PETROGRAD, August 4.—(By
TTail)—Twenty-four months of war
has made a new country of Russia.
The spirit of the people has changed.
Confirmed pessimists admit that the
war has worked a miracle.
Two years ago, when fighting be
gan, Russia like England and France,
was torn by internal dissension. Her
many races were at odds. A strike
of serious proportions was on. Things
looked dark for the empire.
Russia today is more united than
she ever has boon. She is better or
ganized. Every city and town in the
land belongs to a Municipal union to
aid the nation. Every village and
rural district has joined a second and
similar organization. In all Russia,
including Siberia, there is scarcely a
single peasant not working for the ar
my or some public good.
Up to August, 1014, of nearly 200;
million Russian subjects, few had tak
en direct part in any public or nation-;
al work. They are today nearly all!
doing their bit. This fact is lending a
brand new tone to the Empire.
A war of gigantic proportions
makes or breaks a participant. For
Russia this one promises to be a bles
sing in disguise, according to notori-1
ously conservative thinkers here who:
believe they see in the wartime spirit;
of the public the commencement of
unprecedented developments.
The Russian Duma is composed of
Princes and Peasants, mill owners and
workmen, college professors and:
armors. Jews, Gentiles, Poles, Arme
vns, Cossacks, Orthodox priests and
rec thinkers, so mixed a body with
ed interests that people have
h! i. never could do valuable work
because it never could agree. Here is
what happened in the Duma when the
war broke out:
On August 8, a week after hostili
ties began, the two houses met at the
winter palace of the Czar. The em
peror made a short speech, saying:
“I am persuaded that all of you will
be in your place to assist me to sup
port the test, and that all beginning
with myself, will do their duty. Great
is the God of the Russian Father
land.”
■ i'. iYSYiYSYS". *«Y5Y#YJ
A great cheer went up from the Du
ma. One by one party leaders came
forward and pledged themselves to
work for the common good. Even
i Purishkivich, the implacable leader of
; the anti-semites, abandoned his prin
ciples. Today the Duma places the
army’s interests first.
“This is no time to squabble over
reforms,"Radzianko.the Duma’s pres
ident replied when 1 asked him if any
important reform hills were on the
present session’s program. And again,
when 1 asked him why such short ses
sions and long recesses, he said:
“Duma members are mostly farm
ers. We can do more good for the
army plowing than we can talking.”
The Russian Duma is probably
the most really representative body
of the sort in the world and when its
president said that, he was not merely
sounding a phrase. It was evident
that he was in earnest. Every Duma
member with whom I talked said the
same thing.
To take advantage of Russia’s situ
ation and use it to force through even
cherished reforms appealed to Dunia
ites as unfair. They feel that rows
in the Duma would weaken the nation
in her fight for life.
Citizen organizations for aiding
Russia make war have made it possi
ble for millions to take part in public
work who until now never knew what
such work was like. This is boosting
the spirit of the country wonderfully.
Imagine every county of every
state in the United States having a
council of representative citizens—
farmers, land owners, villagers. Now
if every one of these organizations
joined in a single body to help the
American army do its work, such an
organization would be similar to the
All-Russian Zemstvo union, only;there
are nearly 200 million Russians, 80
per cent of whom are peasants and
thus either directly or indirectly in
terested in Zemstvo work.
Imagine again every city council or
board of aldermen in the United
States forming one association to aid
the army: This would be like the
All-Russian Municipality union, which
brings city-dwellers into public \/>rk.
Lastly,' if American country folks
! and city people should join hands by
i means of a joint board to control
things and prevent overlappings, the
result would be what tiie Russians
have achieved in their central commit
tee of members chosen by the All
Russian Zemstvo union and by the
All-Russian Municipality union.
There is another group of citizen
workers called the War Industry com
mittee. This committee co-ordinates
the work of the middle-sized down to
the tiniest shops capable of manufac
turing munitions. With the big works
i the government can work directly,
but not so with the tiny ones scatter
ed over the empire. The War Indus
try committee does this.
Automatically the war has worked
wonders for Russia. The great Rus
J sian word—“nichevo”—“what does it
I matter”—is fast becoming obsolete.
| Labor for the common good has put
the Russian in a very cheerful frame
of mind and things do matter a lot
with him. He has greater confidence
in himself. He is more independent.
Russia has been accused of being
too Oriental. If this change was true,
this also can be taken as true: She is
moving further westward every day.
BARNEY McGEE HAS
FIRST EXPERIENCE
AS ALASKA TOI'RIST
SEATTLE, July 29.—After an al
most continuous residence in Alaska
and Yukon territory, extending bver a
period of 20 years, Barney McGee,
well-known Alaskan, whose headquar
ters are at Whitehorse, Y. T., return
ed yesterday from his first tour of the
country, says the Seattle Post-Intelli
gencer. He went north five weeks
ago, followed the beaten path from
Skagway to Whitehorse ami Dawson
and returned through southeastern
Alaska, stopping at Sitka and Juneau.
