New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-17
Car Sought Peace to Save
His Crown, Says Duncan
Foresa, Too ate the Revolt That Would Follow Sending
Unarmed Troops Against German Machine Guns
Labor Leader Sure Republic Is Finding Itself

an the popular horror and resent
ment expected to follow the enormous
slaughter that would result from send
ing men armed with little more than
their bare hands against German ar
tillery and machine guns, the Gar
sought an excuse for making a sep
arate peace with Germany. Instead, he
lost his crown. He was lucky to es-
cape with his life"
So declared James Duncan, labor
member Of the United States mission
TO Russia, at the Hotel Continental
Yesterday. He asserted the reason
Russia has since been unable to make
the showing against Germany that
might be looked for, lies in the fact
that the Cars government, looking
for an early peace, left the army az
the front i'll prepared to fight.
Sure Army viii Do Its Share
There were neither guns nor the
ammunition for them, food for the men
or means Of transporting it, he SAID
"Under the circumstances the army did
the best il could. 1t will do better,
depend on that.
"rhe recall of the Grand Duke Mich
olas from command on the Eastern
front and the assumption Of command
of the armies by the Car was part OF
the German programme for a separate
peace. The Czarina, German prn-
cess and a strong minded woman, dom
mated the little weak Car. In taking
command Of the armies he LETT Gil
power in other matters in her hands,
and sought to give the impression that
he was all for war. This left free
hand to Sturmer, chief Of the German
propagandists, who sat in the Russian
Cabinet only because of what he could
do for Germany and his associates.
NORMALLY ell were for war. AS
evidence Of that, they sent to the front
thousands upon thousands of men poor
ly trained and even more poorly
equipped. These were taken not from
the older armies but were men fresh
from their homes. They had little
food. They had poor rifles.
Fought Well With Bayonets
"Often they went into action with
but two rounds OF ammunition. True
they had their bayonets and they are
splendid fighters with that weapon.
But il was murder TO send them against
artillery with Only the bayonet. When,
however, they did succeed in carving
their way through, the Germans, with
perfect transportation, were oil miles
away.
Then again it was mere slaughter
of men irving to fight artillery with
the moor means at their command.
"Such slaughter, it was calculated,
would create from one end of the en-
pire TO the other such demand Tor
peace. Such horror and resentment
against all war that it would appear
the safety Of the empire would be en-
dangered by q revolution unless peace
was made. In that was to have been
the excuse to the Russian people and
to the world for a separate peace.
"The mistake of the plotters lay in
that thew did not realize the extent TO
which the army had been educated. 1t
was slow. subtle work educating the
army II began q dozen years ago
when the failure of the first Duma
taught the workmen of the industrial
centres that without the army they
could get no reforms.
an Russia s. per cent OF the, people
are illiterate. Most Of those that are
NOT illiterate are the workmen IN the
industrial centres. They could not
form organizations legally. But they
could get pamphlet here and a book
there and these they sent through, the
country to the remotest places where
a friendly priest or some other edu-.
Gated person would read the doctrine OF
reform to assembled groups. Their
audiences would be broken up, but the
work would be resumed.
an substance they would say to these
people: Your hope of better conditions
Is in the army. The men in the army