The morning call., 1892-07-24
THE LAND OF THE CAR.
What Russia Is Doing to Prevent a Fam
inc Next Year.
parge Sums Already Spent by tbs Govern.
ment-Wonderful Private Gifts of
the Mobiles
Correspondence OF THE MORNING CALL

The peasants have sown their crops and
the prospect IS that Russia will have fine
yield this year. The reports which are re-
ceived daily here from the famine districts
are very encouraging. and though the famine
is still raging the backbone of the demon OF
Russian starvation will, it is believed be
broken on the 1st of September. when the
harvest will have been gathered. Great
want and much suffering, however, must
continue to exist for the next year or so in
many of the States, and drought this sum-
mer may precipitate a second famine equally
as terrible as the present one. N0twith-
standing all that has been published
concerning the famine, we in the United
States have but little idea of its terri
bic extent and Of the wonderful manner in
which the Russians have handled it. No
country in the world, with perhaps the ex-
eeption Of the United States, could with
stand such strain as Russia is now under
going, and there is no nation in the wOr Id
except perhaps one.S THAT would rise to the
emergency and do SO much tnr Its people
as Russia is doing. The cOntri ributi0nS Amer
ica has made have been OF great good and
they are most thankfully, ami, l might al
most say, tearfully received, but they are
only drop in the bucket to what Russia
herself is doing. Our aud other outside
quarters Of a million dollars. The donations
of the Government and the people represent
in the neig hborhood of $3.50 100000 and the
Gar himself has given about $40. 0.O00. coo out
of his private fuadS. The Government
loans to the famine villages amount 10
more than one hundred million dollars, and
Lhese loans no one ever expects that the
peasants Will repay. 1t is a physical inn
possibility for them TO do so, and, as one of
the chief officials of the Government said to
Inc latterly, the Car does not expect repay
ment He always gives present TO the
people upon certain occasions, such as the
coronation of Grand Duke. and al the next
such event one of his presents Will PROB
ably be the forgiging of his debt, This
one hundred million dollars was given
almost outright by tue Government, but in
addition To II numerous schemes have been
favored and authorized by the Gar TO get
money for the sufferers, and the bulk of the
gifts have come from the people. One OF
these schemes was by lottery under the
Treasury Department, the prizes of which
were guaranteed by the Imperial Bank
and the profits of which went TO the
famine. Russia has no lotteries as the rule,
and such things are ordinarily against the
law. This lottery brought In about S75,-
000,00 aud all classes DatrOnzed II, many
Of the wealthy buying thousands OF tickets.
/ know one man here who bought 500
worth of tickets, choosing scattering num-
beTs. and he did not get single prize. He
was twitted on his bad luck and replied
al don't care. l have the satisfaction of
knowing that my 10000 rubles have gone 10
belD the famine" ST. Petersburg is city
sf many rich people, aud many of the mobiles
here took from $1,000 to $1,000 worth of these
lottery ticksts, but the great majority were
sold 10 people OF small means, and the buy
Ing f-1hem was, so to speak, the lad.