Office of the Historian

Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State.

[Extract.]
American Embassy,
St. Petersburg, January 29, 1906.
No. 430.]

Sir: I have the honor to report that the revolutionary party seems to have spent its force for the time being. Instead of aiding reforms, they have greatly hampered them.

By the attempted capture of Moscow, by their riots and rebellions in other parts of the country, followed by destruction of life and property, they have forced the Government into repression and reactionary methods in order to restore law and order. All this has necessarily caused a delay in the classification of the newly enfranchised voters and has given an excuse for a continued waste of precious time due to bureaucratic formality.

Some of the factions are finally waking up to the necessity of giving attention to registration and a better comprehension of the coming elections. The Constitutional-Democratic party have decided by a large majority to take part in the elections and the Douma. The Social Democrats have also decided to participate. On the other hand, the Russian Social-Revolutionaries, at their first meeting in Finland, lately, voted in favor of a boycott of the elections.

At its last meeting, the Constitutional-Democratic party, in view of obstacles to free election campaigning which the local authorities are using against all opposing parties, voted to protest against the government policy, which in any way impeded free elections to the Imperial Douma, and further urged the most energetic participation of its members in the approaching elections.

At a meeting of the marshals of the nobility, held at Moscow last week, the following resolutions were adopted:

1.
That the final settlement of the agrarian question should be made the first task of the Douma.
2.
That in deciding the agrarian question, it should be based on the principle of inviolability of private property.

It is reported that the reduction of military service from four years to two years is being projected by the minister of war, and that he will mobilize two new Cossack regiments for general service.

I have, etc.,

G. von L. Meyer.