The Washington herald., 1917-06-17
ny JOHN Lloyd BALDERsroN,

p, cult and the mirage OF speedy VIC
tory has faded again, Americans
called to sacrifice may be heartened
BY a political fact patent to every
one who has studied the course Of
events In Europe.
Public opinion everywhere In the
allied countries Is turning toward q
world settlement which will meet
the ideals proclaimed on behalf of
the United States by President Will
son. These ideals have now become
practical political issues. in the
opinion alike Of reactionary and
lIoeraL There is every reason to
Believe that they will triumph at
I the distant peace conference. Two
months ago practical politicians in
Europe sneered or sighed regret
fully. as was their mood, at talk OF
equal rights of all nationalties, no
annexations without the consent Of
the inhabitants concerned. and q
league Of nations TO. enforce peace.
n Russia and America Factors
\ Historians may settle. IL they can,
the courses which have produced
this remarkable change of feeling.
The revolution in Russia and the
entry Of America into the war
would seem to be the main factors.
It remains true that out of every
ten men standing known to me in
London, who last winter wished to
I enforce q reactionary settlement.
what is often called the American
peace" and three others are Visibly
wobbling.
How dark the world prospects SEEM
ed three months ago can only be real
ned by those who were In touch with
o. dominant opinion at that time. II was
a period Of black pessimism, when
hoeral-minded observers could not see
any hope for a peaceful Europe even
after the defeat Of Germany. By
rapid survey Of the principal world Is
sues as they appeared then, and they
appear now, the extent OF the miracle
that has been worked in mems minds
this spring may be realized
Attention must first be directed to
Russia. As two months ago, the re-
dictionary aims Of the Russian autoc-
racy were the chief bar to a just
settlement, so today the pressure Of
Russian democracy upon less ad-
Vanced Interests" and castles in other
countries in helping to solve in terms
OF democracy issues elsewhere that
seemed insoluble
Our allies stood pledged to win Con-
stantinOple for Russia, war aim
more difficult to realize than any
other, but upon which the old Russian
4 government would have insisted as
Shylock upon his pound OF flesh II
was necessary to make this promise,
for the democracies Of Britain and
France could not have wlthstood the
onslaught Of Germany without the
help Of Russia; but how the goods
were to be delivered without prolong-
ing the war. or how the waging of
war for a purely aggressive aim was
to be justified to the democratic con-
science, liberal Englishmen and
FrenchDlen failed to see.
But Constantinople was not the
r1r Fa1 rNE k1 sit
ton. The old bureaucracy was max
ing a mock Of all those principles in
the advocacy of which the statesmen
Of the entente were so eloquent. 1t
was well known in informed circles
that the freedom promised Poland in
the rcscript Of Grand Duke Nicholas
was a scrap Of paper that had been
cynically torn up by the reactionartes
at court. Under cloak Of war, stTin-
gent measures were taken against the
Jews, Firms, and other subject ma
tionalities suspected of aspiring to-
ward autonomy, while the treatment
Of the population in Galicia by reac-
tionary Russian officials had been dis
graceful. Worse than all, the knowl-
edge Of German intrigue and separate
peace proposals at Petrograd hung like
a pail over the allied cause, whose
ruin seemed put of from week to week
as plot after plot in Russia just failed
Of realization.
4 - New Spirit In Field.
Then came the revolution. and after
a few weeks Of doubt as to whether
a counter revolt might not again Ceat
the autocracy in power. RussiS's 5 allies
discovered that they had a new spirit
to deal with which tended to sirIplify
and help to solution, not obscure and
confuse, the great world Issues Of the
war. Prof. Miliukof. the foreign min
lister, desires the same annexations
that were planned by those of the old
bureaucracy who were not pro-GeI-
man, but under pressure from the
Council of Workmen's, Soldiers and
Peasants Deputies the provisional gov
eminent has formally renounced all
claims to anneXations or indemnitieS.
II Russia sticks to this program and
insists upon the freedom of Poland
and a just settlement of the RACIAL
problems Of Austria, she will cCntri-
butte more than anyone else to a
permanent settlement in Europe
1t seems improbable that the enor-
nous difficulties incident upon electing
and converting a representative consti-
tutional assembly in Russia can be
surmounted during the war. The su-
preme power Is likely to remain CEN
tered, not in the provisional govern
ment, but in the Council Of Work.
mems, Soldiers and Peasants deputies
and the influence for good or evil of
this amazing body Is so great, not for
Russia only but for US all, that some
explanation of its formation and COM
position may be given.
The council is the most truly repre-
&Sentatiye cody in the world, If the
lost chaotic. 1t formed ITSELF spranz
~O1t Of the ground with no formal cleo
tion Of members, no basis Of represen-
tation, no legal standing of any kind
II Is now exercising supreme power
over the provisional government, which
was formed by Committee from the
Duma. elected under bureaucratic au-
spices, representing only the upper
and middle classes.
The bodies Of wOFkmen who organ
lied general strike in 1906 and began
a premature and disastrous revolu-
tion maintained, even in the darkest
days Of reaction, illegal and furtiye
organizations, and these came into
the light and formed the nucleus OF
the new governing body of Russia as
soon as the CARBON had fallen. Their
best mandate to power today is that
they did most of the fighting, most Of
the winning over of troops that led
10 the success Of the revolt They
PROMPTLY associated themselves with
Jewish hulds, sociaEstic orgs nizations,
anarchists. societies representing every
shade Of opinion hitherto frowned upon
by the authorities.
Miracle Accomplished.
Immediately after the revolution
representatives, Of workmen, soldiers
and political organizations in Petro-
grad met and spontaneously formed
themselves into a council to keep an
eye on the provisional government.
The delegates to the council were
chosen on no common basis, tiny bod
les OF twenty or thirty faundrymen
sending q delegate who at first was
given as much voting power as the
REPRESENTATIVE Of an army corps or a
khole trades union. But instead OF
sotving in chaos, as might be ex-
Bected, the council set to work to or
gantze itself; as hundreds of dele
gates, elected by peasants, soldiers at
the front. and workmen in other cities,
came pouring into Petrograd. The mir
acle was accomplished.
At present there are 2,6O0 represen-
tatives Of the Russian people In the