Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-13
THE RUSSIAN WAR SCANDALS.

It seems that affairs have come to
such pass That it is impossible for
any nation to conduct war without
having on it's hands scandal of more
or less serious aspect. The "embalmed
beef" of the Spanish American war has
not been forgotten by the men who
went to the front, the history of Eng
land will not be complete in relating
%the events of the Boer war unless it
tells of the scandals in which several
government officials and army officers
became involved. But remarkable as
were these disgraceful events, they did
not jncriminate men of high rank, men
whose positions should have placed
them far beyond any such low actions.
On the contrary, 1t is from the highest
circles that the grafters in Russia are
drawn. The scandals in connection
with the war, which are just beginning
to come to light involve members of
the hated bureaucracy, and 1T is
learned that these men have deprived
the soldiers at the front of the very
necessities of life in order to fatten
their own purses.
There recently passed away in the
person of Sawa Morosow-the Russian
wool king-a man who in the early
days of the war attempted to stop the
progress of the corruption which even
then was in full sway. When hostili.
ties began he made gift Of 100000
blankets to the Manchurian army.
Shortly afterward he was approached
by an agent with an offer Of 100000
blankets, which were for sale cheap.
On examination he discovered them to
be the very blankets he had given the
army After that experience M. Moro
SOW refused to contribute even the
smallest sum towards any of the insti-
buttons founded In connection win the
war Although threatened with ex-
pulsion from the capital he held to his
position and was ultimately left in
peace.
Entire train loads of charitable gifts
have been reported as lost during their
transit on the Siberian railway and 1t
is said that as general rule out Of a
consignment Of 100 boxes only about
ten reach their destination. The city
of Moscow last Christmas sent an
X-ray cabinet to field hospital in
Manchuria. 1t has never since been
heard Of Boxes have arrived with tn:
more valuable goods removed and re
placed with bricks. Among the stories
IOlQ- OIL lu6 huSSldu lSu SlOSo OlSdu
ization is one to the effect that recently
small tradesman bought several
cases of raisins in the Apraxin market
of ST. Petersburg On inspecting the
contents he found small label inside
with the inscription. "Hurrah for the
czar! To Russia. the liberator, from
grateful Greece" They were part of 6
gift for the benefit of Russian officers
at the front, but which had found theil
way to the Apraxin market in the in
terest of corrupt bureaucrat. NJ
! prospective committee of inquiry dis
turbs the repose of the army of grand
dukes and subsidiary contractors, who
are piling up fortunes regardless o
the ruin of their country's cause
In the light of such disclos
ures as these. which are bein,
made almost daily in ST. Petersburg
1t is not to be wondered that such mel
as Maxim Gorky and others who ar
patriotic with patriotism that bind
them to the comm on people of Russi
rather than to the members of the col
rupt bureaucracy should declare tina
the time has come for complet
revolution in the form of government
in Russia. They maintain that, thougl
the war has been disastrous one TO
Russia, it has brought to general al
tention, not only in Russia, bu
throughout the world, the fact tina
the bureaucracy, for Russia's good an
for the good of the subjects of tn
c1ar must he denosed