Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-10-20
THE RUSSIAN OFFICERS
Habits and Types of Men Com.
manding Cars Troops.
THE PREVALENCE OF CORRUPTION
Count Won Observation-Disclosures Says
1t Ii So Deeply Rooted That the Of
Acers Have Organized n Regular
system Of Robbing the Govern
ment.

nCCh5 oAaE
System OF Robbing the Govern
ment.
"Ah, les voyoux! All, les saigots! All.
les Sachalins"
With these words M. Giffard, CORE
spondent for lie Matin and known as a
sworn Rusophile, burst into the dining
room Of the "Solotoj Jakar' at Hardin,
says Ernest Count Won Binder Krlegl-
stein In the New York American.
At first I thought that he had had a
falling out with n of the proprietors,
who are all ticket Of leave men from
Eakhalin. But, no! He who was used
to see a Taras Pulba in every Russian
officer had during the last hours en-
tirely changed his opinion and could
not find words hard enough to use
about his former friends. He swore
that every bit Of friendship for Russia
had disappeared from his heart and
that he would return to Paris the first
chance he had, a resolution which he
really carried out shortly afterward.
When / asked him what had made him
SO indignant he replied:
"You know how sad l felt yesterday
at the news of the blowing up of the
battleship P~etropavlovsk and the death
of Makaroff and Vereschagin and the
absence of any news concerning Grand
Duke Cyril. Last night when / went to
Navajo Kolchida, that disgraceful cafe
chantant in which no decent man ought
TO put his feet, to have my dispatches
censored by an officer Of the general
staff, who is never to be found any
where else, l hear from one of the pri.
vate cabinets the most internal noise;
mirrors were broken and painted WON
en- scream and carry on in the most
disorderly manner, and when l ask a
well known officer, who was so intoxi-
Gated that he could not stand on his
feet, where / could find Colonel Petroff
he asked to be excused, that he had no
time to answer me. as he vas dining
with Grand Duke Boris, the brother Of
Grand Duke Cyril, who, we feared, had
been killed. And just now / met a
number of officers in full dress uni
form, and when l asked one of them if
today was an orthodox holiday he re-
piled with a laugh which made the
blood boil in my veins: 'Oh, no. We
only celebrate the death of this Maka-
roffv
Imagine a Russian officer speaking
In this manner of his comrade who had
died the death of a hero! I will not re-
main here one day longer among these
scoundrels, who know neither honor
nor patriotism"
And Girard was partly right, though
1t would not do to Judge all Russian Of
fcers from these few officers whose
morals had beer corrupted by the pres
M among them Of an imperial de-
generate. In the frst place, n must
remember that Russian officers should
not be gagged by the standard Of other
/ European officers, because Russia, In
spite of a thin varnish of western civ
iization, is really an Asiatic more than
a European empire.
The Asiatic corruption which exists
among all Russian officials is also prev
aient among army officers, and it so
deeply rooted that they have organized
a regular and by no means secret sys-
ten Of robbing the government.
: I have heard two cavalry officers
. who met for the first time openly ask
n another how much they made on
, their regiments. A colonel Of cavalry,
. q count and bearer Of one of Russia's
r noblest names, complained that he,
| who in time Of peace was used to
making % kopeks a day, had received
orders to give up half Of what was
saved on the regular expenses Of the
regiment to the division commander.
Among the officers all races, types
. and ages are found. In the same regi
ment one may find orthodox Russian.
q who hate the sight of a European al
fanatically as q Mussulman hates {
giaour, German speaking and German
> thinking officers from the Baltic prov
|, inces and others from Kurland ant
Lapland, who despise the Russians a,
they despise their form Of govern
ment. Fins and Poles are about tn,
only men n does not see as officer
except occasionally as surgeons. Blu
j, In the army there are thousands Of
n aAtahot AaAhhtSiACcs hCSoCO, Nal
mucks and Bashkirs, who, as NOLAN
. medans, hate their Christian fellow
officers with a hatred which never dies
a and n wonders how the Russian gov
q eminent dares trust these men, who 1
i their hearts have never recognized til,
authority Of the car.
1t would be too much to say that the
Russian army is always on the verge
\ Of a revolution, but one shudders L
notice how the orthodox officer de
o spises his Mohammedan or Protestant
comrades end in every possible way
9 tries to prevent their promotion.
Promotion in the army goes on the
whole only by promotion, and this IL
the reason why n often sees colonies
Of thirty and second lieutenants Of
forty-fve, who will remain lieutenant:
. until old age forces them to retire
though in military experience and
- nnrHlodnA khA- - H. - x~~ou cI