Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-06-14
HAS FULL FAITH !
IN NEW RUSSIA
Witness ofRsVOlutiOnarySCe
Writes Of Outlook.
WILL NOT GO TO EXTREMES

American Observer, Embassy Clerk at
Petrograd, Sees Strong Nation After
Germany Has Been Defeated-Dislike
of czarism, Together With Exo~5itant
Prices of Necessaries, Caused Revolt.
Il have the greatest faith that peo-
pie who can show such marvellous self
restrain at time when all law and
order had broken down can be trusted
not to go to foolish extremes after
ward"
Thus writes Van Arsdale B. Turner,
formerly of Wilmington, Del, now
chief clerk Of the American embassy at
Petrograd, in a letter to his father,
the Rev. Joseph Brown Turner of Phil
| adelphia, general secretary of the Pres
| byterian Historical society.
Young Turner was a witness of many
| Of the stirring events incident to the
Russian revolution, and in his letter he
gives graphic description of what he
i saw. Incidentally he draws some in
teresting deductions.
"The new cabinet" he writes, "was
a compromise with Kerensky, a very
| able labor leader, as one of the most
| prominent members, and Miliukoff, cas-
| lily one of the ablest politicians in the
old world today, a liberal and sound
advocate of democracy. The others are
representatives Of the Zemstvo organi-
| Zations which have accomplished such
wonders for Russia during the past two
decades, or come from other liberal cir
cles, but they are by no means ultra,
and most of them are inclined toward
a constitutional monarchy.
Troublesome Faction In Minority.
'"The labor group itself is split by
faction, which demands immediate ces-
sation of the war, the eight hour day.
profit sharing, a redistribution of prop
erty, especially of the land and what
not. They are far in the minority, but
they make much noise and have an ex-
tremely bad effect on the soldiers
1t is here that Mr.. Turner pins his
faith in the level headedness OF the
Russian people, as people, not to do
anything foolish after their marvellous
demonstration of self restraint and
good Judgment
TITS going to mean, however" the
writer continues tremendous work
and the most careful leadership, but
believe they'll emerge with first class
form of government. Their present
one Is excellent and for wartime not
to be improved upon. All further con-
sideration of the question should be
| postponed until the war is over"
Mr.. Turner says the United States
should lose no time in getting into the
war with all of the force at its COM
mand.
Democracy" he declares, has only
one foe left, and he must be settled
with and Immediately. I'm hoping
that. for the protection of
democratic ideals, We'll (meaning the
United States go in and strike hard
blow at the kaiser's throne 1t would
be much better to be sure, if the Ger
mans would do it themselves, but so
long as their hero is living they prob
ably will not
| Causes of the Revolution.
Mr.. Turner, in his letters, for there
are two, one having been written be-
| fore the revolution broke, tells of the
incidents that led up to the break and
| also of what happened when the break
| came. Among the contributing causes,
he says, were high prices for food, raj
ment and everything else, which made
living difficult problem. The people
hated the pro-German empress, while
| they considered the cZar lamentably
weak. The government, he says, had
practically told the allies that they need
not expect a Russian offensive this
/ spring.
Giving some of his own observations
when the break came, he writes II
saw the firing squads at work moving
down the crowds that surged around
Nicolai station plaza on Sunday; saw
the great, throbbing Nevsly lying max
ed and dead under the glare of the
searchlight ON Sunday night and was
on the spot when the largest and most
famous of the guard regiments, the
freobrajensky. mutinied on Monday.
There is much else that was alive
with interest and dramatic in the ex-
treme. And there is yet and will be
for days to come. 1t would be difficult
and would take much time to go into all
the ramified politics of the situation as
it is at present. The labor faction is
upheld by the soldiery and is inclined
70 be much more radical than the COM
mittee of the duma." He believes, how
ever, that Russia will emerge with
good government. supported, as it is,
by right thinking people there.