Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-04
THINKS FALL
OF RIGA MAY
SPUR SLVAS
American Engineer Declares
Trouble in Russia is Due to
Socialists But He Believes
Great Catastrophe Will Fin
ally Awaken Them to Duty

4 ABANDONMENT OF Riga by the.
~ Russian troops may prove the
~ spur that will lead 10 an effective.
Russian offensive. thinks II. V. Win
chel, an American mining engineer
who has been making a close study
Of Russian affairs duIMg the past SIX
months. Accompanied by his wife. ne
is a passenger aboard the Venezuela
and is returning to his home IN Min
neapolis. where he was formerly coli
sulting engineer for The Great North
ern Railway company.
When told OF The surrender Of Riga
he deClared.- 1T may be a good thing.
l have often said that Lippelin attack
on Petrogrsd might awaken the Rus
sian masses from their Indifference to
vigorous prosecution of the war
against the Germans.
The mining engineer explains thai
the attitude of the Russian army Is
influenced by the socialist element Of
the country, which element is divided
into nine parties. These socialists
not the, peasants, but the more INTEL
ligent classes. feel that the war was
brought about by autocratic rule. Now
that the autocratic rule has been over
thrown in Russia they feel that they
do not want to fight their socialist
brothers in Germany, who they think
have the same feelings toward them.
Attacks from the Germans may alter
this point Of view"
Speaking of his mission to Russia
he says that the Americans have al
ways been too insular, principally be-
cause no need for roopi for expansion
was felt, as was the case in the
European countries. iIow it is grow
ing different and he went to Russia to
investigate the opportunities for min
ing development in that country.
Doubt is expressed'b b. him as to how
the placing of American troops on the
eastern front would be accepted by the
Russians. They are jealous of for
eign interference when it comes to Ia
Dor, and they might view an Ameri-
can army IN the same manner" he
says.
Transportation Problem
IoIlSA 10 OllS Va tIIC O4S
ficulties of Russia, not in lack of roll
ing stock or railroad lines, so much as
the need of repairs and management.
"The Russian lacks initiative and the
power to organize efficiently" is the
way he expresses it.
systematically Mr.. Winchell sums
up the Russian situation with this ex-
tomorrow Russia will be all right, but
her trials are going to come tomor-
row." Or, in different words:
"Of Russia's ultimate recovery l am
certain. but she is going to be worse
before she is better"
Mr.. and Mrs. Winchem entered Rus
STA last March just before the revo-
luton. They were on TIE Siberian ex-
press en- route for Petr 7grad VIXEN the
car was dethroned.
Mr.. Wincrell thinks that the food
situation is becoming no better in Rus
STA and that it will be very serious
next winter in the colder parts of Rus
sia..
People who are standing patiently
in long bread lines now for hours at
a time, will not put up with that sort
of thing when the thermometer is be-
low zero. If bread is not quickly
Forthcoming under such circumstances
they will break into the shops and
help themselves.
Mr.. and Mrs. Winchell were in Pc
trograd when the sailors from Kron.
stadt invaded Petrograd with the in
tention of "annexing" it and placing it
beneath the rule OF their island repub'
lie. Many of the invaders were killed
and others were drowned. in the Neva
and in the city's canals, but before
they were defeated they killed many
Of the defending force.
Mr.. Winchell Is of the opinion that
the Petrograd anarchists are learning
to fear Kerensky, but they are by no
leans. tanned yet
One Of the most amazing state.
ments he makes is based on hearsay
from the wife II Qiscuunt Uchida, the
japanese ambass 4dor to Russia. She
was on the same train which brought
Mr.. and Mrs. Winchell out of Russia
Mrs Uchida told him that she had
actually seen Russia and German sol
diers-not prisoners-from the eastern
front come into Petrograd together for
a holiday in the city.