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45°
184 RUSSIA IN DECLINE [chap, xxiii.
perquisitions, arrests of prominent leaders,
incarcerations, internments in the northern provinces. Persons
who were at the head of the " organisations of the
Zemstvo and of the towns to assure military supplies,"
protested against these measures, which embittered the
working-class circles with whom they had to do business.
As usual both parties were in the wrong: the former
because their police measures displeased every one
without stopping anything; the latter because they did
not see that the mass of the people, the workmen
especially, were being worked by clever agents, well
guided and supplied with enormous sums of money in
order to stir up a revolution at all costs, and to make
Russia powerless against the external foe.
On Saturday, the ioth March, some telegrams
appeared in the Swedish newspapers announcing that
some workmen’s demonstrations—peaceful ones,
however—had taken place in the streets of Petrograd.
Simultaneously the news arrived that the Government
was going to prorogue the Duma sine die. On Monday,
the 12th, in the morning, the representative of our
telegraphic agency rushed in to see me to announce
that the newspapers were going to publish the news
that on Saturday night there had been fighting in the
streets of Petrograd, and that there had been masses
of victims ; this news had come from Haparanda, brought
by a Swede who had been an eye-witness. The
representative requested my permission to contradict it. " Do
not do so," I said, "let us wait for the evening news."
In the evening we did receive news of rather serious
disorders having taken place in the Russian capital. And
by Tuesday telegraphic communication with Russia was
cut off. Things were decidedly becoming serious.
And then, one after another, between Wednesday,
the 14th, and Friday, the 16th, consecutive news of all
the events in Petrograd reached us: street fighting;
the reserve regiments of the Guard going over to the
side of the people; the Duma refusing to dissolve—like
the Tiers Ittat formerly in the Hall of the Jeu de Paume;
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