Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-04-13
GRIPPING STORY OF THE UKRAINE
New Country, With Population Of Thirty Millions, but
Without Language Of Its 0wn-First Monarchy,
Then Republic, 1t Now Turns to BoIshevsn,.

and as a storehouse for the provision
ing of Germany and Austria Hungary.
After many bloody battles the Boil
sheviki were driven out from the
Ukraine by the troops of the central
powers. This result achieved, the
German generals staff began to inter-
fere with the internal affairs Of
Ukraine. 1t thought the rule of the
peasant and middle classes too dem
ocratic and began TO play out against
them the feudal class Of the great
| landholders. In fact it was instrument
tai in the rise to power of the mon
archistic junker class there. Paul
Skoropadskij, a fanatical believer in
Great Russia" who, as a government
employee of the former regime, de-
clared that he knew mo Ukraine and
no Ukrainians," was elected chief exc
cutive under the title of "Hetmann,"
and thus was made the representative
of the Nationalist aspirations of the
Ukraine.
OBTAIN A STATE.
The Ukrainians had now their own
state, and to make it complete nothing
else was needed but that it should
iIsiNC q ldiS udSt, ali lllltlllStHI C1LlZeH-
ship, and a class of men capable OF
exercising wisely civil and military au-
thority.
The government OF the car had
completely succeeded in depressing and
wiping out the Ukrainian language.
In cities the Ukrainian language was
not spoken at all; those who wished
to get some education could find it
only through the medium of Russian
language and culture. The majority of
the people speak only the Russian and
have prejudice against the Ukrainian
language, this being considered a vul-
gar slang used by the uneducated and
lower classes. Still they will have to
change their opinion if they are to
take any part in the administration of
their country. In fact the employees
and officers of the former regime
which have been taken over by the
government are now busily engaged in
studying the official language of the
state. and the bookshops and news
stands in the railroad stations are do
ing quite a rushing business in selling
Ukranian textbooks
Speaking New Language.
A year ago one could hear only
rarely and in some forlorn place the
Ukrainian tongue, but now one hears
people practising in restaurants and
railroad cars and even newspapers are
beginning to appear in that language.
Under the rule of Skoropadskij, who
was merely a figurehead of the Ger
man generals staff, economic condi-
tions went from bad to worse. The
price of grain went higher from week
to week. Great quantities were being
exported. This caused the price of
brown bread to rise from three kope-
ken per pound to l ruble (51 cents)
The price of dinner rose from 20 to
25 kopeken in peace times to Is, and
in Kiev, even % rubles (s12.5O) All Of
this caused a very bitter feeling
against the central powers. Germany
promised to send various articles of
industry as well as petroleum in re-
turn for foodstuffs, but she fulfilled
her promise very slowly. Practically
all of the industries came to stand
still for lack of crude oil with which
to generate electrical power The price
of pair of shoes which in peace times
had been five rubles, now rose to ZOO,
even 1000 rubles (s350 to 5000. A
yard of cloth increased in price from
IS kopeken to $50 rubles. A box OF
matches now cost so kopeken, and it
was very amusing to see that in small
cities where there was a scarcity of
small change street car passengers
would pay the conductor in matches.