FAMINE OF I8QI-Q2 



Imperial gates to open and let it pass through. It is 

 evident that it will be extremely difficult even in an 

 Imperial form of government to prevent it from going 

 to its owners whose object was to sell this grain at a 

 big profit to the Government for the relief of the 

 starving. They rushed the rye and wheat in great 

 quantities over the frontier in the three weeks that 

 intervened between the time the Ukase was deter- 

 mined upon and the date of its taking effect. The 

 peasants in many places tried to stop it, and in some 

 cases bloodshed resulted. They said, "You are 

 exporting the blood of our children. ' 



But what cared these horrid speculators and 

 gamblers for starving children? 



Information came to us that the National Red 

 Cross Association had the promise of the people of 

 Minnesota of sufficient corn to load a ship and 

 the thought of the Philadelphia Committee was to 

 collect enough money, from the charitable among 

 us, to charter a steamship and tender the same to 

 the Red Cross that no time might be lost in re- 

 lieving the distress. Meantime, it was deemed 

 advisable that a special Russian Famine Relief 

 Committee should be formed, to include others 

 than members of the Permanent Relief Commit- 

 tee, to proceed immediately with the work in hand. 

 This Committee was thereupon formed with 



