The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-21
RUSSIAN ~STATECRAFT.
without TeutOnlc Tutoring, II Could
Never Have Succeeded.

Never Have Succeeded.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir. Those
readers of your newspaper who are
more or less acquainted with Russian
affairs, be 1t because they were born In
Russia or because they have lived in the
land Of the Car for many years will
laugh at the views expressed by Mr.. +.
Cunliffe-Owen in THE SUN of Septem-
Der IL. To say that the Grand Duk
Nicholas was removed from his post be-
cause OF German i%ntrigues or because the
Duma had demanded his removal is
sheer nonsense. AS far as Russian dig
nitaries Of German descent are con-
cerned, nearly all of them have long ago
been driven out OF their positions and
sent into the interior OF Russia. Only
those Russian dignitaries OF German de-
scent who were thoroughly Russianized
generations ago n whose ancestors
have been converted to Greek orthodoxy.
like General Rennenkampf. and whose
loyalty to the Russian cause cannot be
doubted for a moment have been al
lowed to remain In office and even the
number OF these Russian generals Is 40
small that they can have no influence
on the general course OF affairs.
The Duma on the other hand Ii still
as powerless as II was and will remain
| nOWerleSs az lOnH as ultra TtdCllonhi
like NJ. Goremyki and his colleagues
are in power. May l remind you OF the
fact that NJ. Goremyki was invited by
the Gear to accept the premiership after
the period OF reaction set in nine years
ago? NJ. Goremyki IL known through
out the Russian Empire as the persona
fcation OF reaction and old fashioned
Czarism. The same NJ. Goremyki Is
still In power and there Is no indication
whatsoever that he intends to retire or
that he will soon be compelled to retire
from office, to make room for a more
liberal man. The fact that NJ. Maklakor.
the Minister OF the Interior. and General
Suchomilnow have been replaced by
other men is entirely due to %scandalous
revelations with regard to graft and
bribery in dealing with the ammunition
business. Only after the Reich and
many other Russian papers published
statements that showed the guilt or the
negligence OF these two men did the
Car find Il advisable TO dismiss them.
Any one who reads the Russian papers
knows that.
The Russian Council Of National De
fence has nothing to do with milIt ''
and strategical matters. Its mission
consists only in organizing the war in
dustry. and II has no say in matters re-
garding the supreme command Of the
army. II Grand Duke Nicholas has
gone II II only due to the fact that In
spite Of his Strategic genius" the Teu-
tons have succeeded in conquerlng and
capturing i've nrst class and seven Sec
ond class fortresses within three weeks
and in annihilating the Russian army,
numbering at least $500 600. within
four months. II any one likes to call
that strategic genius" he IL at liberty
20 do so. but the Russian people and TIE
Russian Car do not share the opinion,
and they consider Grand Duke Nichola.
as the evil spirit OF the Russian army
All the talk OF ack OF ammunition In
the Russian army is nonsense. TIT
Russians never yielded an inch 10 the
foe because OF lack of ammunition. bu,
because OF disqualification. bad strategy
and lack Of discipline among men and
officers.
Let me further add that not only the
Russians. as Mr.. Cunliffe-Owen asserts
but also the Poles and all the other
Slavonlc nations call the Germans
"Niemsi." which means not b~lockheads
but simply mutes. When the Russians
first met the Germans. some two hun.
dred years ago, they were amazed to see
men who could not talk Russian, and
In their stupidity they thought thes,
men who were unable TO talk TIE Sla.
vonic tongue mutes. But to say thai
the Russian term "Niemetz' now i'm,
piles any insult is foolish. In times al
peace the Russians speak Of tn,
"Ntemetz' in terms OF high admiration
and look upon them as the bearers o.
high civilization. II there Is any peo'
pie on earth from whom the Russian
have learned all kinds Of art and science
Il ia assuredly the Germans and not the
English or the French. Even the
founder OF the so-called mir theory
the ideal OF economic Russian NE, was
n German Baron Won Axthausen, and
the theoretical foundations OF Pan.
Slavism are based on Hegelian philoso.
ply The Russians know why they KEEP
so many Germans In office. The Ger.
mans have given evidence OF admins
~trative ability and have kept up the Rus.
sian Empire, while the Russians them
selves have done their best to undermine
the foundations OF their own empire by
taking and giving brides and by graft
Ing and ~corrupting the whole civil ant
military service. ! do not mean 10 say
that all the German dlgnitaries In Rus.
STA were ideal officials they wer'
mostly too conservative and reactiorarN
and sometimes more Russian than th'
Russians themselves. But the Russian
people could not do without them, be
cause the Russian officials were all cor
rupted. As long as Count LRmsdori
Witte and other Ru~ssian-German digni
taries had a say In the council of tn,
Gear, Russia had no trouble with an,
Of her %neighbors. because these officials
did not pursue an aggressive policy. Blu
/ as soon as the real Russians like lwol
sky, Stolypin anl SasanofY came int,
power there began for Russia a perlo,
OF wars and revolutions. Hating as I d,
the Russian-German dignitaries becaus,
= OF their reactionary tendencies. ! hay,
: TO recognize hat without them Russii
Z would have been long ago what Indii
I is to-day. a colony OF n great Europea,
n Power, because the Russians have n
genius In building and keeping up
=, state. DIR. 5. NJ MELAMEp.
4 New YORK, September l6.
The British Prize Court-a Query.