Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1912 — Railroad “Graft” in Russia. [ARTICLE]

Railroad “Graft” in Russia.

“Coming across Siberia on the railroad about the only diversion is playing cards,” said a traveler. “Four of us were having a game of whist when we stopped at a station. A big bearded man in uniform entered and came up to us. He said there was a tax of 50 kopeks on playing cards in that town, and we would have to shell out. We did. “At the next station the performance was repeated, and then at the next and so on, the tax varying according to the size of the place, from ten kopeks to two rubles. After two days it began to get tiresome. Finally one of the party said-there ought to be some way to provide against this Kvste.matic holdup, and’ "we approached the conductor of the- train and presented him three rubles and pointed at the cards. Thereafter, at no matter what station we stopped, we were never molested by one of the local officials looking for ‘hisn.’ ”