The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-07-11

speech. -, ...~ ~
Has Modest Start.
The ZemstvO- pronounced Gems
tervo'-came into being in 1854, or
three years after the serfs were freed
and the land divided. It began very
modestly and developed slowly, mem
bers being elected from three classes:
Peasants, the landed gentry and the
urbanits owning shops, factories or
other property. Originally a Gems
two composed of say so members, av-
eraged about 20 peasants, 20 gentry
and 20 town property owners, but in
1890 the gentry were given by law
what by the very nature of things
they had had from the start-a pre-
ponderant voice.
Russia is divided into 81 provin-
ces, these into districts averaging
about 10 districts to a province. At
present 80 provinces and about $50
districts have Zemstvo organizations.
Meeting Annually.
The district institution once year
send delegates to Today provincial
Zemstvo at which the work of the
past year is reviewed and the work
for the coming year co-ordinated.
Further, provincial board. of four
is named, these to devote their entire
time to this work. The ordinary
member of the Zemstvo receives no
pay. The four board members are
on salary as are the four members of
a similar district board who do moth
ing else but supervise district work.
The Zemstvo has but slight legisla-
tive acknowledging local taxes,
etc-and until the war it's activities
were confined to four spheres: Work
ing the roads, supervising the schools,
aiding farmers with advice and look
ing after the hospitals, the primary
needs of country districts.
" Aid to Peasants. -
Restricted in scope, though the
Zemstvo was, it was nevertheless the
apprenticeship of the people. 1t fur
nished the peasants with their first
means of participating in public
work. Side by side with their former
masters, these farmers, newly out of
serfdom, elected their Zemstvo rep
resentatives and labored for the COM
munity and for Russia.
Such was the Zemstvo at the be-
ginning of the war.
On Aug. ~, 1914, less than two
weeks from the commencement of
hostilities a general meeting of dele
gates elected by the provincial Gems
tvos was held in Moscow. It was
then and there decided to form the
All-Russia Zemstvo Union ''for re-
lief work among sick and wounded
soldiers" And every Zemstvo Joined
in save one, this solitary abstainer
prefering to work independently.
For Interior Work.
"Here we are. Use us!" said the
Zemstvo people to the government,
and the government accepted. They
were to be under the orders of the
war department and available only
for work in the interior. The limita-
ton was put upon them, they did
not specify for limitation. =
But the restriction did not hold.
The army needed doctors, nurses,
hospitals. The Zemstvo had been in
the hospital business for 40 years
and it went to the army's aid upon
the very field of battle and in the
front line trenches. .
After this things moved rapidly,
Hospitals in the interior were organ
lied. So were first aids, distrib-
uting centers, bases. "F'ront Bri-
gades'' were formed for handling the
wounded, sanitary trains equipped
During October and November, 1914
I the union sent the Serbian army
215, 900 fur and other warm garments
paid for by the Russian government
but bought by the Zemstvo and han.
died by. them.
Delivers Complete Suits.
| In October, 1914, General Shuva.
yev, then head of the co1nmissary
(now minister of war;, asked the
union to make underwear for his
men. The union replied by deliver
ing to the army before the end of tile
month over 100000 complete
suits And this was only a side or
der-the union did this without
Stacking up on any, Of it's other jobs
How was it done? It was very
simple. The Zemstvo is a peoples
organization. Peasants are in it. So
the Zemstvo simply went to lot of
poor women it had known for a long
time and said:
MAKE us these articles We want
them for the army" 15
And over night, almost, the articles
we're cut and sewed by Russian seam
stresses
Another order, similarly executed,
was for wearing apparel to the tune