Unrest and Demonstrations in Russia
THE unrest in Russia continues to increase, and demonstrations against the government are reported from various portions of the empire. At the Russian capital on March 17 a students’ riot occurred, in which over a thousand persons took part. A large force of police and cavalry were busy all day clearing the streets. A great many arrests were made, but the repressive measures were not so strict as on previous occasions. The military were held ready for mobilization; squadrons of cavalry, batteries of artillery, and detachments of infantry packed the side streets ready to do terrible execution. In the provinces the movement is considered more serious than this demonstration. Disquieting reports are daily received from various parts of the country. At Tula the soldiers refused to fire on the strikers when ordered to do so. A grenadier regiment has been removed from Moscow because it is feared that it could not be depended upon to fire on the people, and there are evidences elsewhere of the sympathy of the troops with the revolutionary movement. It is significant of deep-seated trouble for Russia that these anti-government demonstrations are made by students of the higher schools. The more repressive the government’s measures, the more widespread are the disaffections among the educated classes. Following are the demands which are being made by the leaders of these demonstrations: “We demand personal, corporal liberty (habeas corpus and similar guarantees are meant); freedom of the press; freedom of conscience; unrestrained privilege of assembly; responsibility of administrative officials to the courts on the same terms as other citizens; universal, but not compulsory, education; equality of nationalities.” Without such a reform as is here demanded, Russian educators declare that Russia will never move a single step forward, as her best men are periodically torn from society and sent into exile. It can thus be seen how strong is the feeling that actuates those who are leading out in this agitation against the present Russian Government. THE Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has decided to take up again the reciprocity treaties which are before the Senate, with a view to securing such amendments to them as will insure their ratification. In view of the fact that these treaties have to do with the tariff, the House claims the right to participate in any action upon them. Heretofore this right has not been conceded by the Senate, but it is expected now that it will grant the claim. A REPORT from Rome states that the Vatican has received confidential information from Ireland that the situation there is very grave. The Fenians have for some months been engaged in an active propaganda with a view to organizing for a general rising. ON March 13 the Spanish cabinet resigned, and the premier declared his inability to form a new cabinet. THE much-talked-of American ship subsidy bill was passed by the Senate on March 17 by a vote of 42 to 31. Several Republicans voted against the bill, and one Democrat voted in favor of it. This bill provides a subsidy for American merchant vessels carrying mail, the subsidy being in proportion to the tonnage of the vessel and the number of miles covered. A large number of amendments were offered, but were turned down almost without exception. An attempt was made so to amend the bill that no vessel would be subsidized which employed Chinese, but the attempt ended in failure. During the first two years one-fourth of the crews of subsidized vessels must be American citizens; during the next three years one-third of the crews must be American citizens, and during the remaining time of the contract one-half of the crews must be American citizens. Contracts made under the provisions of this bill will expire on July 1, 1920. One of the amendments permitted to be attached to the bill provides that the amount of expenditure shall not exceed $8,000,000 per year. THE British Government is planning to create a great army. It is proposed to make such arrangements with the English colonies that each will furnish a certain number of men in proportion to the number of inhabitants, and these would be subject to call to any part of the world, leaving for home defense such organizations as the colonies have at the present time. Even conscription is hinted at by the leaders, in order to secure the requisite number of men. THE burial place of the long-dead city of Thinis, the capital of some of the most ancient kings of Egypt, has been discovered by the University of California expedition now making explorations in the land of the Pharaohs. The site of this ancient city has been hidden for several thousand years, and the explorers are now bringing to light many interesting relics of its ancient inhabitants. A REPORT from the Orient states that Russia is sending large numbers of troops and great quantities of war supplies to the eastern terminus of the Siberian railroad, evidently in order to be prepared in case of a sudden declaration of war by Japan. A Japanese statesman recently declared that Russia must retire from her position in Manchuria or go to war with his country. THE Russian Government has arrested 60 officers for complicity in revealing military secrets to a foreign power. Colonel Grimm, the principal conspirator, who has been condemned to death, is said to have revealed to Germany, during the last ten years, every plan which Russia had prepared for her operations in the eventuality of war with Germany. THE Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of Arizona, and the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of New Mexico have been consolidated into one company to be known as the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. The affairs of these three companies will now be under one management. THERE have been a number of engagements recently in Colombia between government troops and insurgents, in which hundreds are said to have been killed. In one of these engagements 200 government troops were surrounded, and killed to a man, the insurgents refusing to give quarter or take prisoners in this particular case. MOST of the liquor places of Topeka, Kansas, were closed on March 15, as a result of the recent decision of the Supreme Court that the Murrell