then daily J telegrams had come to hand giving more i or less tentative information. The Em- : oassy was unable to send full infornm- \ tion, but by degrees it became plain that , Petrograd was becoming more or less under ordered rule, that rule being the rule over which the president of the Duma had control. Almost from the out- , set the soldiers and sailors had taken | the Duma's side in the revolution, the ] result being, as far as information had j reached the Government, that there had < not been any serious loss of life. t Tho discontent in Ifussia was due, not *i to tho desire for peace, but because tile f peoplo were dissatisfied that the war f was not being conducted with sufficient energy. , f Mr Bonai Law added that lie would 1 bo glad to give a reassuring statement, f In what he had said there was some r comfort in the comparative tranquility ; wherewith the clinngc was conducted.! f He had just received a telegram from I Russia stating that the railways and 1 public services were again working, and t he appealed to tho House not to eon- c tinue the discussion, which was adjourn- i cd. Times Service. London, March IG. The Ambassador has acknowledged the provisional Government. The revolution was completely succeeded, and order has practically been restored. C