The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-10-15

sumed to be. Consumption. OF course.
brings all sorts Of men and all kinds
Of intellect into the service. but every
effort Is made by the officers OF most
regiments in Asiatic Russia to develop
the Intelligence of the rank and file.
The Cossacks. Russians horsemen
from the south of the European part
Of the empire. are numbered among
she famous cavalrymen of the world.
They are splendid horsemen and good
lighters. but their a~menability 10 disci-
pline Is doubted. The average ''sOtnia'
or troop is more like a happy family
than a military organization The Cos
sack can be led with ease, but he Is
hard to drive, During the Boxer out
break in Manchuria this fact was dis
covered by Russian generals unfamiliar
with the handling Of these people only
after they had sustained some serious
reverses.
ut Is q mistake to make the COssack
a landed proprietor" said q Russian
officer. "As he becomes more and more
prosperous he loses his military quail
ties because he naturally does not care
to leave his farm and perhaps
see it again. A Cossack should be al
lowed to w nothing except his horse,
his saddle and his weapons"
Cars Men Good ~campaigners.
If there is one thing in which the
Russian army excels it is marching.
Lord Roberts famous march to Can
dahar has been equaled Eel and over
again by the cars troops In their Cen
trail Asian campaigns. When General
K~Ouropatkin marched a force of Tur-
kestan troops to join Skobeleff in an
attack ON the Turcomans he and his
men were swallowed up in an IN
known %trackless desert for twenty-six
days, yet they covered over forty miles
a day and marched in at the end of the
time in perfect military order without
a single man sick or fallen out. 1t was
a wonderful feat. but it was not re-
garded in Russian military circles as
being anything extraordinary.
Although the Russian soldier is said
to be brutal and has a tendency
to commit massacres like that at Bla-
govestchensk. In which thousands of
d~efenseless Chinese neutrals, men,
ONE and children were brutally
slaughtered during the Boxer troubles.
he Is nevertheless Il good fellow. who
gets along admirably with the people
among whom he is campaigning or is
quartered. II he does not kill his en-
envy he makes a friend Of him by his
good nature.
Money Appropriated For Army.
In recen years, after the RusSO-Jap-
anese war. the government has paid
close attention to the matter of equip
ping the army for war. In a speech
before the duma in 1913 NJ. Vegineff,
chairman of the committee on arma-
ments, did not hesitate to declare that
the uncalled for and unexampled ef-
forts which a friendly %neighboring
state is making to develop her military
strength" demanded an explanation to
be made to the duma, and he called
upon General Mikhnevich to explain
to the deputies what steps Russia was
taking to restore the disturbed balance
of power.
General Mikhnevich stated that the
activity OF the military department
was now. as ever. directed to main
tanning the army's readiness for war.
During the last few years they had
given evidence OF their care by the Law
ish building of fortresses. 1t had been
decided to provide the howitzer divi-
siOns Of the army with new howitzers
and the infantry with machine guns.
Proceeding. the chief Of the general
staff announced the measures which
the ministry OF wal had taken with
the object of facilitating the rapid
mobilization and transport Of the army
: well as OF perfecting the intelli-
-ence and aviation branches. The min.
lstry had, in accordance with the
wishes Of the duma. gone into the
question Of the building Of roads on
the western frontier Of the empire.
and a plan for the construction of a
network of railways for strategic pur-
poses was being elaborated This had
been affected by the happenings in
the Balkans. which had forced all ma
tons to test the condition of their mil
itary power.
The ministry. said General Mikne-
vich. had taken measures to provide
everything necessary to secure the
army's readiness for war. The mill.
tary department had already drawn
up a bill providing for a considerable
strengthening Of the Russian military
forces-the formation of new bodies
Of infantry and cavalry and other arms
Ne we'll as the reorganization of the
field artillery in the direction Of the in
crease Of the number of guns Of the
field artillery of the army corps.
These measures and others, added
the chief of the general staff. impos-
ed great sacrifices of men and money
on the fatherland. The military de-
partment was thankful to the duma
for granting it's demands and for Civ.
ing the means to meet the fresh de
mands.
In the future. however. yet further
ind greater grants would have to be
,sLod for Tho ministry for war hopad