The Delta independent., 1906-01-12
THE | Il MISERY IN RUSSIA
Real Condition Set Forth by a
Native.
wREToHEDHEss OF THE PEASANTS

Fearful Eject Of Famine Caused by
the Russian Government Seiafn q
All Their Supplies Of Food 70 Pay
For Arrears Of Taxati0n-Horrible
Substitute For MIX Give. to Dabies.
Mice Are aIissinE In sone Hats.
The London Standard prints the fol.
lowing from RussIaroat present llv-
ing In London, who has himself expe-
rienced the terrors he tells about, CIV
Ing the following description Of modern
Russia:
"At the present moment famine and
misery untold are running riot In Euro
pean Russia. And yet only short time
ago an English journal pointed to this
years immense expectation Of corn
from Russia as proof Of the increased
prosperity OF the country. No one. per-
haps, knows SO well as a Russian who
has himself suffered how this seeming
symbol Of plenty is as the death war
rant of hundreds Of miserable men,
women and children. For it means that t
the Russian government has seized the
entire supplies Of food which the peas
ant has raised to feed himself and his
family in the winter. to pay for the ar
rears Of taxation, arrears Of land tax,
of grants in aid, all of which amount to
hundreds Of millions Of rubles.
within the interior of Russia at the
present moment are large villages in
which the entire population lie famish-
cd in their wretched huts. In these
there are not even mice. because there
is no food: no cats. owing to the alb
sence OF mice; no dogs. because they
have starved. In some places the in
habitants have trained themselves TO
do without food by allowing them
selves to sink into a kind Of winter
sleep and by moving as little as posi-
BILE. whereby the waste OF bodily tissue
is arrested, and a saving in food and
fuel is effected. In many parts where
the famine is severe 1t is hardly proba-
BILE that single young child will sur
viye.
Because there Is no milk the baby
Is given u horrible substitute, called a
sucking bag. 1t is filed with black
bread. which Is rarely changed, and
spreads disease as II goes ON from
mouth to mouth. At last dysentery sets
in. and the child soul returns whence it
came so short n while before. Thus it
has come about that the mortality Of
the Russian population is largely In
creasIng. and the once rapid Increase
Of the Russians has been checked.
The Russian peasant is not trained
to work. He feels no zest In 1t. He
will not labor for more than Is neces-
| sary to provide for the next few days.
for the land Is not really his own. and
therefore he cannot love 1t MS q hus-
bandman should. His whole character
has been enervated by enslavement
and bad government. which rendered
him less than ever capable OF strug-
Cling with bad times.
But the state. instead Of doing any
thing to increase the industry and pro-
ductite power of the people. does the
very reverse. 1t even panders 10 his
idleness by increasing the number OF
his festivals and holidays, far more
eager, apparently. to impress him with
the sanctity of the church and the au-
thority Of the state. Now. these holi-
days cost the country enormous sums
OF money. Assume that OF 12oO00.OOO
G0.Oo0.o0 able worlmen alone do work
every day 10 the value of 20 kopecks
At this modest rate the nation is de
prived by every holiday of fl,oo0,OOO
(SG.0O0.OOO.
''The Russian of the farming districts
has lG0 or more of these holidays an
nually. and the tendency In official cir
cles Is still further to Increase them
Thus even non-Orthodox Russians, be-
sides their Catholic and Protestant hol-
idays. are compelled to observe Ortho-
dox saints days as well. Calculated in
money the loss Of labor caused in this
manner. added to the floods of brandy
with which the days are celebrated,
must represent an annual loss of GER
tainly not less than f1O,OO0.OoO ESQ.,
0CO,0OW.
"Ihe poorest village manages to ind
means-if necessary by recourse to the
village poor box-to celebrate these
feast days, which Is equivalent to
drinking pailfuls OF brandy. And the
more that is drunk the better the gov
ernmcnt of the Little Father will be
pleased. for is not Its sale govern
ment monopoly? 1t has been calculat-
ed that peasant family OF four men,
bcrs only will spend fifth Of the year
ly income In brandy"