It forbade the soldiers to give up their arms to the officers, even if they should demand it. It put the soldiers in their political activities under the authority of the Soviet, and freed them from all limitations and humiliations in their political, civil and private life; nevertheless, it expressly commanded that "in the ranks and in carrying out their military duties, the soldiers must observe the strictest military discipline." For the rest, it abolished the salute and the use of titles, and forbade the use of rude language and overbearing conduct on the part of the officers (e.g., the use of "thou" in a contemptuous sense).
The remnants of the "Black Hundred Press" and, following in their train, the majority of the foreign correspondents, have furiously attacked the revolutionary democracy for this Order No. 1, and tried to represent it as the origin of all Russia's misfortunes.[1] They
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Of course, it is quite comprehensible that the authorship of this Order was attributed to a Jew named Nehamkes. The following document, quoted from the "Izvestia" of March 2, shows, however, that the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison were themselves the originators and authors of the much disputed Order No. 1:
"Extract from the minute of the sitting of the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Delegates on March 1:—
"Considerable agitation is caused by the conduct of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma in relation to the Petrograd garrison. Delegates are arriving of those units which have already organised the elections for the Soviet. It is decided to continue the sitting uninterruptedly.
"It is decided to devote the sitting to the deliberation of the following questions:—
"(1) The relations of the soldiers to officers who return to barracks.
"(2) The question of giving up arms.
"(3) The question of the Military Commission and of the definition of its scope and powers.
"On all these questions only the representatives of the garrison have the right to speak. (Italics are mine.)
"Representatives of the following units took part in the discussions: The Yeger Guards, the Litovski Guards, the Aviation units, the Preobrajenski Guards, the Semionovski Guards, and many other units.
"It was decided to approach the garrison with the following appeal: Not to give up arms. To elect company and battalion
