Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-02
RuSSIA'S FINANCES.
A RICH MINERAL COUNTRY WITHOUT
PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.

A Young Government Engineers Novel
Method Of Reaching the Precious Met
als-Southern >ibcria's Prosperity and
Fertility of SoiI-The Cossark
had this morning a long and pleasant
conversation with Col de- Gcosirr. an TX
Vladimir, in the Russian army Col. dc
Gessler has occupied an official p"sitiun in
the military forces OF the Russian govern
ment for many years, and Is intimately
acquainted with their resources, their
quality, aud their power
Just what asked in the course Of
our conversation, lis the condition Of tinan-
cial affairs in Russia
There seems to be an utter drainage Of
gold from the country. Our ruble, worth
numinally something like ~ cents Of your
money, now sells for i cents This. of
course, applies To the paper equivalent
which is in circulation throughout Russia
Coins Of all kinds are very scarce, and pa
per money is about the only thing one
sees There was time directly after the
last war, when the banks would give no
gold at all, no matter what kind of an or
der was presented to them. They were
willing enough to comply with the de
mands made upon them, but they had no
gold whatever To do it with We have "A
rich mineral country. but there is no in
centive to private enterprise in mining,
while we all know what such work is
likely TO amount to when It is done by the
government. Let me give you an exam
pie of the way these things are managed
man buys piece of land in the mineral
country, and undertakes 10 locate a mine
on it. He digs down and down, until he
reaches the vein Of metal
Up to this point he has been allowed to
20 ahead upon his own responsibility, but
the minute he touches gold or silver he i
compelled to report To the governor of
that province, and the representative Of
the czar comes in and takes possession,
paying a certain amount in cash for the
property. Thus the discoverer does not
receive enough of benefit from his work t.
attract very many gold -diggers To the
mines Some of the frauds that are prnc-
tlCcd Oh the government are interesting
The methods of digging gold are very
primitive. and the fashion is 10 cut great
cash i'll the mountain side instead of sink
ing shafts or tuuneling.
NEW METHOD OF MINING.
"A number of years ago the government
sent young engineer Ia adopt more praC-
ticable means Of digging out the precious
metals. He went, and reported that he
WAS about to put a new scheme into prac-
tlCc. The soldiers iii Siberia can not do
military duty to any extent in the winter.
and they are allowed to work as laborprS
in that period, keeping for themselves
whatever they may earn. This young en-
glneer engaged thousands of them and set
them 10 work, making an excavation
which covered more than a square mile at
the surface. Year after year this work
was carried on. the excavation growing
smaller and smaller toward the bottom,
the sides slanting 50 as to keep the earth
from falling in BY the time the rock was
reached there was not much space for the
proposed operations, and the whole thing
was abandoned as a failure In the inter
val, by paying his labOrers l ruble day
per head, and drawing three or four times
that amount from the government. the en-
gineer had accumulated a fortune of about
5000, 900 rubles. The affair has never been
Investigated Siberia is not altogether the
country 1t is represented to be Only in the
north is the climate severe.
Southern Siberia is one of the most
fertile and prosperous regions in existence
1t is to this part of the world that most
political prisoners are eXiled. The govern
ment gives each of them fixed number of
acres of land, house, cattle, horses, and
farming implements The only restriction
placed upon them is that they shall not 20
outside a given circle, and there is SUI
ticient force TO see that they obey this he
host Thu ~ Ia. J.,
down to a quiet, peaceful and prosperous
life, and never want to come back again,
even after their terms of exile are fin
ished There are many enormously rich
people in this portion of Siberia. The
merchants make vast fortunes, financial
easiness is prevalent, and there is Just as
much luxury in that country as there is in
any other part of the world Ii is Ia north
ern Siberia, where the copper mines are
that the worst criminals. such as
and thieves of the vilest degree
are sent. To condemn man To work in
the copper mines is as good rs reading his
death sentence. for he seldom survives a
year Of labor there
THE COssACK AN INDEPENDENT SOLDIER.
What" asked, lis the difference be
tween your COssack and the ordinary
soldier in your army"
The COssack, responded Col de GesSler,
"is an independent soldier can only liken
him to the militia in your country, and
even there find points of marked disSim
llarity. He owns his horse, his uniform.
his small arms, and all his other accoutre-
mentS excepting his rifle. That alone be
long to the government When he begins
in the service of the car he must remain
in that service whenever it is demanded
Of him TO the end Of his life. His only ad-
vantage is that in time of peace he is
TO carry on any pursuit which he may
care to embark. The Cossack country is
always thriving and pleasant. The Cos
Ks, indeed, regard themselves as the
original Russians, tracing their ancestry
back to little Russia, and they speak Of
all the other inhabitants of the great
country rs being with them, but not of I
hem IL is difficult to tell what will be .
he future of Russia. There is a great
,hange working in the country, and there .
seems no way out of the nations financial
difficulties. 1t looks indeed as though .
absolute bankruptcy were impending" /
Some of Col de Gessler's anecdotes Of .
ife in the latter campaigns of his career .
we're interesting. He told, for instance.
low. at the fall Of Plevna, Osman Pasha
ent his sword TO Skobeleff, and that upon
ne meeting of the commanders or the
hostile force, the grand duke personally
Ook the weapon, and, with his
,wn hand, hung It again about
he waist of OSman, while the
roOps on both sides cheered them
elves hoarse, and in their ardor wildly
mbraced each other. SkObeleff is still
incerely mourned in the Russian army.
lie was the most dashing and impetuous
II all the czar's chief officers, and he was
leld in great reverence by the men in his
Ommand. Among other things he WAS
tremendous drinker. and it was his
teady habit to consume a dozen bottles
# champagne in the course of a days
lighting He would hold the bottle in his
eft hand, knock the top Of it off with
lis sword and drink the entire contents al
draught.-New York Cor Boston
herald.
Lying with the Head High.
IL Is often Il question amongst people
vhp uugr1uHiuf,I ,,-irl D.,