Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-21

Correspondence of The Bee )-The
czar Is in favor of universal peace,
but he has the largest army of
- the world. He has more officers
than we have officers and men in our regu-
lar army, and even in these piping times
Of peace his troops exceed 100000. Should
war be declared he could increase them to
6OOO.OOO, and could put into the field $50 900
OF the best horses in the world.
For the past thirty years military service
has been obligatory upon all Russians.
Every boy on becoming of age is liable to
service and there are $4,000 new recruits
every year. OF these $4,000 are taken into
the active army and fleet, and of the rest
the majority go into the militia. They serve
Off and on until they 43 years old. and
are always ready to be called out in case of
war
1t takes a vast number of troops to keep
this great empire In order The frontiers
are enormous. During the Chinese war
100000 men were sent into Siberia and
great wal of Notifications has to be kept
up along the western frontier to guard
against Invasion from Europe. The from
tier guard now amounts to 5000 men, and
In addition vast numbers have to be scat
tered throughout the various states and
the Russian territories in Asia.
These Russian soldiers come from every
where over the empire and they serve
everywhere. Some OF them are sent to
Russian Turkestan, where they form part
OF camel troops taking long marches over
the desert Others are Cossacks serving
in southern Russia and different parts of
Asia. and also with the regular troops In
other sections. There are Films from Fin
land. great Russians and little Russians.
To ri nd nd nd
many races that some regiments could noe
possibly make themselves understood OUT
side their own army division. l see many
OF the different characters here in st. Pc
terSburg. The uniforms are of all colors.
Here is a long-haired officer from the Cau-
casus with coat reaching down to his
feet, there a Cossack with cap of black
astrakan making his head like that of the
Medusa, and farther along a noble Russian
I'm the swell uniform of one of his mai
esty's pet regiments ..,
l am much interested in the Cossacks
They are dark-faced. rough-lookng fellows
from about tho Black sea. There are about
S.00O,0O0 of them, all told, and they furnish
10000 men for the army. They are sent
out by the various CossaoI6 states, each OF
which equips. clothes and arms it's own
soldiers They belong mostly to the cav
OF the world. Indeed II is said that the
average Cossack can ride bareback, stand
ing up like the athlete of the circus.
These men are professional soldiers, and
the czar keeps as many of them as ne can
In the army. They are loyal, but are very
independent, and are better treated than the
other soldiers. They know but one thing
that is, to obey. and they will fight to the
death 1t was these Cossacks who gave
Napoleon so much trouble when he re-
treated from Moscow. They hung about
him and kept up a continual attack. When
the French soldiers threw away the gold
and silver they had stolen at Moscow, the
Cossacks gathered it up and gave 1t to the
Kazan cathedral of St. Petersburg. 1t has
been moulded into a silver fence and Ii now
surrounds the altar of that church.
AS It is now every family in the Russian
empire has something to do with the army.
There are in all about 100000 families
They are recorded and a record is kept
of all births and deaths. The ages of the
boys are watched and every year a call is
issued to those who are 2l to come forth
for inspection, They draw lots and $50, 900
of them are put into the regular service,
while the most of the others are assigned
20 the militia. Those in the active army
serve hve years and later on have eighteen
years in the first and second reserves.
The Russian army is one of the great civ
illzing forces OF this country. The peasants
are very ignorant, and there are but few