The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-12-29
Steady Sober Nation Shows What She
Can Do in Spite of Obstacles
at the Begin
ming.
OUTPUT OF MUNITIONS
Most Important Thing In Cars Great
Country Was Participation In
War Of the Common
People.
by VIM. Philip Simms, United Press
STAFF Corresn0ndent

Staff Correspondent
PARIS, Dec. 2S.-(By mail.)-What-
ever Russia may do in the future,
1916 will be set down as one Of the
,, greatest years in her history. No
period in, all ner national development
has been more significant, not even
the sixties which marked the liberia
ton of the Serfs
During 1916 the Russian people, the
common people, seem to have found
themselves and their place in the en-
pire. Their position may not as yet
be very clearly defined, but the
future, Russian students believe, will
look after that.
Russia, in the last year, has accom-
plished much. She recovered from
the blow Germany dealt her IL East
Prussia. Poland and Galicia. She
completed building brand new army
in the field. She called to the colors
another army, twice as big, which she
holds in readiness for any emergency
which the war may cause. She sent
troops to France and to Salonika, via
Siberia and Vladivostock and another
army she sent to help Rumania when
that country Joined up with the allies.
In the meantime she resumed the
offensive in Galicia and completely
disrupted the Austrian armies there,
taking we'll over half million prison
ers. And in Asia Minor she waged a
powerful campaign against the Turks
beyond the Caucasus.
These are tremendous accomplish
ments when one remembers what
Russia was up against in 1915, when
she had, during her great retreat,
but one shell a day, per battery. to
fire against the advancing Germans.
The minister of war judged respon-
sible for the bulk of the army's mis-
fortunes, M. Soukoomlinoff, was az
rested in the spring Of 1915 md
placed In the Peter and Paul prison
on an island in the Neva.
This was the test year of emo
Vodka" TIE imperial decree abolish.
ing vodka came, it is true, in the fall
Of 1914, but 1915 was not true trial.
Russia, that year, was getting over
her Jag, so to speak, and it was only
in 1916 that steady, sober Russia
got a chance to show what she could
do.
Savings bank accounts went up by
leaps and bounds. Peasants, consti
tuting 80 per cent of the country's
population Of 17o,oOO,OOo, were never
so we'll off in their lives. They were
better fed. better clothed, put in on an
average double the number Of work
ing hours a day, and sickness was re-
duced to an incredible degree. One
hospital the correspondent knows OF
had 1.50O beds. Prior to 1915 it was
Overlooking all the time having some
1000 patients to care for as best 1t
could. Now 1000 beds have been sent
to a military hospital because there
are never more than 100 patients to
care for.
This year saw the formation of q
central committee to coordinate the
work of all Russian Aemstvo union and
the al1-Russian Municipality union
two organizations composed Of Rus
sian plain people banded together tc
help the empire run the war.
Through this committee. every man
woman and child was brought more OF
less directly into touch with the wal
and perhaps it has done more to make
the war popular" war than any 9th
er movement. The Zemstvo union
above all, is peoples concern and the
Zemstvos have instructed the peas
ants and common people generally
throughout Russia as to what the wal
means to them and the importance Of
carrying it on to successful finish.
Each state in the United States is
divided into counties. If each county
had a board composed partly of farm
ers, partly Of village merchants OF
other property-holders there and part
ly of landowners. this board woulc
correspond to the Russian Zemstvt
board which Is charged with road
building, schools and hospitals of 1ts
district. It is easy to see the influ
ence of a Zemstvo board on the rura
population.
The Municipality union Is doing II
the cities what the union OF all the
Zemtvos is doing in the country. These
two peoples associations during 1911
have made millions of garments fol
soldiers. enlisting the services OF wo
men all over the land; fed tens o
thousands of refugees from the invad
cd districts: equipped and operatet
hundreds of hospitals, furnishing tn
necessary supplies themselves; estao
,,shed tea and coffee rooms for tn
free distribution Of these beverages
,ided the government feed the soldiers