The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-04
IN ARMY
OF WHITE Gar
Officers and Men Active in the
Revolutionary Societies
of the Empire.
HATRED OF THE SERVICE
Men Mutilate Themselves to Escape 1t
-Socialistic Documents Circu-
lated Among Troops and
Printed by Them.

ST. Petersburg Letter: With wal II
the east a thing that may come off any
time, with most of the other powers
hostile on account OF Manchuria, II
with the danger of local risings grow
ing more imminent as winter gets near
err, it is a nightly unfortunate time Tor
d~isloyalty to manifest itself in the Rus
sian army. Recent events, however,
leave no doubt not only that disaftec-
ton exists among the cars forces, but
that it is increasing rather rapidly, ana
the remarkable communication which
the war minister. M. Kuropatkin, has
just addressed to the commanders-ln-
chief of the different military districts
throughout the empire regarding the
circulation OF seditious literature
among soldiers is evidence that the
authorities realize the state of things
that exists and are badly frightened
thereat.
Instances have multiplied of late to
prove that not only private soldiers,
but officers wearing the czar's uniform
nave fomented revolution-chiefly by
distributing inilan1matory tracts among
their comrades. One or two of these
instances the war minister mentions In
his circular to the commanders. al
though for the most part Nj. Kuropat-
kin occupies himself with the attempts
from outside to breed discomfort in the
army. The war minister's letter, by
the way, was specially marked Sc
cret," n the fac that It's contents
have become public property is enough
by itself to prove that discipline is u
long way from being perfect in he
army of the Bear.
According to M. Kuropatkin, the mill
tary authorities discovered that propa-
ganda was being carried on by the SOL
diers OF the SiXty-ffth infantry of Mos
COW, the SiXty-siXth infantry Of
Boutyrski and the Twenty-first dra-
Soons of Bialorousski, and that incen-
diary manuscripts had been written,
II many Of them wen Autographed
at the military headquarters hem
selves. One of these was entitled THE
Pater Noster oc a Soldier and it's pur-
pose was to incite the rank II file
against their commanders.
Another Case.
And here are the exact words of the
war minister concerning another case:
1T was ascertained," he says, that q
propaganda had been organized among
the soldiers of the lIkaterinoslav regi-
ment of grenadiers of the Imperial
guard. This propaganda came, not
from the outside and from persons who
We're strangers to the army, but from
the soldiers themselves, and the Chief
OF the organization was a soldier of the
said regiment named Alchansky. He
had concealed the fact that he was
enlisted to a shorter period Of military
service so as to he able to continue
for a longer time his work of propa-
ganda among the soldiers. While he
was with the regiment A~lchanSlsy en-
ergettcally p~ropagated revolutionary
Ideas in his personal conversation
with the other soldiers and also BY
distributing a great number OF pam
phlets, proclamations, etc. A consid
cradle number Of soldiers c%ollaborat-
ed with him. Others, while not talk
ing any active part in his efforts. toll
Grated this propaganda. 1t must be
observed hat among the persons who
are accused of instigating the recent
agrarian disturbances in the southern
governments there Is q certain sub
lieutenant Of the One undred anC
Thirty-third regiment of infantry
named Passko. He was convicted and
he confessed hat he a distributed
among the peasants of the govern
ment Of Poltava different pamphlet:
and proclamations of a criminal char.
acter. These examples do not prob.
ably exhaust the list Of cases which
might be quoted as having taken place
of late, which will illustrate the fac
that, by one means or another, propa'
ganda has penetrated within the army
Socialists Among Officers.
They do not exhaust 1t, indeed! II
Luz = AZ tiiN WV vi
CARNATIONS exist among Russian of
ficers, though the authorities have no
yet been able to gain sufficient INFORM
alton regarding them to justify ar
rests. One OF these organizations Il
called "The Army League" and its OBJ
ject is nothing less than to abolish tn,
autocratic form of government, Will
the other, THE Military Revolutionar.
Organization" breaches open socialism
and is believed to be conducting al
active campaign among the troops. I
is known, too, that d~isloyalty exists II
the navy, for it was found lately tina
several members of an agitation com
mittee which was attempting to in
luence the soldiers of the garrison O
k~rasnoyarsk been appointed di
rectly by the sailors at Sevastopo
Quite recently. too. he "Hetman" 0
the Cossacks was warned by the Rus
sian war Office to beware against tn
propagation OF revolutionary doctrine
In the army. and it has been observe
here hat IL 1t is necessary to proteC
the Cossacks against the faint Of Eu
i, ropean revolutionary ideas, the infec
!. ton must be widespread, indeed.
came from Mohiloff tn
other day regarding a case In which a
officer winked at the identical sort {
! propaganda which the Russian govern
|. men breads. An immense secret meetin
! had been held on the outskirts of the tow
at which the political situation was dl!
cussed in a fiery manner, and this NEE
ing was largely attended by soldiers, WIN
' on this occasion, dressed as civilians. tt
. next day, the captain in command Of thes
. men called them together and told thel
, , that he knew they had attended the NEE
= ing adding, however, that he wanted on
to warn them that a soldier could be col
y demned to death If he attended such
gathering as a civilian, and thai II /
went in uniform, he was liable to a pei
atty of hard labor for life. And then tt
q commander went on to sugges that II h
: men wished to take part in the revolution
4 airy movement 1t would be rather bett'
for them to wait till they had conclude
their military service.
- Naturally the Russian government
putting forth every possible effort to chez
the growth Of this disease" in the arm
: To test individual loyalty the authoriti
have had printed n flood OF inflammatol
|, literature generally similar to that issu'
: by the socialistic organizations, and poll
: agents in the guise Of anarchistic repr
- sentatives have canvassed various arm
- posts. judiciously distributing this print
matter and leaving nothing undone TO a
certain infinitely the opinions Of all grad
of soldiers.
The Decoy Pamphlets Failed.
ID In spite OF the precautions taken by t
.a Ooyar mn ~ ~ In In ytn0 ify truy, sho pcNo-