liquor law is valid. Since the rendering of this decision, the church people and prohibition people of Topeka have been working earnestly for the closing of the saloons. RAILROADS entering Washington, D. C., are planning for a grand union station to cost about $6,000,000. It is intended to make this the largest and most beautiful railway station in the world. The plans contemplate bringing all the roads, except the Baltimore and Ohio, into this station by means of tunnels. A MINISTER of Elizabeth, N. J., who denounced the anarchists after the assassination of President McKinley, was set upon by supposed anarchists on March 17, and dangerously injured. Previous to this assault, his son was kidnapped, and an attempt has been made to kidnap his daughter also. A NEW and strong company of railroad financiers has been organized, with the purpose of obtaining control of all the principal railroads of Mexico, even including the Mexican Central. This wealthy syndicate has already purchased some of the roads, and is working for the control of all. SOME time ago Dr. Hertz discovered the body of a mammoth imbedded in the ice in eastern Siberia. There was grass in the monster’s mouth and food in its stomach when discovered. The body of the mammoth was dissected, and has been transported 3,000 miles to Irkutsk, Russia. THE Coachman’s Union of Trenton, N. J., has started a movement to put an end to Sunday funerals, in which they have the support of all the undertakers of the city but one. It is said also that the new movement has the indorsement of the clergy. RENEWED activity is manifest among the Venezuelan insurgents. They have captured Guanata, and are now threatening Barcelona and Cumana. THE attorney-general of Hawaii has handed down a decision in which he holds that the Porto Ricans now in Hawaii are not entitled to the right to vote there. Thus they are citizens of the United States while in Porto Rico only. In Hawaii they must be naturalized in order to vote. THE Agricultural Department at Washington has placed an order for 1,000 bushels of seed corn to be sent to the farmers of Arkansas, whose corn crop has been such a complete failure that not even seed was saved. This corn will be shipped by mail in sacks of one bushel each. KENTUCKY, the first State to allow women to vote on school questions, is now making an effort to disfranchise women. The reason for this change of sentiment is that at the last school-board election in Lexington 1,900 colored women registered, and only 700 white women. MR. FRANK P. SARGENT, of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, has been appointed by the President to the position of Commissioner-General of Immigration, in the place of T. V. Powderly, who has held the position for a number of years. A REPORT from London states that Field Marshal Lord Wolseley, former commander-in-chief of the British army, is to go at once to South Africa, and the report indicates that this means the making of new plans for the conquering of the Boers. ON March 13 the great strike of freight handlers in Boston was brought to a sudden termination, and most of the men returned to their places. The conclusion of the strike was brought about by the energetic efforts of the governor. TWELVE men lost their lives by the capsizing of a life-boat near Monomoy Point at the south end of Cape Cod on March 17. Seven of the men were members of the life-saving crew, and five had been taken from a stranded barge. IT is reported that Gen. Nelson A. Miles has made a personal request of the President and Secretary of War to be allowed to go to the Philippines, and take charge of the operations against the Filipinos. His request has been refused. FOR four days, March 15 to 18, the Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads were unable to operate their trains, on account of a heavy snow-storm which had filled in all the cuts, and buried the tracks for hundreds of miles. THE foreign trade of Japan for the past year has been the largest in the history of that country, both the imports and the exports exceeding $250,000,000. The imports, however, exceeded the exports by about $1,735,000. REPORTS of the meetings of the Hawaiian sugar planters indicate that the crop for the past year was one of the largest ever produced, tho in some parts of the islands small crops were raised on account of the drought. WILLIAM MARCONI has secured from the Canadian Government permission to establish a wireless telegraph station on Cape Breton, and expects to establish communication with England by the first of June. MANY arrests have been made in Turkey recently of persons who are accused of conspiracy against the Turkish Government. The latest arrest was of 40 officers accused of being traitors to the government. THE Senate Committee on the Isthmian Canal decided on March 12, by a vote of 7 to 4, to report favorably the Hepburn bill, providing for the construction of an isthmian canal across Nicaragua. AT a conference of the ministers of the foreign governments at Peking it has been decided to restore Tien-tsin to the control of the Chinese, tho no specific date has yet been set for the transfer. AT the opening of a new bridge across the river Maranon, in Peru, on March 15, the structure divided into two parts, throwing many persons into the river. More than one hundred were drowned. AUSTRIA is planning to raise her mission at Washington to the rank of an embassy, in which case the United States would raise to an embassy the American mission at Vienna. THE great floating dock which the United States purchased of Spain at the close of the war is to be towed to the Philippines to be used in docking war ships at Manila. A TORNADO struck the town of Piper, Alabama, on March 16, wrecking or damaging 75 houses. Only one death was caused by the storm, altho several persons were injured. TWENTY persons lost their lives in the capsizing of a river boat on the Mississippi at Lone Landing, on March 12. The boat was overturned by a sudden heavy wind. THE finest building of the Bryn Mawr College at Philadelphia was totally destroyed by fire on March 16. The loss on the building and contents is placed at $225,000. GENERAL LORD METHUEN, who was captured last week by the Boers, has been released. JOHN P. ALTGELD, former governor of Illinois, died at Joliet, Ill., on March 12.