The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-09-15

This Is another Of the series, Of 4
articles by Charles Edward Rus
SELL staff writer of The Tribune,
who has Just returned from Rus.
sia, where he spent three months
% ! member Of the official United
States commission to the new
Russian government.
BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL.
Copyright, 1917, by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.) . II
The worst thing in the Russian stu:
alton Is the failure of Russia to UNDER
stand the United States and the fail.
ure of the United States to understand
Russia.
This is million times more i'm.
pOrtant than the capture of Riga, fore
seen when was in Petrograd, and in
itself, not amounting to much.
But the misunderstanding Is grave
matter, likely to lead to consequences
still more serious.
Russia's misunderstanding about
the United States is chiefly the work
Of the group of pro-German highbind-
ers in the United States senate, led by
old Bill Stone, for these continually
misrepresent and pervert the United
States to the Russian mind.
Our misunderstanding of Russia Is
due principally to the good story"
habit of the American newspaper and
the fact that the English speaking
colony in Russia, as everywhere else.
IL nd foil nf
pathy with the revolution.
There are 18O,000,000 people in Rus.
sia. livery day among them will hap
pen about 10 events, let us say. that
might je cabled as news t. America.
r, On ell average about two Of the 10
are sent here. Everything depends
upon the choice of the two.
BY always picking out two that are
depressing and ignoring eight that are
encouraging ] can in :hlec "r1!s pro-
duce throughout the United States the
fixed impression that everything IN
Russia hass gone to perdition.
II is the depressing and disturbing
things that make what are called
good stories"
Let us say that 10 Russian regi-
ments are ordered to the front. One
refuses to obey. We get the one that
refuses but not a word about the nine
that obey. !
Hence, of course, we conclude that
mutiny is rampant and universal in
the Russian army.
It is exactly the same way about
the attitude of Russia and Russians
toward the war and fighting.
There is a certain element in Russia |
that is sick of the whole business and
anxious to see peace made on any old
terms-no doubt of that.
There is a certain element among
the soldiers that would rather run
away than fight; no doubt of that,
either.
There is an element in the national
council that still dreams of the uni
versal nation, all boundaries broken
down and all governments, except one,
abolished.
There is an element on the German
payroll that runs about preaching the
German cause and opposing any &C.
tive warfare.
There is an element that yearns to
see the war out Of the way because
the war interferes with the vast pro-
gram Of social reforms to which this
element is committed.
Every day in the week you can take
the views and ideas of these elements
and prove to your own perfect salts
faction that Russia will never fight
again and is on the point of DESERVING
the allies.
But none Of these opinions
would reflect average and typical
Russia.
In exactly the same way here
foreigner could take la Toilette
and Gronna and prove that we are
a nation of crack Drained fanatics
working for an autocratic form OF
government, or take old Bin Stone
and prove that we are nation OF
yellow streaks.
Average and typical Russia, like
average and typical America
that 10 the thing that will decide,
and the best way to get at real
Russia was at the national council
Of workmen's, soldiers and peas
ants delegates.
It is extraordinary that not one OF
the prophets that send out pessimism
about Russia ever went near the
council. Some of them did not know
it existed, and some had 1t all mixed
up in their minds with the local coun-
Gil of Petrograd.
In the council sat about 40 Eol-
shevics, or extreme radicals, for one
reason or another in favor of imme'
date peace on any terms.
Some of these are anarchists, some
are syndicalists, some are crooks,
some are honest dreamers and some
are mad.
But on repeated test votes the larg-
est they ever recorded for any pro-
posal of theirs was 237; generally
they cast al.
THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THE
/ REST OF THE $50 DELEGATES.
REPRESENTING AVERAGE AND
TYPICAL RUSSIA, ARE In FAVOR
OF VIGOROUSLY CARRYING ON
THE WAR.
Nothing is ever said about them.
All the attention is concentrated on
the anarchists and dreamers. They
make the good story"
The council adjourned July 7, leav-
ing an executive committee of 25O to
carry on the government until the