The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-29
THE TERRIBLE REVERSES
OF RUSSIA.
Attributed Directly TO Bureaucratic
Dishonesty and Oficlal Graft.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Amer
leans who have lived in Russia and un-
derstand her feel inexpressible grief over
the collapse of the Cars armies. The
cause is to them 80 patent, the event 80
expected, the ruin 80 complete and tragic
that all other circumstances of the war
pale beside II in Importance.
Russia. and possibly the Allies. are
losing the greatest battle OF ideals the
world has known, not because Russia
lacks money, men or military skill. but
because of her official greed and lust.
Those Americans who themselves have
witnessed this lust and greed are GER
tain that the story of the Russian re-
treat, when fully written, will be one of
the most shocking governmental crimes
OF human history. The criminals are
the officials of the Muscovite bureau
cracy. 1t IL inconceivuble that Russian
despotism will long survive the events
Of the summer of 1915.
] have seen factories. churches, tene-
ments, temperance societies, charity
ihluSs fAllOlNtl silh TbuUtu ny fNuSNltn
imperial command. ! have tina and
again been unspeakably exasperated at
finding myself faced with the necessity
OF paying brides and extortionate fees
every time l have come into contact
with Russia's hierarchy of grating OFF,
Gals. | IA seen stpheads and sots.
appointed because of family connections.
tungling at governmental tasks demand
ing brains and responsibility. ! have
sat at Russian tables and heard my
hosts quietly. ~resignedly. tell OF Rus
sian officers pocketing half the appro-
priatiOns for the commissariat while the
soldiers ate soup polluted with worms. |
have read official reports Of whole COM
panics being shot down because they
dared to complain.
Russia has men and food enough TO
conquer a world Of enemies, but her
splendid energy is impotent, her very
vltals rotted, because OF this stupendous
conspiracy Of civil and military graft.
We are shamed TO find our city pundits
lOUting our municipal treasures We are
hOrrifed at a Villa sacking Mexican
towns and numbering witnesses to his
robberies OF mines and banks. but now
We are lear ing that beyond the Carpa-
thlans and the vistula a gang of cour-
teous, piCturSsquely uniformed. imperial
blacklegs has FOR a hundred years been
pillagiug and ravishing one hundred and
Fifty helpless millions % the %gentlest and
most patient people on earth.
The epithet "barbarians" applied 10
the Russian people as a whole postu-
lstss an infamous lie. The people are
almost pathetically humane the Car is
not a monster. Behold the official
chinoynik fawring on his superior. ty-
rannical TO his Interiors. depraved by
indulgences, corrupt to the very soul,
~voluptuous, sadiqus, he is Russia's
Judas, he is the traitor Of the allied
world. While German officers were
training In the Nietzschean school of
supermen these c~hinovniks were ~roister-
ing in Petrograd's palaces and guzzling
champagne, while naked women danced
III bd''HhiiaIlhH dbdlubi among tNe
tables.
From uncensored letters brought me
by friends from Russia learn that
things are still as they used TO be.
Grand Duke Nicholas WAS called too late
to the sinking ship. Being honorable
AID efficient. he had not a chance before
the war. lie, like his remarkable IA
ther, was kept busy buying and selling
horses. Now. with peasant soldiers WIN
can follow but not lead, and with emas-
culate officers who can do neither, he is
herocially voring. single handed, to
give battle to tLe transcendent Ger
mans. The Grand Duke has ruthlessly
removed shirkers and demagogues, put
scores of disobedient Colonies and Gen
erals in irons and hanged traitors and
spies, all to no purpose. BY cutting at
the canker OF official d~epravity, he has
bled the entire army. In Russia officers
are not promoted from the ranks.
We have seen King Albert standing.
broken hearted. gazing with bowed head
at the smoking ruins Of his stanch
little kingdom, Were | to draw a pic
ture OF Russia to-day, ! would show the
Grand Duke kneeling in his tent. his
head N his hands, PLUNGED in unfath-
enable melancholy. | would show his
vision whole regiments of peasant SOL
diors rushing, singing, without guns,
barefoot, line upon line OF them. toward
the machine guns OF the enemy VINO
were moving them down like grass. Far
of the lines | would show a po-
maded, unctuous General with padded
chest mailed with medals. strutting be-
fore his mistress, Beneath the picture
| would write "Grthscmane."
NEW YORK, August rs. T
NNnG unt NuLa Ton Nuah ni thu LIng