The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-08-21
WHO ARENorRUssIANs
The Ablest Officials Largely of German
Extraction.

Extraction.
As Russia's troubles multiply and one
part Of her political machinery is no
sooner patched up than another breaks
down, the men inside the government
are beginning to set UP the case for de-
tense. We have NJ. White himself lay
ing ii down that Russia has to be judged
by standards entirely different from
those that apply to any other country.
1t was put forward FOR an excuse
for the short lived nomination of hispre-
decessor on the peace mission, NJ. Mura-
Nieh that he had a sSiavonic name gloT-
ious in Russian history" and that Wit
ties Courland name was d handicap
when it came to Russia having to see
her representative sign confession OF
defeat. And SO with Baron Rosen, the
papers took pains to explain that,
though he had German name, his
grandfather was a Decembrist patriot,
one Of the band Of officers who tried to
extract the constitution from Nicholas
SO years ago.
This emphasizing Of Russian tradition
as something that must keep her history
QHASiAN VI tliS CatftEHAE lHdb SItSlL Ob3leE
nations is not new, but the theory is
going to be worked as the great jHstiii
cation Of the present regime. Yet it Is
not difficult to produce abundant EVIL
dence, not only that this doctrine has
no truth in it today, but, furthermore
that ii was never more than useful
fiction built up By men Of many races,
who found it handy explanation of the
eonquests and adventureswhich their ma
tive energy and easy surroundings
tempted them to undertake.
Peter the Greats career Of expansion
which started the appetite for the
justification of the smaller peoples
who were his neighhors, was generally
conducted BY men who were not Rus
slams at all When he went to Holland
to study ship carpentry he left his whole
empire In charge of Scotchman named
Patrick Gordon Entire provinces in
| the south were conquered for Feter by
| "a full.blooded negro whom he had
bought on the slave market in Constan-
tinople, baptised Hannibal and promoted
| to be general,
| Catherine the lis exploits in Rus.
sia's name were carried through by lust
such group Of high spirited adYen.
tuTers from all parts Of the earth as
Peter lived to have around him. With
her they were mostly Germans, for
she herself was pure German on both
sides.
50 it was all through the Panslayist
chapters Of Russian history, when sol.
oilers and statesmen VINO were NOT Slavs
at all we're working to force on the
smaller nationalities around Russia 3
frontiers q system which they called
slayonie, but might as we'll have called
lbv any other name, as it was simply
/ the system evolved BIZ their own expert.
ence the likliest to secure the business
of government and generalship as their
cwn exclusive affairs.
The upper ranks OF the Russian be-
ieaueraey today are plentifully supplied
with the sons Of naturalized foreigners,
mostly Germans. at the foreign Office
not only Is Count LamsdorH d member
lof the non-Slavonic land owning class
hut the man who really typifies what the
| foreign world understands by Russian
diplomacy; Won Hartwig, head Of the
Asiatie department, is man of wholly
| German extraction, the regular Prussian
official who lives in and for his depart
ment.
In the diplomatic service some Of the
foremost champions Of aggressive Rus
sian expansion in The questions that led
Iup to this war have been men Of nom
Russian families. Iessar and Planeon
who made it their business to overaue
the Chinese Imperial court with stories
Iof Russia's might from the legation at
Pekin, were Of Leyantine and French
extraction.
The new Russian war minister, Roed.
iger, il another 81 the German school
4 In tile army, where the tradition 81
/ Russian glory is most deeply rooted, Chi
bias against foreigners is widespread
Most MEN who saw the early fighting
IN Mauehuria agree that the most com
lpetent Of kuropatkin's generals wa;
the unfortunate StaekeIberg-- Yofb
Grn