The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-10
nv WILLIAM PHILIP SINfMS.

Petrograd, July 10.-SloWly' IKE
giant getting under way, RUSSIA
backed by her plain people Is satn ls.
ing strength Today. working for ner,
sbe has an army of them fifty million
strong. r.
is truth.
The Russian war is the peoples war
With their incalculable forutuoe the
people are backing up the army IN a
wav peculiar to them and not to De
found in any other country OF Europe
In England and France, for instance,
the governments are cooperating Win
industrial corporations and Dankers-
to the exclusion of well-deflned GU
Zens' groupS-thuS Keeping the Hdlioh
and the army supplies.
In Russia the government and army
also cooperate with these. But they
cooperate with an organized people.
too, through non political groups
which have been formed all over the
country-citizens' associations. CO.
lucrative societies, peasants unions
and whose aim is but to serve Russia.
War Work Is Co-ordinated.
Then there is a central committee,
COMPOSED of civilians, to coordinate
the efforts of the groups and take the
armys orders.
So some of the fifty millions are at
the front, in uniform, under arms.
to go to the front. The rest are scat
tered all over the Russian empire
working at their jobs, big or little, but
for the nation. They are farmers and
merchants, tailors and chemists, boot
makers and doctors, druggists and
nurses, seamstresses and carpenters,
machinists and plain day laborers all
modified just as effectively, go far as
carrying on the war is concerned, as
the foremost soldiers in the foremost
trenches
The citizens organizations for aid
ing the country and the army are lit
orally hundreds in number but the
majority of these can be punched ur1-
der one or the other four general
names.
Then there is the Municipality
union, grouping the work of Russian
cities Next is the War Trade COM
mittee. Lastly the COOPERATIVE union
whose membership includes over 3d.
100000 people, mostly peasants, and
whose activities effect in one way or
another more than half the population
of the Russian empire.
So it is putting it very conservative
ly to say that, counting soldiers and
those backing up the soldiers, Russia
has fifty million souls toiling to fetch
her home victory.
Central Committee Holds Reins.
In order that the work of these
organizations may clash as little as
possible there is a Central committee
sitting permanently, week days and
Sunday, in a building to itself hero in
Petrograd. When the government hNs
need of this or that for the army, or
for refugees, or for it's organization
back of the fighting lines, it can and
does call on the Central committee for
aid. The Central committee, looking
over the vast resources at its COM
mand, with it's wires reaching out into
the farthermost corners of the empire,
sees at glance what can be done and
does it, quickly and efficiently.
There is not a single branch of hu-
man endeavor not at the beck and call
of these citizens organizations. and
through them available to the central
committee and the government. All
the sciences, arts. trades and occupa-
lions have been modified in this way.
They are ever ready to provide any
thing from fresh milk for babies to
high explosives for the army.
The whole world knows that Russia
lacked sufficient munitions at the start
of the war. So did the other allies.
But the difference between Russia and
them was this: They were great in
dustrial countries and she was not.
Got Manufd Goods From Germany.
Russia could not remedy this in a
day. Nor even in a year. Germany
had had for a long time practically
monopoly on manufactured articl o.
chemicals and so forth in Russia and
as former Premier Count Kokovtsow
pointed outfits had proved a posi-
tive curse to the empire. When the war