New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-14
Douma Member Says PeO-
pie Are Reused by Mu-
nitions Scandal.
NATION RESOLVED
TO GAIN VICTORY
None Talks Peace. but All Are
Stirred by Failure to
Supply Troops.
Commanding. Of rhe A..ocI.,.d Pr.r ]


Warsaw and the failure Of the Russian
defensive campaign in Poland have had
n profound effect on Russian national
sentiment. The feeling which has
shaken this stolid country from one end
TO the other is not one of discourage
ment or submission. No one talks OF
ultimate defeat or peace negotiations
with Germany. The reaction is one Of
intense Indignation at the government
officials who have been responsible for
the shortage of ammunition.
The full tragedy OF this shortage has
only been observed by the men at the
front, who, with empty gun caissons
have helplessly faced the concentrated
artillery attacks Of the enemy These
soldiers were determined, experienced
fighters, Russia's best troops, acquit-
ting themselves with unusual bravery
in every bayonet action, but crippled
and finally demoralized by insufficient
ammunition.
A national and inherent inhibition Of
free comment Of any sort has failed TO
check the avalanche of criticism
against the government officials who
are responsible. For once, expression
of opinion in Russia has become FREQ
and unhampered. No attempt is made
to conceal this reproach. II is eI-
pressed not alone by men Of revolu-
tionary incinations, nor in hushed
voices or secret places, but is loudly
current among men of all parties and
classes.
Predicts Great Revolution.
A well known member of the Douma
IN,
Pctrograd a few days ago:
THE Russian people are on the
threshold of great awakening. Every
one in Russia, officers, civilians and
moujiks know why Russia has been
compelled to surrender a large part of
her territory. They know that they
have good officers and that the fighting
strength and spirit of the Russian
troops are as high as at the beginning
OF the war. They know also that they
have been forced to retreat or stand
helpless before the murderous fire of
German artillery. while their own guns
have had only few rounds of ammuni-
ton that had 70 be sparingly used.
without understanding the peculiar
methods OF the purchasing commits
sions whose business it is 70 supply
them with ammunition, they realize
that their government is at fault, that
they have been sent into trenches inn
possible 10 defend and that tens Of
thousands Of them now lie dead as a
result Of the delay in the delivery Of
ammunition.
"In my opinion. In this present awak-
ening Of the army and the people to the
criminal neglect and corruption Of
their officials. there are the germs Of
the most serious revolution Russia has
ever knOwn-a revolution supported by
the army. This revolution will come
as soon as the war Is over"
In this bitter protest there is not an
atom of disloyalty. II is a high ex-
preston of loyalty resentful that the
purpose of the nation is being frus-
trated and the chances o. victory weak
ened by some of its own officials. A
common view Is that the evil Is ac-
counted for by the residue of German
influence in the various departments. II
was p spirit OF revolt against this per-
sistent German element in Russia that
caused the terrible Moscow riots of
, two months ago. When the order ex-
pelling all Germans from the city was
not enforced by the city authorities,
the mob decided 20 take the matter in
its own hands.
Petrograd Too, Protests.
Evidence of the same spirit OF pro-
test has appeared in milder form in
Petrograd, where numerous meetings
denouncing corruption Of government
officials were broken up by the police.
In these meetings It was openly de-
clared that Russian officials were de.
feating the army, and that while they
continued In power victory was impos-
able. The allegation was made that
the officials who superintended the
purchase OF war munitions were pri-
marily interested in Selling the oppor-
tunity TO amass fortune at the ex-
pensc of the government.
American and English business men
who have been trying TO sell ammuni-
tion to the Russian government state
that, without an average payment of 10
per cent commission on all sales. il was
impossible 70 do business with the Rus
sian purchasing commissions. In some
cases the contract. they say, is delayed
while the amount of commission IS ad-
justed, and II is not an unusual thing
for this delay TO be a matter of months
This is an exposition Of what has been
delaying the Russian purchase OF am
munition.
A short time before the fall OF War
saw. il seemed that the situation had
been greatly improved by the arrival
Of two million shells. II was not until
some Of these were taken 10 the actual
firing line that il was discovered. ac-
cordirg 10 reports, that they were a
fraction Of an inch too large 20 fit any
Russian gun. By an odd coincidence,
however. they were Of the exact calibre
10 fit some Of the German artillery.
Rejected L. s. Shrapnel.
Il is also well known that a large
amount of shrapnel was offered Russia
by American manufacturers six months
ago, but that for some reason or other
it was not accepted Since that time
Russia has been forced to buy the same
shrapnel at almost double the first
price quoted
II is the opinion of most military OBJ
servers that with full supply Of am
munition the Lublin- ChOlm line and
the Russian positions along the Vistula
could have been effectively defended.
Russian staff officers even go so far as
70 say that If the German advance
could have been delayed a week longer.
sufficient ammunition would have ar
rived to turn the tide and save the Wis
tula line. Officers who helped to con-
duct the retreat OF the Russians de-
scribe wildly the tragedy Of fighting
with insufficient ammunition.
German and Austrian trench build
ers began work not far from the Rus
sian positions Russian officers gaug-
ing the distances through their in
struments, signalled to their battery
commanders, but received the reply in
almost every case that there was no
ammunition 20 waste. Accordingly, the
Teutons built their trenches in such
easy rarre OF the Russian hatteries