Evening journal., 1916-07-15
By wILLIAM PHnIP sIMMs.
United Press stan Correspondent.


United Press staff Correspondent.
PEIROGRAD, June l7-(By AlaiD.-
"Has the abolition of vodka done any
real good in Russia -
put this question today TO Nicholas
Tcbaykovsky, member of the Central
Cooperative Committee of Petrograd.
as he sat in front Of mis- desk at com
mittee headquarters.
Tried IN 1907 as a revolutionist and
acquitted, he is now dong his
bit for Russia. His sensitive face,
remindful of portraits of Longfellow,
surrounded as it is by snowy beard and
hair, became very eager.
"Done any good' he echoed ut has
worked wonders For one thing it gives
Russia a sober pcasantry and a sober
pea asantrv means almost double working
capacitv. And over 50 per cent. Of the
Russian population 10000 600 souls
are peasants. II means better farms,
bigger crons. more money, better living
conditions in homes. better fed children
and consequently more raTid advance IN
schools BETTER children makes better
meh.
"It means more progressive, more
dependable richer Russian peasantry. 1t
means all that and more hcsid S.
Tchaykovsky speaks English fluent
". He moved TO Kansas in 1870 and
started a community there moral
success. 1t failed for lack Of funds,
whereupon the founder went to Ches-
ter. Pa. and worked as a carpenter.
Later he got a job in a Philadelphia
SUGAR mill Subsequently to Paris,
then to London, G905), he returned
to the United States (l906l, on a
mission, founding Russian committees
in New York Boston. Baltimore, Phil
adelphia. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chi
cago. Denver and other cities. In
| 1907 he returned 10 Russia where he
was arrested and put in prison
Since 1910 Tchaykovsky has been
/ working here as a member Of the
J central cooperative committee. help
ing cooperative societies get started
! and is so happy at the job that MS
/ face positively beams.
I'VE have always fought drink he
told me. "hut when vodka was pro
hibited our committee asked: What
are YOU going TO give the people IN
stead?'
"You know our villages are few and
Ear between Our rural districts are
! lonely. Vodka was a curse but II
was also a diversion. which was why
it got such a hold on Russia.
$50 orr thousands Of rural co-opere-
tive societies all over the empire got
6usy. We osganized diversions 10
keep the peasants and villagers from
missing their vodka
Most Of our stores. offices, banks
and warehouses are two storied build
ings. On the ground floor business
is transacted. On the floor above
are halls. These we turned into the
atrss cinema halls and community
meeting places where folks coulC
como for diversion We organized
bands. amateur theatricals and so on
We give concerts The people come
in drovee and everybody has a goo'
time.
u don't think the vodka is missed
much
In the meantime peasants hav
wore money than they ever saw be
fore.
And despite the war our co-opera
tive soci sties are growing at a won
derful rate.
In one district alone the numhe
of cooperative unions has grow
since the war from so 70 SOP We ha'
only 40 wholesale societies last year
Nov there are over 400. In i91
there were but II credit unions in al
Russia whereas at present there arr
over 60 through which about 10000
separate cooperative credit societies
are working. Our Moscow. or mothol
committee alone is co-ordinating tn
work of more than 1000 groups, eacl