New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-10
NOTES ON RUSSIA.
v,rws OLA sLAv-THE ARMY AND MILL
ISM-STEPNIAK.

90 The nrohable domestic effects OF tue go 60,
foreign war she seems ready 10 as crushing
n light heart. 1t is the surest ,iS., The late
discontent at home. say the IN ~ coma thing
rn,roror of the French thoughe 'N N;h;Iism and
-. France in 1870 1t VIII eivo .hor ever
~,Isr forms of opposition oe'.si tooont which
o'nei And they point to the s1alei'9"V -.
say othclS ,ono since that within the last thre'
aPpeAi ,ban two hundred officers OF inc nus
yo@io ',,, hova been arrested as Nihillsts Is an
elan honsvcombed with sediton likely TO ngh'
= thov and they 90 on to tell you thaV Ni'ii'i "
g.. stranger in proportion to NUMBERS an0"s
-r;,,ates than among officers; which one may 'aA0
ioave 70 doubt. Then there are the people "n'
nrediet that Russia will be bankrupt III W.
month: that she cannot even now noae d ivan -
oo,oarcial classes will insist on peace as tno
soIo oscane from ruin that the army 'tsel VII,
.oadi,v feel the pressure for want OF suppress anu
80 oil. -, ,oro common
These latter predictions are perhaps more NM.
amonc those who Judge of Russia Hom 'no ~.
ern point of view l heard yesterday Az NV D.
ing account from q source, WHICH I"ousn "OU ..ta1
s;an is slavopc; from man who is a distingu'shou
- s,,,..ofo community which tie Pan-Slavonlc
.o,,ar,ont - II proceeds is sure some day 10 ho-
sorh This community like others. does not "ii' W
1o obsorhed Int nv friend enough OF an OrIeh'@'
20 ba n fatalist If ever" said he, hussl" soo'
20 Constautinople you will see the Gear proclaim
himself at once Emperor of the SlaVs. OF soio 1iO
title. The Pan-Slavonio movement Is d an '"'
- r,ove,ncnt pure and simple. Not one Oh US
copld resist it we should inevitably be swalio"eo
up i'll the vortex" u;r;o,
As n the bankruptcy of Russia, he was OF opinion
II did not matter for the purposes oil the WAL iio
did not rely ON the commonplace MAXI" In'V nv
nation is prevented from making war Oy wan =,
do
how Russia makes war; or how we ourselves make
:. VIZ, ,,o entered on our campaign in Turkey
we had NOT 100000 in the Treasury we iougn'
a. tho ;ns,leation of Russia but Russia sent us no
,,on.u What happened was this: when my com.
mand arrived IN a village sent word 10 the cnei
nersons that whatever they had of food or coVn'"S
that conld be spared should bo brought 10 the camp
II was brought freely. gave the owners H'''T
tickets for their property. These oruels "o'''
suppose. paid by the Treasury when tneS gov "rS
money long after of course" The Russians lie
.,,nt;nned will do the same thing; only no h'U
Enou whether they would trouble themselves 10
Give the little tickets. OF when the little ticSe1s
would be paid. But you may rely upon IL '''''
+he Russian soldiers viii be fed and clotheu' =,
The Russian people, the common peopio' ~ ~
suffer he thought but mainly IN one way, -
oro fovv things for which Russian peasant wants
~.onev One of them is drink. Food and clothing
ho can manage without paying for them IN com or
,,onor INIT drink is only to be had in exchange LOT
mopev and there will be little money III RUSSIA IL
her norts are closed and she can sell no more "n"
70 Fnrope Now the peasant cannot i've "lV"ou'
brandy or spirits in some shape lie drinks e"or
mously and if his supply OF drink Is s'oPpeu ne
iii hecome a discontinued being, likely to listen
IN \ Nhilist or to anybody else who Will renli his
bottle. 10
The commercial classes in my Slav friends opin-
ion will be LETT TO take care OF themselves an" IL 10
not the Government of the Car that VIII concern
;,seIf with their misfortunes. Public opinion IN
Russia there is nOue or none oatsiue Vhe army
and official circles That the army has been more
or less eaten into by Nihilism he thought probable
Int that IL mattered little. "The army in time OF
mace is one thing There is little promotion ana
4 GOES Inv favoritism But II is another thing IN
war. War brings with it promotions, rewards
decorations, everything which soldier cares for'
and nobody cares more for crosses than a Russian
no. not even a Frenchman Cartan who saw
never a chance Of becoming Colonel would be
very likely to coquet with Nihilism; " s~to~, Sh
u,ornu pas d. pqGitresSe" But the moment the road
20 higher rank is open he viii fling all that to the
winds.
Nevertheless the condition OF the Russian army
is believed here to be anything but good from
military point of view. The corruption, inalveIsa-
ton. stealing, are beyond anything known in any
other service, the Turkish perhaps excepted Rus
sian Colonel or General who did not levy profit on
army contracts would be, in Russian ewes, very
singular person indeed. The stealing that emptied
the French arsenals and magazines during the latter
wears of the Third Empire was trfe to what goes
on in Russia. / once heard this subject discussed
by a man who had been for many years ambassador
to Russia. HIS opinion was expressed in stronger
language than have used above and he told one
or two anecdotes, for which he vouched. Russian
engineer Officer of very high rank had to keep in re-
pair q long stretch of road Payments were made
AT so much a verst the distances on this road were
denoted by stones set up by imperial authority, and
an imperial inspector was sent down regularly TO
report on the number of versts repaired. The en-
gineer officer of very high rank, being unable to
SQUARE the inspector moved the verststones nearer
to each other, aud got pay in proportion. The other
story is perhaps moro typical. The Colonel of
certain Russian regiment, large landed proprietor.
managed to get his regiment stationed near his es-
tate. One day the Emperor appeared on the scene
without notice and ordered parade Of the troops
The regiment did not exist. The men composing 1t
were at work as laborers on the Coloners estate,
receiving pay, meanwhile, as soldiers out OF the
Russian treasury. When gross case like this is
discovered punishment follows. But few are dis
covered and since the habit of bribery is universal
the munitions of war paper are supposed to he
much stronger than those in the military store
houses of the Empire.
The present state Of feeling in England and else
where about Russia seems likely to have one result
which the Russian war party may not have fore
seem There are already signs that people are re-
considering their views about Nihilsm. One Of the
most striking is the language held by The Times
about Stepniaks new book. :" Russia under the
Tzars" 1t does not justify Nihlism-far from it.
But 1t states Stepnak's case for him. and describes
his book as terrible indictment of the Government
of Russia. "The House of Romanofi represents TO
farrn dnsnn urh cli