The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-08-12

I II y only by breaking faith with he
Allies that Russia can now obtai
peace from Germany. To obtain thi
peace she must sacrifice certain terri
tories, all hope Of an exit to war;
water by the Dardanelles, she mus
abandon her age long claim to Balkal
influence. She must confess a defea
greater than that Of Manchuria. Sh
must abandon co-religionists, to tn
Mohammedan and the Roman Catholi
powers. She must confess hersel
bankrupt in honor as in prestige.
Now il Russia is in fact bankrupt il
material and military resources, il he
army is destroyed, if the German at
tack has succeeded in Poland in &C
comprising what il fail TO compass
in France a year ago-if the Crane
Dukes armies are destroyed, or abou
to be destroyed-it is conceivable tha
Russia might yield; but on no Other
set of facts can such a conclusion b,
expected.
Russian surrender now would infal.
iby shake the Romanoff dynasty tC
the ground The religious and politi.
cal questions are clearly joined in the
present crisis. If the ruling aristoc-
racy in Russia should make peace now
il would stand helpless and hopeless
before the anger and the passions OF
the millions of Slavs. Russian internal
revolution would be almost inevitable.
But for the rulers, apart from the
problems Of internal strife, there is
still to be faced those having an inter-
national bearing. Peace now would
make Russia a mere creature Of Ger
man diplomacy and German ambition,
The war broke out because Russia re-
fused to retire before Austrian men
aces because she declined to surrender
Serbia to the Hapsburgs. Before it
was French or a British war it was
a Russian war. France is fighting be-
cause she was Russias' ally. England
entered the war after France, and if
France had remained neutral no ques-
ton of Belgian or British participation
would have been raised.
Comparatively, Russia is fighting
for bigger stakes than any nation save
Germany. If Germany is beaten Rus
sian supremacy on the Continent will
be assured. She has now the assur-
ance of her Allies that, if they can
capture Constantinople, and they are
doing their best, it will go to the Gar
But if Russia betrays them now, is it
that Great Britain will
ever again join Russia on the question
If the Straits?
In point of fact there is nothing yet
o show that there is any Russian
'eason for peace. A great deal of
oolish talk and purposeful talk has
,een heard of late about the fashion
n which England and France have
deserted" Russia. This is merest |
Whatever Russia's allies
nay have failed to do-they have ex-
,ended not less than 100000 in kill
d, wounded and captured in a war
which is first of all Russia's war.
Whatever disappointment there may
G in Petrograd, the main fact is not
listaken. The Romanoffs are not
lore eager to bow TO the Hohenzol-
rms and the Hapsburgs now than
1ey were in July, 1914 If Russia is
tterly crushed, then she has no
loice But when Napoleon was in
Ioscow Russia received offers which
ould have enabled the Russian Gar /
, divide the world with the French
mperor, and they We're rejected.
1t is Germany and not Russia that {
ust have peace. 1t is Germany and
1t Russia that faces destruction if
ie work Of another year of carnage 9
ntinues. Bernhard himself wrote /
ng before the present war that +
ermany would be beaten in the great ,
nfict he foresaw unless she was able
dispose of one foe before the other :
me on the field.
The German people believed a year a
20 that France was disposed Of. Il
icy looked for peace with France in p
rly September. They had the a
'ench answer at the Marine. For /
ne months the German general staff Fl
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