The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-12
RUSSIAN CROWDS GREETED ROOTS
 MISSION WARMLY
Peasants at Different Sta tions Demanded Envoys
 But Addresses.

Werchne- Udinsk, Siberia, Sept. 12. IA thousand Russians crowded the railway station platform and cheered for America as the Root Diplomatic Commissions special train stopped at this interesting frontier town to change engines. This point is the end of the caravan trail from China, across Mongolia to the Trans Siberia railway. The cosmopolitan character of it's population could be distinguish ed by a glance at the shouting crowd 1 of Chinese and Mongo1ia,ns, wearing their picturesque robes, stood beside Russians clad in blouses of all colors. Peasants and patricians, soldiers and | civilians, humble women wearing shawls over their heads and we'll | dressed women with fashionable hats, joined in the cheers for the American | party.
 Such insistent demands were made for information about the commission that MT. Gorbotenko, the official des- Iignated by the Russian Railway Ad- ministration to conduct the American tcommission, made a brief address in (which he explained who the members of the party were and the reason for their appointment by President Will son to confer with the Russian gov Iernment.
 This did not satisfy the insistent crowd. Speeches were demanded from the Americans. MT. Root re isponded in short address, thanking the crowd for the reception and ex pression of good will toward America He said the commission brought z message of sympathy, hope and cour lage from the American people to the Russian people and that the grea American democracy sympathfzet with the Russian democracy and wa determined to do everything in it power to cooperate with Russia il the great battle against tyranny.
 America" and 'democracy'' ar much the same in Russia that the. are in English. Consequently tn Russians caught those words and ap plauded enthusiastically before tn interpreter translated the remarks 0 MT. Root. Hats and caps bearing tn red insignia of the Revolution wer lwaved frantica11y and thrown into tn | air as the special moved out.of tn station with MT. Root, General Scot and the other members of the part waving farewell to the crowd.
 | Similar demonstrations were hel at Petrofelki, Zavod, Mogzon and sev eral other larger stations, and smal groups were gathered at less import ant towns, eager for a glimpse of tn American commission.
 Before the Revolution the police
 Siberian towns forbade all gathering;
 consequently, the public is now mak ing the most of it's freedom. Peasant twho cannot read and have been in al
 most total ignorance of the po1itice and military situation now gathe about members of citizens and sol l diers' committees who read the 1ates
 dispatches and discuss the news fo
 the benefit of the uneducated an
 uninformed. Red flags float from tn
 railway stations and public building
 of all the Siberian towns. Member
 of the committees in control of tn towns all wear red bands upon the
 arms.
 Soldiers no longer salute their off
 cers. The military organizations al
 now controlled by soldiers. commit
 tees which have charge of disciplin At first many of these committed
 were extremely lax. But the necessit for discipline soon became appare1 and conditions are speedily 1mpro,
 ing. Since the military in Siberia hs
 been freed of officers whose 1oyalt } to the revolutionary movement WE
 in question more and more confidene is being placed in the officers, an
 the soldiers are realizing that demo
 cracy cannot succeed without disciI line and authority.