Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State.
St. Petersburg, November 1, 1906.
Sir: I beg leave to report that during part of the month of October I made a trip to Odessa via Vilna, stopping first in Russian Poland. From Odessa I traveled by steamer to Sebastopol, from there across country by stages through the Crimea, then by the military road over the mountains to Bakchisarai, an ancient Tartar capital, and then by rail to St. Petersburg via Moscow.
Throughout Volhynia and as far as Odessa crops had been harvested and winter wheat sown, and the peasants were busily engaged hauling the beet root to the sugar factories or way stations.
Odessa is a city of about half a million inhabitants, one-third of which are Jews. They are not confined to any special district, but are at liberty to make their abode in any part they see fit.
I found the streets of the city rather deserted at night, with many special watchmen and gendarmes at nearly every corner, with loaded rifles and fixed bayonets.
General Baron Kaulbars impressed me most favorably as a straightforward and honorable man. He informed me that he should punish all those who committed crimes or endeavored to disturb the peace, irrespective as to whether they were Russians or Jews. His [Page 1284] brother assured me that there would be no pogrom in Odessa while the General was in command.
Sebastopol is a closed port. There appears to be a change for the better in the discipline and conduct of the sailors since Admiral Skrydloff has been in command. Although a short time ago the scene of mutiny and disorder, now, as far as appearances went, it was perfectly quiet, and it was the opinion of the Admiral that future outbreaks, if they occurred, would never be successful as long as the men were unable to get the support of their officers.
Throughout the Crimea I saw no sign of disturbances. Much attention is being paid, with considerable success, to the cultivation of the grape, the royal family also having a very large interest.
Traveling north from Simferopol to Moscow, at two of the stations a few troops were in evidence, but nowhere did I see or hear of disturbances of any kind among the peasants.
In Moscow all the gendarmes, as in Odessa, were carrying the loaded rifle with fixed bayonet, and at the entrance to the bank a soldier was invariably stationed, but here again, as in Odessa, business was most active, with much traffic in the street, carried on without interruption.
In some of the mill districts in different parts of the country agents have been shot when they were unpopular with the men. This occurred last Saturday in an English manufactory outside of Petersburg, but, strange to say, the greatest trouble has been with the Belgian companies.
On the whole, the revolutionary movement, for the time being, has lost its momentum. A year ago it was on the crest of the wave. Then a strike could be ordered and put in force without any difficulty, but now the workmen refuse to be used for political purposes or respond to the whims of the agitator.
The present conditions are liable to continue until the next Douma, March 5. Yesterday, which was the first anniversary of October 17 (Russian style), it had to be given out by some of the revolutionists that there would be strikes, uprisings, and agitations throughout the country. But the day passed off quietly.
Mr. Stolypin is facing with much courage and resolution the stupendous task which confronts him. He is endeavoring to deal fairly, while at the same time it is necessary to reestablish law and order. He has issued instructions to governor-generals and prefects of cities restricting the jurisdiction of the field courts-martial to cases of serious crimes and criminals taken red-handed. This should tend to confine the operations of the courts-martial to the repression of real crime and prevent their abuse for political vengeance.
He has also rebuked the reactionists, who were prone to adopt the methods of the Black Hundred. This has aroused some indignation among them.
Stolypin informed one of my colleagues that he was reporting everything to the Czar and keeping him thoroughly informed and the reports that he was about to resign were without foundation of any kind.
Conscription began last week in several provinces. Conscripts are reporting themselves without noticeable abstentions. The conscription in St. Petersburg has also started.
I have, etc.,