The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-12-24
Stanley Washburn Discusses
Situation in Russia


contained story from the pen of
Frederic William Willie, who had in
terviewed Stanley Washburn, former
ly OF Minneapolis, who Is war CORES
pendent for The London Times, in
which Mr.. Washburn says that rus
STA will wade into the fight in the
spring of 1916 like a giant refreshed
Her battle-cry Is No Peace Without
Victory"
Mr.. Washburn has Just reached
England en- route for the United
States after solid year with the
cars armies in every field of the
vast eastern theatre of war, saws The
: Tribune's correspondent i'm London.
Washburn acknowledges that he Is a
rank optimist" with regard to Rus
STA. He says nobody can live along
side the cars fighting men as long as
he has and be anything else. He
backs them to win because OF what
he describes as their amazing capac-
ity to absorb defeat and come back"
lie sums up the situation after the
first year and quarter of war as a
campaign IN which Russia has trad
ed land she doesn't need for lives
which Germany can't spare"
When they failed to shatter and
shock the Russians into a separate
peace. after the fall of Warsaw. and
the capture of Ivangorad Novo- Geor-
gievsk and Brest -Litovsk-he fixes
the date when PetrOgrad vibrated with
anxiety that the worst might be i'm
mirent, as September 25-the Ger
mans lost the only chance they ever
EaI 80 a. Al. MT
period Of Russia's regeneration set In
from that moment forth. Since then
the kaiser has faced Russia with tire
bit in her teeth, who is prepared to
fight him to finish.
Washburn, who Of course, Is q Min
nesOta boy, the son of the late we'll
known United States senator. has
seen more of the Russian army at
cloGe range than any newspaper man
, in the world. HIS own personal con-
necticns in the country. Dlus the pres
tige OF The London Times. literally
carr ed him anywhere. He has visited
twelve out of the thirteen separate
armies" the car has in the field. He
has been the guest of and eonversed
at length with every commander OF
prominence. There is nobody outside
Of Russia this hour equipped to
speak nf events within with more
authority
Russia Far From Clicked"
II am anxious to assure people at
home" he said to me this week. that
Ruscia Is about rs far from licked
IS can well be imagined. She has
taken some frightful punishment,
xin .Iat n
cry sized country be a gigantic block
Cf territory. and suffered heavy losses
Of men. hut she has not tasted even
ihn morsels of defeat. | am not at
liberty to go into details, but some
day. when II is permissible to tell the
inside history OF the Russian cam
rrigrs TO the enl of 1915, German
glory will appear in a far DINNER
Ipht than IL now does. With an un-
r-mrnitioned and under-euuipped
army. the Russian soldiery has battled
With the most efficient military ma
chine the world has ever seen and
has emerged, not unscarred, but in
tact. The two great detectives of the
invader are unattained. He has Meth
er enforced premature peace. nor
has he destroyed the army which
he pursued The kaiser has suffered
a psychologist defeat Of still more
menacing import for himself. The
morale of his own armv, deny II rs
DO may. Is sadly undermined. German
soldiers were asked to make supreme
sacrifices for Warsaw, because. they
were told. Warsaw means peace.
They took Warsaw. but they did not
hurl themselves heroically into the
breach once rlore-to subjugate Po-
land, to batter down Russia's other
fortress strongholds. Again they re-
sponded. but still there was no peace
They have tried in the north with no
better luck"
Dined With Gar.
| Washburn had twenty minute
conversation with the car at General
Alexieff's headquarters in October
and had the distinguished honor OF
sittirg at tho emperor's own table al
dinner. u happened to Re the birth
day of the young czarewitch. whom
Washburn describes as THE huskiest
and livel'est sort IF youngster-a
real boy" Although the American
CORRESPONDENT was In his simple mo-
tor-smeared khaki outfit. he was as
sured by tho cars adjutarts that he
was IN absolutely de r!geur" costume
and the emperor's warm reception put
the Minnesota man at once and COM
pletely at his ease. I'm voice which
I guess he meant to be heard all
around the room" said Washburn,
"the emperor said few compliment
-, tary things which, as I had occasion
presently to Judge, sent up my stock
with a boom among the goldbraided
generals, grand dukes and other ma
bob7 IN the imperial party"
/ Washburn plans to rejoin the Rus
sian army in the spring and will of
course again go to the eastern theatre
as the special correspondent CT The
ondon Times. His dispatches on the
first Russian campaign have been
among the journalistic features Of the
war in England, and Washburn's two
books. embodying his experience. are
looked upon as an authoritative record
Of the operations and spirit of Brit
aims great Muscovite ally.