Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-02-09
THE RUSSIAN ARMY.
Nearly Five Million Men Armed
 for Battle.
European Nations Watching Their Mill itary MaReuvers s-Fresh Data Concern ing the Tactics and Armament of
 the Great Army.


 itary MaReuvers Fresh Data Concern
 ing the Tactics and Armament of
 the Great Army.
 The recent gigantic maneuvers of the Russian army on the western boundary have directed anew the attention of all Europe to the great Eastern colossus. The endurance, willingness and iron discipline of the one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers who met at Rowno, the capacity of the officers to handle great bodies of troops easily, and espe- cially the morale of both officers and men were so conspicuously displayed that all Austria and Germany have been doing good deal of hard thinking and exhaustive writing concerning the Rus sian army ever since.
 The exact size of the Russian army in Europe on war footing, says the Chi cago Times, is rather problematical. The active army is estimated by the best German authorities to contain one hundred and ninety-two infantry and fifty-eight cavalry regiments, fifty-one brigades of field artillery, and one hun dred and forty-five Cossack regiments; the reserve troops, one hundred and five infantry regiments; the mili- tia, two hundred and one infantry regi- ments. The garrisons include twenty four infantry regiments and ffty-one and half artillery battalions. All these, together with the batteries, sharpshooters, sappers, miners, etc., swell the grand total to four million five hundred thousand men. The Flu ropean Russian army has five hum dred thousand horses and about four thousand guns. The cost of this establishment last year was, reckoned in Russian paper currency, $1S6, ,000, ,000. That meant a tax of about S2.G0 on every man, woman and child in European Russia. Since 1874 Russia has had the universal obligation to service. The time of service in the standing army is five years; in the reserves, which are in camp twelve weeks every year, thirteen years; in the militia, till the soldiers fortv-third year. The buying of substitutes or exemption is not allowed.
 The infantry is armed with breech- loadcrs, Berdan II. model '72, with a caliber of 1O.67 centimeters, and ball weighing about an ounce. The field artillery has guns of 1O.67 centimeters caliber for heavy work and others of S.7 centimeters caliber for light and mounted artillery. These latter throw grenades and shrapnels. The maxi mum range of the 10.67 caliber is $500 meters, and of the ST caliber 6, 300 meters for grenades. The range of the shrap- nel is between $500 and 8, ,750 meters.
 What kind of men stand behind these arms? The opinions of all who have seen any of the more recent Russian mareuvers are uniform. The Russian soldier, they say, is the most willing obedient and robust in the world. He can live contentedly from what a Frenchman or German would starve on He can march tremendous distances without losing his pluck and under the most trying hardships needs only { word from his superior to make hin forget all his troubles and rally to any effort. A German officer, who after hi: recent return from Russia published hi. observations in the Cologne Gazette says:
 ''The maneuvers showed that tho Russian army is made up of men anC horses that arc equal to all eXertion and all demands of the modern battle field. Heavily built, thoroughly disci | plined, content with little food, ant l loyal above all others, the Russian sol dier is ready and willing in ever. emergency"
 The strenuousness and the aim O 1 RusSiaS eXertions to bring her army t, it's present state of efficiency and avail ability at a moments notice are bes illustrated by her railway policy of lat years.
 The energy of the Russian Govern ment in the construction of militar, railways during the last decade Ina been truly wonderful" says Max Limal in the Illustrirte Zeitung. 'Still, tn distances to be overcome were so tre mendous that the meshes of her irol net are at least twice as great as thos in Germany and France. The railwa construction in Russia in the last fey years has been pushed most rapidly O. the western boundary, so that a quicI attack in Germany and Austria migh be rendered possible. The Governmen was forced to do this by the Panslavs This party has its advocates in hig military places, and through them Ina spread it's ideas throughout the army.
 ''It deserves mention, too, that tn Russian forces are being steadily shifte to the western boundary. Sixty pc cent. of all the troops and even three quarters of the whole cavalry are 8 present in the military department! Warsaw, Wilma, Kiew and Odessa, an almost the entire army is garrisone along the lines of the stategical raj ways. During the last year sixty-tw battalions, fifty-eight squadrons, an sixteen batteries have been transferre to the western departments. Thereb the standing Russian army has been il creased by fifteen thousand men on tn German border and by thirty-fve thol sand men on the Austro-Hungaria frontier
 New Business for the Postmaster.
 The people who want something fe nothing are very closely related to th people who are always trying to sen