The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-03
Russia Ruined
By Corruption
From Within
New York SUM

III RUSSIA anu understand ner Zee
inexpressible grief over the collaps
of the Cars armies. The cause i
to them so patent, the event so ex
pected, the ruin SO complete an,
tragic that all other circumstance
of the war pale beside it in import
ance.
Russia, and possibly theallies, ar,
losing the ggreatest battle of ideal.
the world has known, not because
Russia lacks money, men or military
skill, but because of her officia
greed and lust. Those Americans
Who themselves have witnessed this
lust and greed are certain that the
story of the Russian retreat, 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 is inconceivable that Rus
sian despotism will long survive the
events of the summer of 1915.
| have seen factories, churches,
tcnements, temperance societies,
charity funds, exploited and robbed
Ly Russian imperial command. |
have time and again been unspeaK-
ably exasperated at finding myself
faced with the necessity of paying
brides and extortionate fees every
time I have come into contact with
Russia's hierarchy of grating off,
Gals. | have seen sepheads and sots,
appointed because of family connec-
tions, bungling at governmental
tasks demanding brains and respon.,
sibility. | have sat at Russian tables
and heard my hosts quietly, re-
tell of Russian officers
half the appropriations
for the commissariat while the sold
iers are soup polluted with worms
have read official reports of whole
being shot down because
they dared to complain.
Russian has men and food enough
70 conquer a world of enemies, but
ler splendid energy is important,
Ter very citals rotted, because of this
'tupendous conspiracy of civil and
graft. We are shamed to
ind our city pundits looting our
treasures; we are horri-
led at Villa sacking Mexican
owns and numbering witnesses to
obberieshis robberies of mines and
ranks, but now we are learning that
'eyond the Carpathians and the Wis.,
cla gang of courteous. picturesquely |
'niformeI imperial 'blacklegs has
or hundred yeare been pillaging
nd ravishing one hundred and fifty
elpless millions of the gentliest and !
lost patient people on earth.
The epithet "barbarians" applied
D the Russian people as whole
an Infamous lie. The
eople are almost pathetically hu-
'ane; the Car is not monster.
ehold the official chinovnik; fawn-
lg on his superior, tyrannical to his
lferiors, depraved by indulgences,
,rrupt to the very soul, voluptuous,
ldique, he is Russia's Judas, he is
lie traitor of the allied world.
lille German officers were training
the Uietzschean school of super
en- these chinovniks were ROSTER
g in Petrograds palaces and guz-
ing champagne, while naked WON
danced in babcchanalian abandon
nong the tabless.
From uncensored letters brought
e by friends from Russia | learn
at things are still as they used to
!. Grand Duke Nicholas was cal.
too late to the sinking ship. Be- ,
e honorable and efficient, he had
1t chance before the war. He,
Re his remarkable father, was Kept Z
lsy buying and selling horses.
DIV. with peasant soldiers who can
How but not lead, and with emas-
late officers who can do neither.
is heroically endeavoring, single
nded, to give battle to the trans ,
ndent Germans. The Grand Duke L
s rustlessly removed shirkers and b
magogues, put scores of disobed- Z
Mt colonies and generals in irons II
d hanged traitors and spies, all to :.
purpose. BY cutting at the :
nker of official depravity, he has X
ed the entire army In Russia c
icers are promoted from the ranks o
We have seen King Albert stsand-
e, broken hearted, gazing with n
wed head at the smoking ruins :
his stanch little kingdom Were .
% draw a picture of Russia today, a
would show the Grand Duke o
ceiling in his tent. his head in his 81
nds, plunged in unfatnomable II
lancholy. would show his
zion; whole regiments of peasant -
diers rushing, singing, without h,
ms, barefoot, line upon line, of W
I'm, toward the machine guns of hl
? enemy who were moving them Ii
wn like grass. Far back of the al
es | would show pomaded ca