﻿THE 
  FAR 
  EASTERN 
  REPUBLIC 
  

  

  591 
  

  

  GRUESOME 
  EVIDENCE 
  OF 
  PAST 
  EXECUTIONS 
  IN 
  SIBERIA 
  

  

  A 
  little 
  girl 
  pointed 
  out 
  this 
  spot, 
  where 
  her 
  uncle 
  had 
  been 
  executed, 
  and 
  then 
  fled 
  in 
  tears 
  

  

  when 
  the 
  bare 
  skull 
  was 
  unearthed. 
  

  

  Every 
  male 
  citizen 
  is 
  liable 
  for 
  military 
  

   service 
  between 
  18 
  and 
  45 
  years, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   compulsory 
  between 
  20 
  and 
  22. 
  Bodily 
  

   and 
  capital 
  punishment 
  are 
  abolished. 
  

  

  Liberty 
  of 
  the 
  press, 
  speech, 
  and 
  as- 
  

   sembly 
  is 
  guaranteed. 
  Citizens 
  may 
  also 
  

   initiate 
  legislation 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  share 
  in 
  the 
  

   administration 
  of 
  all 
  government 
  and 
  

   public 
  functions 
  through 
  an 
  elaborate 
  and 
  

   complicated 
  "People's 
  Control." 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  famous 
  system 
  of 
  people's 
  

   commissars, 
  in 
  theory 
  enforcing 
  efficiency 
  

   and 
  honesty 
  on 
  the 
  regular 
  officials, 
  but 
  

   in 
  practice 
  interfering 
  and 
  inefficient. 
  If 
  

   one 
  officer 
  is 
  not 
  efficient, 
  little 
  is 
  accom- 
  

   plished 
  by 
  placing 
  another 
  to 
  watch 
  him, 
  

   and 
  the 
  process 
  is 
  like 
  Gillett 
  Burgess's 
  

   "fleas 
  with 
  other 
  fleas 
  upon 
  their 
  backs 
  to 
  

   bite 
  'em, 
  and 
  so 
  ad 
  infinitum/' 
  

  

  The 
  people's 
  commissars 
  interfere 
  with 
  

   the 
  army, 
  the 
  railroad, 
  the 
  local 
  adminis- 
  

   tration, 
  and 
  every 
  other 
  civil 
  function. 
  

  

  THE 
  REPUBLIC'S 
  SECRET 
  POLICE 
  

  

  The 
  "gosudarstivenaya 
  politicheskaya 
  

   okrana," 
  shortened 
  by 
  the 
  simplified 
  spell- 
  

   ing 
  which 
  the 
  Soviet 
  has 
  adopted 
  into 
  

   "Gospolokrana," 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  

   of 
  these 
  safety-supervising 
  forms 
  of 
  gov- 
  

   ernment. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  secret 
  political 
  police 
  

   of 
  Siberia, 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  "tchresnytch- 
  

   nainaya 
  komissia," 
  or 
  "Tcheka," 
  which 
  

  

  is 
  Moscow's 
  special 
  commission 
  against 
  

   counter-revolutionists. 
  

  

  The 
  "Gospolokrana" 
  can 
  arrest 
  any- 
  

   body, 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  when 
  

   the 
  occasion 
  requires. 
  It 
  watches 
  every- 
  

   thing 
  — 
  enforcement 
  of 
  the 
  prohibition 
  

   laws, 
  food 
  profiteering, 
  baggage 
  of 
  travel- 
  

   ers, 
  and 
  chiefly 
  political 
  conspiracies. 
  

  

  One 
  evening 
  its 
  genial 
  young 
  superin- 
  

   tendent 
  was 
  going 
  to 
  have 
  dinner 
  with 
  

   me 
  in 
  Chita. 
  Instead 
  his 
  wife 
  came 
  with 
  

   a 
  message 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  be 
  busy 
  that 
  

   evening 
  arresting 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  

   army, 
  who 
  was 
  suspected 
  of 
  correspond- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  revolutionists. 
  

  

  This 
  young 
  man 
  was 
  an 
  expert 
  account- 
  

   ant 
  in 
  peace 
  times. 
  He 
  had 
  fought 
  

   through 
  the 
  revolution, 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  

   given 
  up 
  by 
  his 
  friends 
  as 
  dead, 
  and 
  did 
  

   not 
  expect 
  to 
  retire 
  from 
  the 
  present 
  

   position 
  alive. 
  

  

  Once 
  he 
  received 
  word 
  that 
  several 
  

   revolutionists 
  were 
  being 
  smuggled 
  out 
  on 
  

   a 
  Japanese 
  military 
  train. 
  He 
  entered 
  the 
  

   private 
  car 
  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  general 
  and 
  

   requested 
  permission 
  to 
  search 
  it. 
  The 
  

   general, 
  quite 
  sincerely, 
  insisted 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   impossible 
  for 
  the 
  men 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  his 
  car. 
  

  

  "Here's 
  my 
  revolver; 
  if 
  I'm 
  mistaken, 
  

   you 
  can 
  shoot 
  me." 
  the 
  young 
  fellow 
  said. 
  

  

  Greatly 
  to 
  the 
  amazement 
  of 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   eral, 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  found 
  under 
  some 
  

  

  