Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918, Russia, Volume II

File No. 861.00/1706

The Consul General at Moscow (Summers) to the Secretary of State

No. 262

Moscow, February 7, 1918.
[Received May 2.]

Sir: I have the honor to forward to the Department herewith copy of a translation of the treaty of federation or the constitution of the Southeastern federation of Russia. This matter is supplementary to the letter to the Embassy at Petrograd, under date of January 14,² copy of which was sent to the Department; to the despatches of Consul Poole from the Don Cossack Territory; and to the various reports that have been made to the Department on political conditions in Russia. The treaty leaves the several Cossack armies and tribes of the northern slope of the Caucasus Mountains and the adjoining steppes, which form the federation, ample liberty to manage their own affairs, while binding each to give such assistance as the circumstances require to the Don Cossacks, who are the backbone of the federation. This treaty should be considered as supplemented by the agreement between the Don Cossacks and General Alexeev and the constitutional and conservative politicians that have taken refuge in the Don Territory. General Alexeev is the commander of the forces that are being organized to uphold law and order, and which are being recruited from all parts of Russia. The Don Cossacks and the Southeastern federation are thus important mainly as supporters of the Alexeev movement, which is the main chance, as far as law and order are concerned, for the present at least.

I have [etc.]

Maddin Summers

[Enclosure—Translation]

The Southeastern Federation of the Cossack Troops, the Hill Tribes of the Caucasus, and the Free Peoples of the Steppes

TREATY OF THE FEDERATION DRAWN UP ON OCTOBER 20, 1917

We, the undernamed Cossack troops, hill tribes of the Caucasus, and free peoples of the steppes, are concluding a treaty, to form a federation, in order to help the establishment of a most perfect form of government, which will assure the national defense and the public security of the Russian state, and in order to safeguard the liberty of the members of the federation, to uphold order within the country, promote the general well-being and thereby forever to secure the benefits of liberty, gained by the revolution.

I. Members of the Federation

1. The following are members of the federation: the Cossack troops of the Don, Kuban, Terek, and Astrakhan Provinces, as well as their faithful ally, the Kalmyk people, and the following hill tribes and peoples of the steppes, who compose a special union of the highlanders of the Caucasus:

(a) All the peoples of Daghestan (Avartsy, Darguintzy, Laid or Kazi-Koumiki, Kourintzy, Koumiki, Tabasarintzy and others) and those of the Zakataly Province (Lesguiniens).

(b) All the peoples of the Terek Province (Kabardintzy, Balkartzy, Osetintzy, Ingouche, Tchetchentzy, Koumiky and Salatanzy).

(c) All the mountain tribes of the Kuban Province (Karatchaevtzy, Abasintzy, Circassians, Nogautzy).

(d) Mountain tribes of the Sukhum Province (Abhaztsy).

(e) The free peoples of the steppes of the Terek Province (Nogaytzy and Kara-Nogaytzy) as well as those of the Stavropol government (Nogaytzy and Tourkmen).

2. The territory of the members of the federation is comprised by the lands belonging to the mountain tribes of the Caucasus, the Cossack troops, and the peoples of the steppes, enumerated in paragraph 1.

3. The federation calls itself “The Southeastern Federation of Cossack Troops, the Hill Tribes of the Caucasus, and the Free Peoples of the Steppes.”

4. Absolute independence is assured to the members of the federation in regard to the management of their interior affairs and they are at liberty to make agreements as long as they conform to the principles of the federation.

II. The Aim of the Federation

5. (a) The establishment, as soon as possible, of a Russian democratic federal republic, every member of which will constitute an independent state.

(b) To help, as much as possible, all other peoples in their efforts towards the establishment of a Russian state, based on federal principles, and to form an alliance with them.

(c) To establish a firm democratic authority, supported by all the nationalities of the country, which will not be subjected to the oppression of irresponsible organizations.

(d) To aid central government authority in its struggle with the enemy and to conclude honorable peace, conforming to the principle of self-assertion of nationalities; to aid in the reestablishment of lawful order in the country and to suppress anarchy and counter-revolution.

(e) To guarantee independence to every federal state, with regard to management of interior affairs.

(f) To afford active assistance to the members of the federation in everything that could help them to reorganize their life as members of the Russian federation.

(g) To defend the political, economic, and agrarian rights of the members of the federation, and to assist them in the settlement, of their lines of frontier.

(h) Unity and coordination in the measures necessary to maintain public security and order in the federal territories.

(i) To develop the well-being of the federal states and to assist them in supplying the inhabitants with the first necessaries of life.

(j) To solve, with mutual help, the present political and social problems, which conform to the principles of the federation.

III. The Rights and the Authority of the Federation

6. The authority of the federation is only limited by the laws resulting from this treaty, or by such as are prescribed by separate members of the federation.

7. The federal authority is independent, within the limits of its recognized competence.

8. The federation is governed by the united government of the Southeastern federation.

9. Every federal state has two representatives in the united government.

• Remark 1: The union of the mountain tribes of the Caucasus has four representatives, two of whom are from the Daghestan and the Zakataly region.
• Remark 2: The Cossacks of Astrakhan, together with their faithful ally, the Kalmyk people, each have two representatives.

10. The members of the united government of the federation are elected by the bodies of executive power. (Each body must elect one member.)

11. The members of the united government of the federation are responsible to their electors (the bodies of executive power of the members of the federation).

12. The united government fulfils the aims of the federation, acts in its name, and is in touch with the central and local government authorities of the Russian state, as well as with the authority of the federal states.

13. All questions are examined and settled according to the regulations of the united government.

14. The Southeastern federation is represented in the central government of Russia by one delegate, who is either elected from among the members of the united government of the federation or from among the citizens of the federation.

Remark 1: If a member of the united government is sent as representative to Petrograd, his duties should be performed by his substitute.

IV. The Seat of the United Government

15. The united government temporarily resides at Ekaterinodar.

V. Admission of New Members to the Federation

16. New members of the federation are admitted on conditions conforming to this treaty and by consent of the bodies of executive power of all the members of the federation.

VI. Alterations in the Text of the Treaty and its Dissolution

17. Dissolution of the treaty and alterations in its text are decided by a conference of representatives of all the federal states.

VII. The Term of Coming into Force of the Treaty

18. This treaty comes into force after its approval by the bodies of executive power of all the federal states.

2. Vol. i, p. 338.