The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1915-10-23
DESPITE REVERSES, MORALE OF
RUSS TROOPS IS UNTOUCHED

AlT1CANO, otpl. 10. AobAh
guished military authority of n of
the allied powers, who mas Just com
pleted a stay of several months in
Russia with the imperial armies, has
furnished the Associated Press with
a summary of the situation at the
took personal command of the land
and naval forces of the empire.
1T is useless to deny the gravity
of the situation in Russia" the of
ficer said, but it would be quite as
to regard Russia's posi-
ton today as desperate, or even as
one of imminent danger. The mo-
rale of the Russian forces is abso-
lutely untouched by the long series
of retreats. The Russian people
are for the war to a man, and every
defeat has served only to confirm
them in their stubborn determine
ton to drive every German from
Russian soil. Were the government
to unertake to make a separate
peace for Russia now it would have
to face a spontaneous and flaming
insurrection in all parts of the
try.
This is only one side the medal,
however. The change in the SUI
preme command of the imperial
armies has had it's drawbacks. The
Grand Duke Nicholaievitch was new
err a great tactician, nor did he eve
pretend to be one. But he had the
confidence of his officers and the
absolute faith of his men. The lat
ter the emperor also will have
perhaps even to a greater extent
than his great uncle-for the en-
peror of all the Russias is almost a
religious figure to the average Rus
sian. But how much confidence he
will inspire in his officers is an
other matter. They know that when
Nicholas NichOlaievitch said a thing
he meant it. He was like a rock in
his decisions, and withal fundament-
ally just and of open mind. His
officers could depend Upon him and
they did depend upon him And il
had an excellent effect throughout
the army
with the emperor the Russians
fear it may be different. In the
first place, he not only is not a sol
der, but he is a very strong advo-
vate of world peace. He has retain
ed confidence in Former Minister of
War Soukhomlinoff, in whom GER
tainly no one else has any confidence
and who is generally regarded in
Russian as an incompetent, who,
with Aasspoutin, has had a very
sinister influence on the emperor.
THE emperor himself, also, recall
ed to office when, with much diff
Guilty he had finally been got rid of,
s. V. Roukhloff, who now occupies
the most important civil post in the
empire-that of the ministry of COM
munications, and who instead OF
planning to transport arms and mu-
nitions to armies in desperate need
of them, is intent upon working out
nationalist theories of his own of
Russia for the Russians. In place OF
accepting a very favorable American
offer to erect factories in Russia for
the reassembling of American war
materials by thOes familiar with the
work. Roukhloff insisted on having
the work done by Russians totally
unfamiliar with it, in factories which
the Russians took ten times as long
to construct as the Americans would
have required.
ION the financial side the situa-
ton is almost as bad. The minister,
p. l.. Bark, is a man of no very sig
nal ability, who knows enough, how
ever, to be guided largely by his
French and British colleagues. But
Chipoff, the head of the state bank.
has given rise to no little criticism
of hsi capacity in Russia by his in
s~istence on guarding the gold re
serve of the empire intact, whatever
happens to Russian exchange.
1T is the emporor's willingness to
keep men like these in office under
present critical conditions which has
filled the intelligent Russian with APP
~prehension at the prospect of his
active participation in military at
fairs at this uncertain j%uncture.
one in Russia is ignorant that tn
emperor takes his traditional posi-
ton as the father of his people wit
almost devout seriousness. 1T j
scarcely possible to conceive to what
unexpected action his conviction
that he is called to be a second s
Vladimir NAV lead him. His inten-
tions are admitted to be excellent
But Russia could do with a little
less exalted purpose and a little NOR
practical efficiency.
1.-THE same may be said of the
duma. With the most patriotic in
tentions in the world of lending the
full cooperation of the people G
Russia to the defense of the empire,
the members raised, at a crisis when