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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  WEU,-HOUSE 
  AT 
  SKMENOV'S 
  CHITA 
  HEADQUARTERS 
  

  

  Soldiers 
  of 
  this 
  Cossack 
  leader, 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  driven 
  from 
  Chita, 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  thrown 
  

   fifty 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  down 
  this 
  well 
  and 
  then 
  driven 
  horses 
  and 
  cattle 
  in 
  to 
  crush 
  them. 
  

  

  cept 
  a 
  broader 
  communism 
  than 
  the 
  guild 
  

   communism 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  accustomed. 
  

  

  The 
  Siberian 
  peasant 
  believes 
  only 
  from 
  

   experience. 
  An 
  Englishman 
  was 
  selling 
  

   a 
  peasant 
  a 
  hatchet, 
  guaranteed 
  good 
  steel. 
  

   The 
  peasant 
  bit 
  a 
  nick 
  in 
  the 
  edge 
  before 
  

   he 
  would 
  accept 
  the 
  guarantee. 
  

  

  The 
  Siberian 
  peasant 
  averages 
  ioo 
  acres 
  

   of 
  land. 
  He 
  can 
  have 
  as 
  much 
  more 
  as 
  

   he 
  wants 
  to 
  cultivate. 
  It 
  is 
  there 
  for 
  the 
  

   taking. 
  What 
  he 
  raises 
  is 
  his 
  own. 
  He 
  

   is 
  willing 
  to 
  put 
  his 
  crop 
  in 
  the 
  com- 
  

   munity 
  storehouse, 
  but 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  turning 
  

   it 
  over 
  to 
  a 
  government 
  on 
  the 
  strength 
  

   of 
  a 
  promise 
  of 
  clothes, 
  tools, 
  or 
  a 
  free 
  

   ride 
  on 
  the 
  railroad 
  cannot 
  be 
  driven 
  into 
  

   his 
  head. 
  He 
  will 
  not 
  accept 
  communism 
  

   to 
  that 
  extent. 
  

  

  The 
  constitution 
  of 
  the 
  Far 
  Eastern 
  

   Republic 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  hand-made 
  

   document 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  

   400 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  assembly, 
  but 
  it 
  

   showed 
  the 
  changes 
  of 
  many 
  hands 
  — 
  

   some 
  crude, 
  others 
  shrewd 
  — 
  before 
  it 
  

   emerged. 
  

  

  It 
  guarantees 
  rights 
  of 
  private 
  property 
  

   and 
  goods 
  ; 
  but 
  all 
  land, 
  rivers, 
  and 
  min- 
  

   eral 
  rights 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  state. 
  They 
  are 
  

   leased 
  in 
  lieu 
  of 
  taxes, 
  and 
  the 
  novelty 
  of 
  

   paying 
  taxes 
  is 
  the 
  test 
  of 
  the 
  Siberian 
  

  

  peasant's 
  sincere 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  govern- 
  

   ment. 
  To 
  induce 
  colonization 
  in 
  Siberia, 
  

   the 
  old 
  Tsarist 
  government 
  not 
  only 
  re- 
  

   mitted 
  taxes, 
  but 
  gave 
  bonuses 
  of 
  ma- 
  

   chinery, 
  seed 
  grain, 
  or 
  cash. 
  

  

  Every 
  citizen 
  18 
  years 
  old, 
  regardless 
  

   of 
  sex, 
  religion, 
  politics, 
  or 
  previous 
  na- 
  

   tionality, 
  can 
  vote. 
  Minority 
  represen- 
  

   tation 
  is 
  provided 
  for 
  in 
  national, 
  state, 
  

   county, 
  city, 
  and 
  village 
  governments. 
  

  

  Five 
  states 
  are 
  created 
  on 
  geographical 
  

   lines 
  and 
  a 
  sixth 
  on 
  entirely 
  new 
  lines 
  — 
  

   the 
  autonomous 
  racial 
  Buriat-Mongol 
  

   State, 
  composed 
  of 
  citizens 
  at 
  large. 
  

  

  The 
  fear 
  of 
  a 
  dictatorship 
  is 
  evidenced 
  

   when, 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  president, 
  a 
  

   commission 
  of 
  seven, 
  known 
  as 
  "The 
  

   Government/' 
  is 
  elected 
  by 
  the 
  assembly. 
  

   "The 
  Government" 
  is 
  the 
  highest 
  execu- 
  

   tive 
  authority. 
  It 
  names 
  the 
  premier 
  

   and 
  he 
  selects 
  the 
  sixteen 
  cabinet 
  heads. 
  

  

  The 
  church 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  state. 
  

   A 
  citizen 
  is 
  free 
  to 
  profess 
  any 
  religion 
  

   or 
  none, 
  and 
  religious 
  instruction 
  is 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  only 
  in 
  theological 
  schools. 
  

  

  Education 
  is 
  free 
  and 
  compulsory. 
  So 
  

   is 
  work 
  for 
  every 
  citizen, 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  

   8 
  hours 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  6 
  hours 
  at 
  night, 
  with 
  

   further 
  restrictions 
  for 
  women 
  and 
  chil- 
  

   dren. 
  

  

  