Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-06
NOW FEARS FAMINE
war May Make IL DimcuIt for other
Nations 20 Help the
Starving.

ST. PETERSBURG. Aug 5.-(specie'
Cablegram to The BeeD-It Is feare
there will be a recurrence OF the
Russian famine Of a few years ago. when
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage and number OF
Americans visited this country and dis
tributed provisions with a bountiful hand
At that time hundreds of thousands OF
Russians suffered because OF the shortage
Of the crop and the d-wide relief was
gladly accepted by the government Now
that the war with Japan is on it is doubt
ful whether the government will be willing
TO confess its weakness and allow outside
aid and assistance, no matter how many
people may be starving in the interior OF
Russia
According to the reports at hand from
the provinces there will be a total failure
Of the crop in many districts Of central.
eastern and northern Russia and as a re-
suit the famine in store for the affected
districts will undoubtedly far surpass the
famines in the years Of 1891 and 1897
From the governments OF Vjatka, Kasan-
saratoff, Samara, Yekaterinooslav Yam
/ bon. Orel and Rjasah the zemstvos report
q total failure of the crops so far as winter
and summer corn. peas. beans and cattle
food are concerned.
! A bad harvest is predicted from the gov
| ernments Of Moscow Novgorod, Tula,
! Kursk, Tver and Tskof, while. on the
other hand, southern Russia has a fair
! harvest
But the mlsfortunes in the districts OF
central, eastern and northern Russia are
/ likely to be all the worse because the men
in the districts mentioned have been called
/ IN as reserves, and all that remain behind
are women, children and old men, in
! capable Of work and unable TO procure
bread for themselves and for their families.
In consequence the women of many viii
lagos have revolted and have marched in
crowds to the local police stations, where
they declared that they did not want to die
and that they would not leave the central
police stations until their husbands were re-
stored to them.
Up to the present time the government
has maintained an attitude of absolute in
activity toward all of these manifestations
and it is believed that nothing will be done
until as usual, It is too late and until
famine, typhus and scorbut have broken
out.
This year, seeing that most OF the rail-
roads have handed over the larger part OF
their rolling stock to the management OF
the Siberian railway for war purposes. the
provisioning of the famine districts will
naturally involve far greater difficulties
than usual, as the railways cannot ever
cope with the ordinary trade and commerce
at the same time taking care of the for
ward movement OF the troops constantly
going on in the direction OF Manchuria.
Warnings to prepare for all eventualtie'
and to buy cereals for the threatened dis
tricts are daily being received by tn,
ministry of the interior from the zemstvos
but the government does nothing and L
all intents and appearances it would seen
as though it is relying upon miracle t
resurrect the burned up crops.
Should famine among the peasants of {
large part of Russia be added to th'
| troubles growing out Of the war with JapaI
Il is believed that rebellion among tn,
peasants will be increased. and it may b
difneult, IL not impossible, to put dow
the uprisngs in the future. Indeed It ma!
be next to impossible for the governmen
to, carry on the war with Japan in case tn
troops are absolutely required to suppress
rebellions in central, northern and eastern
Russia, caused by famine.
1t is believed that the representations o
the zemstvos regarding the famine posi-
bilities have been giving the czar NOR
trouble than all of the other questions com
. bined and that they were the subject O
several earnest conferences with NJ. Witt
before his departure for America on hi
)errand of peace. II the situation should be
come too bad it is likely that the peace-at
=, any-priee policy may be pressed home upo
: NJ witte and the stan at the peace con
+, mission.