Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-29
MOSCOW A SsembIage Told
Transports tion May Cease
Completely by November.
AlExlEFF SAYS ARMY HAS
SUPPLIES, But NO COURAGE
Contrasts With Old Regime Troops
Who Had Fight1 pg Spirit, But
No 81 pr dies.

MoSCoW, August :.s-At the thru
general sitting OF the national confer.
ence railway repr esen tatives. including
4a- rfoioH OF the engii ieers' alliance, re.
ported that there e=,f sted a state of ut
'er uisorganization sof transportation.
which, unless improy ed. would cea..
completely by Noven her The renra.
seh'a'i'es gave warn hsg that the com
sequences would be terrible both ak
nome ana on tho from {, and that the
army might turn ON Il se country and
commit unexampled ex~..sses.
The extreme deman.sii of the railway
workers. the speaker said. played an
important part in this isorganization
They called on all those Engaged in thu
transport services to eifice personal
interests Tor those of fhe, country.
Jews Pledge The slr Loyalty.
NJ Grusenberg. speah ing: as the rem.
resentative Of the Jews e aid that they
loved their country. not withstandine
their unprecedented per Sc cution under
the old regime, and hid Contributed
greatly to the emancipatio N Of the peo-
pie and the defense again II the enemy.
Representatives of UkI .aine and Of
western or white Russia said the peo-
pie were ready to M alte sacrifices
for the good Of the count ry. The spokes-
man for the Let's dec. Jared Courland
would never belong to se-many. Dele-
gates representing the NJ, Issslman M.
lance said all Mussulrna, citizens OF
Russia fully supported provisional
government
Gen. Grouzinoff former military gov.
ernor Of Moscow. told the eI egates the
chief problem was to save Rrussia from
the enemy. and that to this end it was
necessary to re-establish q tmy disci.
pline by eliminating politica strength.
ening the authority of the u S.ders, linn
iting the power of soldierrs1 s1|Aommittees
to economic functions and giving the
commander-in-chief power. so exercfan
unreseryed authority.
Army Lacks Fighting Spirit. =
Gen. Alexieff. former Commands.
in-chief. made a long add. ness, in which
he recounted the history Of the Rus
slams military setbacks and their
causes. He drew contrasts between the
army OF the old regime, po orly equip
ped with mechanical resc .urces but
strong in warlike spirit, an d the pres.
ent army. well supplied VT tn food and
arms, but completely poisos ,ed and en-
feebled by ill-interpretea and ill-ap-
piled doctrines, which ha,I been nut
forward. notably in the fsS nous order
of the day No. /. These d octrines he
declared. had split the arm v into two
opposite camps, officers al i'd soldiers.
which have become alma st irrecon-
cilable. Speaking of the committees
elected by the soldiers of the various
units Gen. AleXieff said m y were use-
full to the army from an economic
standpoint. but were fatal o discipline
OF the troops. None the less subversiye
was the influence of goverr ment com.
missaries, whose appoin tnr mt he as.
serted. created an extremely dangerous
duality of power.
The general maintained that after
publication by the govern nent OF the
declaration of the right 8 of soldiers
all respect toward leaders disappeared
the officers becoming verit Able martyrs,
and having to pay very ssiriy for the
offensive of August l ar IL the subse-
quent retreat. The gener nj cited some
remarkable illustrations OF this On
one occasion. he said, wh n an attack
was being launched the force which
advanced was made up OF. wenty- y-eight
officers, twenty non-comf nif ;sioned ON.
GERS and two soldiers fln the others
looked on coldly while q iese heroes
perished.
The general declared itI-tvould be i'm.
possible to carry on the v ar to a vic.
torious conclusion unless c he strongest
possible efforts were made by the pro-
visional government and tr the troops
themselves TO reanimate and regen.
crate the army
Urge Continuance Il War.