Evening star., 1917-09-10
Russian Government Thinks
Capital Safe for Present;
Is Not Willing to Move
Bv the Associated Press.

= PETROGRAD. september lV-A0tnUii
tatiye statements issued here dealing
{ with the loss Of Riga say that, although
competent military authorities do not re
r gard Petrograd as endangered, yet the
approach of the war zone to the capital
necessitates decisive measures Tor the
government OF the city. Therefore new
administration will be formed
NJ Nikstine minister of posts and teie-
graph, who has been charged by the gov
! ernment with the task of partly evacu-
ating the capital. in a statement ex-
plains that the part evacuation Is due
! to the problem of the food supply rather
. than to any military menace Ihe Only
result of the German advance, ne says.
I. is further to complicate the food ques-
ton He advises that section OF the
. population not engaged in business TO
leave the city in patches. and promises
every facility for their departure.
, 1t is said that a majority of the MIN
listers are against removing the gov
. ernment into the interior, hrst' because
/ they do not regard the capltal as en-
dangered. and. second. because tnls
might cause an unreasonable panic. IN
. any case. it is said the government Will
. take no steps for six weeks
{ Resent Cowardice Charge.
Soldier committeeman at the front,
wiring the central council of soldiers
and workmen's deputies. charge the
Petrograd press with exaggeratinE the
. cowardice of the 18th Army and ailese
that the Riga catastrophe mas neen
overdrawn for the furtherance OF
counter revolutionary campaign Com
mitteeman kouchina. attached to the
. 18th Army. telegrapEed:
.. Officers confirm the courage or our
soldiers and falsehoodS about the de-
moralization of the army are refuted
by the fact that our troops made sever
al counter attacks.
In explaining the deserters thronging
the roads eastward. he said it was nat
,ural in a retreat for some soldiers to
become separated from their regiments
The correspondent of the Novo
,vremya. answering these ailegations'
'relates a conversation with Gen. KLEIN
hovski, commander of the western
front. to the effect that two infantry
and two cavalry regiments and all the
artillery brilliantly performed their
duty, while one division and two bri-
gades of infantry unquestionably failed
A large percentage of the infantry
threw away their rifles and fed. He
'cited an instance of deserters lootlng
1.-THE military stores, adding that meas
lures had been taken to arrest these
traitors. Six hundred deserters ar
irving at Pskoff by train were ar
rested and returned to the front.
Germans Not Opposed.
As further evidence of the demoraii-
zation of the Russians. the correspond
ent asserts that three regiments OF
day on pontoons without the loss of
man He declares the infantry de-
serted the artillery and was deaf to
the pleas of the latter to assist in re-
moving ammunition.
Military patrols are covering the
roads and arresting deserters. Battles
between German cavalry and Russian
rear guards continue in the vicinity OF
Segevold. Pskoff and Chaussee. Gen.
Klembovski Is of the opinion that the
1ull in the German pursuit is tempo
rarily. and that it is likely to be re-
sumed, but believes that even if they
should reach Pskoff before winter it
will constitute no great menace. as that
IL the utmost the enemy can hope to
attain.
The Petrograd council of workmen's
and soldiers deputies has organized a
special department to struggle with
the alleged counter revolution. There
were few minor disorders in the cap
ital Saturday. but apparently they were
not related, and their object was the
lootinE of provision stores