The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-07-27
Threatened to Re tgn Unless
Authorized to Punish Trea-'
son With Death
SOME PARTS OFRUSS
= LINES HOLD FIRM; ON
OFFENSIVE in SOUTH
Crown Prince Hammers
French Hard and at Large
Cost of Men Takes Short
Front on Alsne

London, July 2s-Kerensky and
today met anarchy and disloyaIty with
blood and iren.
Dispatches from Petrograd leave no
i, room for doubt that kerenskys die
tatorship is TO be real dictatorship;
that he Will sanction and approve ex-
IRENE measures when necessary to re-
store semblsnce of order out OF the
CHAOS which for a time seemed 70
threaten the complete disintegratlon
OF the Russian armies and indeed. the
Russian state
Russia is now no longer an anarchls-
Tic Utopia; place OF Impossible free
dors that contained more Of license
than OF liberty. she is feeling the
strong hand
There were four outstanding things
In dispatches from Petrograd today
things which held out promise. in the
opinion 81 observers hero tina, Keren-
SKY. with the aid Of his military COM
uandeTs, ~ whom kornilcn stands
cat. might Vet pull Russia through"
kcren.ky's Real Power
These things were kerensky has
acquired complete ascendancy over
workmens and soldiers committee. SO
that = now makes no attempt to OPP
pose his DEGREES His command Of the
provisional government is supreme
The ministers ne has gathered around
him have agreed completely SO far
with ali his proposajS and are support
Ing them 10 the utmost.
y His first act has been TO restore the
death penalty for treason. This action
taken with the consent OF hts minis
'eTa, is designed To wipe out the dis
affection in the army which has made
it's commanders pHeerIess and which
has enabled the Germans 10 make their
great GAINS in Ga1tria after the Rus
sian army had apparently reFained It's
power "a w3F Machine
censorship ~ dubious newspapers
Vas been established, TIE pa pers ar
fected we're Ruiltv ~ disseminating
appeals - disloYaitv among the troops
The new order provides for the sus-
pension Of such papers
Agnin showing strength.
AS result the Russian army IS
agatn showing evidences Of resistance
The Germans continue to strike in
Galteia- but in the Carpathians and
Rumar!a. Russian and RumRnian
forces have opened counter often
sive. apparently designed TO tighten
The pressure OF KorniloT's hard
pressed legtons ana have met with
7 considerable initial successes
korntlon himself has taken the
most extreme measures to halt
the rout of his army. He wired 10
kerenaky threatening to resign his
command unless permitted tn
der executions for treason and
cownrdfce among hi. men. This
forced kerensky's hand. After q
hurried meeting of the provtsional
government the permission was
fy. according to press dispatches.
ordered his loyal artillery to turn
their guns certain forces of
indictments and deserters. A
slaughter ensued. unparalleled In
the history of modern civilization.
"stronx Hand" Effective.
But the strong hand" has had its
effect, the dispatches assert. A SEM
hlance OF discipline is being restored;
courts martial. consisting three Of
hcers and three soldiers each have
been established to deal with future
cases of desertion and while the Rus
sian army in Galicta has been shaken
and almost shattered. II still remains
q bar to German ambition. It's sup
piles and artillery have been lost
through the disloyalty of certain
troops. according to some dispatches,
but II Is still a military force and not
the disorganized band OF strugglers II
threatened to become.
Under Korniloffs orders his army
Is continuing its retreat. II is report
ed, in order that he may preserve his
new alignment intact, There are pre-
pared positions in the rear-how much
further In the rear II Is not stated
and he will make stand when he
reaches these positions,
Meanwhile Kerensky Is appeas'ng
the various revolutionary committees
which at one time or another have all
ATTEMPTED to seize the rens of power
from each other since the original rev.
olut,on with the promise of a great
congress of all factions at an early
date.
This congress will be held In Mos
COW. 'the heart of Russia" Moscow
more than any other city is the ap-
rropriate site for such a conference.
II Is the most loved city In Russia
the place to which a real Russian turns
his eyes Mohammedan turns his
to Mecca. Petrograd is the capital but
1t has never received anything OF the
affection, the real love that Russians
have felt for Moscow. The Russian
people indeed would never permit the
coronation of ruler at Petrograd, II
was an unwritten law that he should
Continued on Page Five)