Mr. McGee says that he enjoyed the
trip immensely as a tourist, but that
the crowds of women on the steamers
were a surprise to him. “Alaska is
certainly changing,” he said yesterday
at the Savoy hotel. “It used to be a
, straight man’s country, but on this
trip the boats and trains were crowd
ed with suffragettes.”
Mr. McGee says that Alaska has
made wonderful advances. This was
my first trip as a real tourist and I
say a great deal of the country all at
once,” he said. “Alaska is in better
! shape today than it has been for years
and in far better condition than 1
would have believed possible.”
Wanted—A Setter to work on car
riage. Apply at office of Bird Creek
Lumber Co. 8-14tf
Most Criminals
Unmarried Men
CLEVELAND, August 22.—Afte
an investigation of 400 criminal cases,
James C. Lind, Cleveland chief police
prosecutor, has found out that nine
tenths of all crooks are unmarried.
Two-thirds of the men jailed were be
tween the ages of 21 and 30, accord
ing to his figures, available here to
1 day.
"It seems that conditions in un
married life tend to make men crimi
nals or that persons with criminal in
stincts are inclined not to marry,"
concluded Lind after his investiga
tion.
“In 400 cases which passed through
my office there was no definite eco
nomic condition that would result in
crime.
“Only about half of the married
prisoners had children and many of |
(the married ones were separated from ;
their families.
“As a rule women who take up
crime are also single or at least sep
arated from their husbands or fami
lies.
“This is hard to prove because wo
men prisoners are not inclined to tell
the truth. When a woman lands in
jail she generally claims to be mar- ■
ied and says if her husband hears of
her predicament he will farsake her
1 forever. She also claims to be the
I mother of several small children, de-;
pendent on her care—all of which nine
times out of ten, is untrue.
“If a married man gets into trou
ble he generally commits a real crime,
not a misdemeanor. If a married man
with children finds his way behind the
bars, it is usually money troubles
which have placed him there.
“But if any particular class of the
human family is a menace to the rest,
unmarried men are the guilty ones. I
“The way to lessen crime is to ad
vocate early marriages. What a man
' needs to keep him out of trouble is
| a good home environment.
“If mothers realized this they
would cease opposing early marri
ages.”
Phone 43-Y for car, Day or Night.
Universal Taxi and Transfer. 8-15t';
If you want an automobile, night or.
day, telephone the Reo Service. Num- j
ber 56-Y. 8-11-tf
For Sealing Jellies,
sale at Pilger’s.
T—
Parowax
on ■
8-23-tf
Nu Bone Corsets
All prices and all sizes. Fittings
In your own home if so desired.
Cali or address:
MRS. T. R. NEEDHAM
817 Fifth Av. Near H. Phone 29-R
B. C. NICHOLS bv
I--11
WATCH MAKER AND
JEWELER.
Anchorage, Alaska.
REO AUTO SERVICE
Passengers and Baggage
Storage Five Days Free
NIGHT AND DAY SERVICE
Stand:—
Front of F. J. Cotter’s Store.
HERMAN L. GENTSCH, Mgr.
PHONE NO. 56-Y.
£®®®®
Conklin & Fitzgerald
PAINTERS AND
DECORATORS.
We Make a Specialty of First
Class Sign Work — Signs
That Are Business-Getters
at Reasonable Prices. g
g
Fourth Avenue, Bet. H and I <Ji
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Pioneer Sheet
Metal Works
YUKON STOVES
— AND —
HEATERS
Corner Fifth and C Sts.
Anchorage - - Alaska
Daily Times Want Ads bring quick
results.
BAXTER’S,
MAGAZINES
PERIODICALS
NEWSPAPERS
Panorama Photographs
Anchorage and
Mount McKinley
ROBARTS’
BILLIARD
AND
BOWLING
PARLORS
Postoffice Opposite.
SX5X5)®®®®®®®®<jX?xSX5)g^)®®<!X9®®®®5
| Butts* Parlor |
{-i
I CLEAN COOL REFRESHING I
Q?) (•}
5) Ice Cream, Fresh Candles, Soft
c*i
• •
• Drinks, Fruits and Nuts
® . •
I! FOURTH AYE., BET. G and H %
(5^ <•)
<5XS€>SX5<5X<tX5XS®®<2XiXS)C5)iSXjXsXSXE<i>®®®«-*
S vea W af f le and
Lunch Room
HOME COOKING.
YVe Bake Our Own Pastry.
REASONABLE PRICES.
Mrs. Y’ictoria H. YYTnters
Miss Hulda Olson
Cor. 4th and C. Opp. Crescent
If you want an automobile, night or
day, telephone the Reo Service. Num
ber 56- Y. 8-11-tf
HOTEL ANCHORAGE has been carefully planned and built to meet!
the demands of the Tourists and the traveling public, and nothing!
has been spared to make this hostelry homelike and comfortable. i
I
£
It is centrally located, being one-half block off the business street andj
only a block from the City Wharf and Depot.
*
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' I
For the convenience of the traveling salesmen a %
large sample room has been provided and arrangements made |
for quick delivery of baggage.
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One visit to Hotel Anchorage will convince you that
this place was built to meet the requirements of the traveling
public.