The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1920-05-13
THE TRUTH ABOUT
cbancey Wallace, After a Year
IN siberia, Tells Nezperce Au-
dieuce Of It's Outlook.

O. much of our daily news and s.
= IN our magazines is given owe
= propaganda that the average reade
! scarcely sure of anything in the wa.
general information on publi
oroDts any more, and it is refreshing
.ho,efore to get the story of condi
.:,ns in distant lands, and particularly
Russia through a member OF one
rn community whose integrity Ii
hove question and whose judgment il
reliable. Such was the good fortune
of the people of this section, when OF
last Friday night Chancey Wallace
,rbo recently returned from year ;,
service with the Red Cross section Of
on American expedition in the Vladi
rostok district of Siberia. addressed Q
hin crowd of his old friends and neigh
bors at the High School auditorium or
his service and the Impressions it made
upon him.
This address should be read by every
American. 1t is as follows:
Friends and neighbors: After an
absence of nearly two years, during
which time I have travelled almost
around the world, I am glad to be
with you again-glad to be back in the
r. s. A.. back in Idaho, in Lewis coun-
tv. where the soil is the richest, and
in Nezperce where the people are the
hest on Gods earth.
suppose you are interested tonight
in hearing something about the great
country of Siberia, and in starting to
talk about that country, I want to
say, that to me the greatest crime in
the history of the civilized world is be-
ing perpetrated today against the peas
antry of that country and when the
sun of civilization sinks beyond the
horizon of time the blot ON history 8
pages will never have been erased.
I dislike to talk about the horrors
and atrocities of that country, and I
intend to avoid them as much as pos
sible, but if / talk about the country
at ALL / must talk about those con-
ditions to some extent, because they
constitute the daily happenings and the
life of Siberia. Crimes unspeakable,
that make one s blood run cold, are
almost daily and apparent
y with no concern.
So if you will leave this fair land Of
'urs and go with me in your imagina-
ion to far away, curse ridden Siberia,
will try to explain to you what is
lappening there. The topography of
he country is beautiful and one can
ind most any character of land he
ikes-the rough mountainous sections
With their snow capped peaks, its riv-
RS and valleys, the timber lands, miles
+ endless prairie, and in GER
ain parts stretches of the great Cobb
esert, connecting with the everlast
ng snow and ice lands Of the north. |
rom Petrograd to Vladivostok, the
istance of 5000 miles, stretches the
reat Trans-Siberian railroad, built
ears ago by the Imperial government,
nd, have been told, that in many |
laces the foundation for the roadbed |
ests upon the skeletons Of hundreds
exiled prisoners, and the same is &C.
tented by the blood of many a hero,
Il killed in the passing changes Of life. |
To lead up to the present, a little
arly history will not be amiss. In the
ays when the Czars reigned over
ussia and Siberia, extending back a
ood many years, the political prison
IS and criminals from European Rus
were exiled to Siberia to suffer the |
ardships of that country, work in the
ines and on railroad construction,
nd where, in the opinion Of those who
mt them there, fate worse than
cath awaited them. Thousands upon
of prisoners were exiled
lere, and it was into Siberia that the
usslans sent the prioners they captur-
from Austria, Germany and Hun
Try during the world war.
After the overthrow of the czar,
erensky took over the reins of the
'Vernment and in his anxiety to do
mething for the people he issued an
DER freeing all prisoners-criminals
well as political-but not the war
lsoners. So you can imagine the
ass of people that over-ran Siberia
political prisoners anxious to
enge their wrongs and the criminals
prey upon the country.
IN the days of the czar I am told
at army discipline was very strict
"a any soldier from the ranks who
iied to obey an order, or failed to
iute ms superior, was taken out and
ecuted. Kerensky also countermand-
lhis order, with the result of soon
wing demoralized army.
'h return for their military services
czar granted large land concessions
RUSSIA and Siberia to the Cossacks
vi the understanding that their SER
'es We're always at the command of
imperial government, and the Cos
ms were always found faithful, al