Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-16

on the food question. NJ. Protopopoff
Is a wealthy MANUFACTURER and a cour-
tier with reputation for debonair
duplicity. Residing In the Tsarskoe-
Selo palace. he waa reported lately as
spending his time In spiritualistic
frances. Equally detested by the par
appeared In the duma since his minis
terial appointment.
With such an administration Of
agriculture and the interior and with
the premier a nonentity, 1t was not
surprising that the food prospects
were regarded by the members of the
duma with the greatest alarm and
even dismay. While the duma leaders
were discussing the food situation the
people in the streets were more volu-
Bile In their portests against the whole
situation
Public Wall Informed.
The question OF replacing officers
who were disarmed by their own
troops Is one which must be decided
promptly. In the meanwhile the new
government is doing It's utmost to
straighten out the various tangles.
Despite the nonappearance of news
papers. the public is better informed on
what is going on than ever before For
TINS purpose special squadron of
motor cars have been commandeered
by the executive committee and these
cars distribute printed bulletins free to
everybody Thus the most authentic
news gains speedy circulation
Thru this bulletin service President
Rodzianko has appealed earnestly to
the people not tosinjure government
buildings. telegraphs, factories, etc.
and also to continue the public SER
vices and avoid bloodshed
In the meantime he is energetically
tackling the food problem and the pub
lie is confident that the efforts of the
duma and Zemstvo will soon assure an
adequate supply Large stores Of -four
have been uncovered in various parts
of the city The factories have formed a
police service for patrolling the factory
district, enrolling one out of every ten
of their workmen
Crisis Forced Upon Public
Further details of the events preced-
ing the revolutionary coup in Petro-
grad are given In q Reuter- dispatch
from the Russian capital The dispatch
said the working class had decided on
peaceful demonstrations on Saturday"
Early on Saturday morning the po-
lice warned the citizens not to leave
their houses as It was not safe. In 9TH
er words. the food demonstrators were
to be suppressed with an iron hand.
'UndeteFred, however, by this warning.
the people came out in such number
that the Nevsky Prospect and other
main thoroughfares were thronEed. The
crowds were mostly from the middle
classss and the roads. from the labor
districts were barred. The people We're
so jovial that the uthorities believed
the day Wsuld paSS IN peace e r
Finnish RailwayS y Blown Up
An Exchange Telegraph dispatch
from Stockholm quotes the Aftonbladet
as stating that the Finnish railway
lines had been blown up at several
points and that train service between
Haparanda, Sweden, and Tornea. on
the Finnish side of the border. has been
suspended for more than a fortnight
Huge quantities of goods are stored at
the former place.
Finnish troops, the dlspatch addS, re-
fused to obey orders from the late gov
ernment to proceed to Petrograd. and
large number of them are supporting
the new government.
Sign Of Now Times.
Patrol after patrol of: the Cossacks,
mounted and foot soldiers and police
lined the Nevsky Prospect and the
court yards of the houses were filled
with reserves. The crowd, still good
natured, cheered the troops and Co.'S
sacks warmly as the soldiers showed
themselves appreciative.
There was an unprecedented feeling
Of comradeship between the populace
and the troons. Cossacks doffed their
hats repeatedly to the cheerers and
some groups Of soldiers cheered back
at the crowds. It was sign Of the
times, which the authorities. however,
failed to read.