Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-20

that surrounds them.
| All the educated Russians nave iie'
| like Americans and trust them. 1hes
will not soon forget that the ohieeu
States was the first great power 10 rec
ognize the new government ana 10 nan
the revolution. The American ainoas-
sador, David R. Francis. Is eashS 'he
most popular diplomat in fetroerau
Every one knows him. and ne rarely
appears in a meeting or convention WILL
out being applauded.
| Over and over again. during my 1hree
months visit to Russia, was told 'ha'
It was to America they looked Tor help
and guidance. and after the war 'hey
no NJ n enter into the closest commercial
relations with US.
| fore l left: Tell your people that we
will never trade with Germany again
unless the Americans force us 10 90 So
| II they will supply US with cneinica Us
with manufactures and machinery VIC
will gladly buy them.
eff they will send US experts ior our
| manufacturing plants we wiz nc
lighted to have them instead OF the GER
mans we used to employ, and VINO never
taught our people any of their knowieose
because they did not want US TO develop.
They want us to help them establish
public schools: to show them no" 10
to farm scientifically; to do any NUMBER
of things we have learned TO 90 Wen.
We mustn't hate the Russians we must
help them. And we can't do that un-
less we understand them
Conditions in the Army.
Take, for example. the army situa-
n
soldiers are in rebellion against all au-
thority. But consider the past history,
the very recent past history OF those
soldiers. Aside from brutal personal
treatment at the hands of some OF the
officers. they were cheated and starved
and neglected by the bureaucracy in
Petrograd, and then again by their
commanders at the front. The Rus
sian soldiers wants are simple enough.
He eats the same food seven days IN
the week and rarely complains. Ihls
food consists OF soup made OF salt meat
and cabbage, caSsia, portage mace
Of buckwheat, black bread ana Tea.
Ivan" wears coarse clothes and Dig,
clumsy boots, and he has none OF the
small comforts we think essential TO
the fighting man in the field. But
slight as the Russian soldiers equip
ment is he did not invariably get II IN
the old days. 1t was stolen from MIN
by band OF official crooks with which
Every department of the army, from
the commissiariat to the Red cross, was
full of corruption and graft. The trafnc
in army supplies and ammunition, even
in hospital supplies, that went on con-
stantly beggars description. Gen. Suk-
homlinoff, the former minister OF war
who has just been tried and sentenced
to life Imprisonment for the part ne
nayed in this business, was only one
of the big thieves. Under him We're
myriads more, and among them all the
soldiers were often stripped OF tneir
overcoats in the dead of winter, and OF
half of their rations the year round
Swift Justice Asked.
Small wonder. then. after the revoiu-
ton. that there was great popular
demand for swift justice for the soldiers
The provisional government arnounced
that henceforth each regiment shoulo
have an elected committee. an executive
body which should have entire charge
Of regimental affairs. Food, clothing.
supplies of all kinds. were to pass
through the hands of these committees.
and they were to hear and pass on all
complaints. The committees were the
vocal organs of the army. For the first
time In Russian history the soldier was
allowed to speak.
The plan might have worked excel
lently had the provisional government
in democratizing the army. 1t gorged
the soldiers with freedom. gave them
such 'heady doses of self-government
that they got drunk on the idea and
Kerensky decreed that the soldiers need
not salute their officers. We'll. then,
we won't" they said And just to show
how free we are we won't wash our
our caps to women, or stand up straight
-" and from that 1t was an easy
Journey to We won't take any orders
| from anybody"
The government told the soldiers to
| elect their own officers. and they did,
| after butchering a thousand or so Of
| their old ones.
Committee Madness.
| But of all the madness that took pos
session of free" soldiers the committee
madness went farthest The Russians
love TO talk To make speeches. to heckle
and be heckled is the joy of their lives.
| The committee gave them new chance
! to talk. and they got the habit of call
| ing a committee meeting on every con-
| ceivable occasion We heard. with hor-
ror last summer that the men in the
| trenches. when ordered to advance. act
ually called meetings to discuss the
Even In the hospitals 1t got so that
the doctors and the nurses were without
authority. If man was ordered to
| take a pill he wanted to call COM
mittee meeting to discuss the thing. 1t
| is an actual fact that men have refused
| to take treatment or undergo operations
until they had consulted the Tavarishi
/ about 1t.
| You certainly get tired Of that over
worked phrase. IT'S a free country
now" You hear it on all sides in Rus
STA. ITS a free country" says man
with a third class ticket. taking pos
session of first-class compartment. IT'S
| soldier. toss
ing handful Of sunf1ower seed shells on
| a woman's white shoes in a street car.
| "Its a free country say group of
| men, stripping off their clothes before
| a crowd OF women and children and TAX
| ing bath in the Neva. This occurs fire.
| uuently on the admiralty quay. a great
! plea sure resort In Petrograd.
They called them sans culottes dur