The Washington herald., 1917-07-17
The Russ Refuses to Stop.


up for future centuries. it will not
be surprising to see the Russian stand
forth as the greatest of its heroes.
Blows and disasters have rained on
him as on no other soldier. Foes
in front and foes behind have assailed
him; he has vanquished one, and is
in fair way to vanquish the other
But for him the domocracies of
Western Europe would today be pros
trate. France would be a conquered
province; Britain would be futileIy
lighting Prussianism from the seas,
with German legions pouring down
through Asia Minor into Egypt and
India; world dominance would be an
accomplished fact for the Berlin mill
tary caste. America would be the
last remaining stronghold OF demo-
cratic institutions; and America
doubtless, would be attacked by those
drunk with sight of power" long
before she had time to prepare her
self to parry the blow.
Germany was not the first military
power to try to solve the riddle of
the Russian. Napoleon tried 1t only
century before her. King Charles,
Of Sweden. and a host of minor lu-
minaries tried it. AL of them failed.
and failed in a way that led to ulti-
mate downfall. The German error
considering the reputed accuracy Of
German military calculations-was
egregious. The war was lost to Ger
many at the Marne; and by the same
token it can be said that the war was
won for the allies in the swamps and
marshes OF East Prussia The Ger
man general stan was weeks off,
in its calculations regarding the pos
sible speed OF Russian mobilization.
Therefore France was saved. And
in the twelve months following the
Grand Duke Nicholas was so active
in Poland that Germany had to main
tain huge forces to oppose him,
and therefore Britain had time to
train and send her millions of Tom
mics into France, and thus to hold
the Western front securely even aft
er bureaucratic corruption and trea-
son at Petrograd had brought the
Russian armies to the verge of ami
hilation.
After that fateful retreat in 1915,
it was Prussia's boast that the Rus
sian was out of the war. So she
thought until Brusiloff failed the Aus
trians last summer. Then her army
of spies and intrisants. led by the un-
speakable Rasputin, became so bra
zen that they drew the wrath of an
outraged people upon themselves, and
the Carbon fell into the yawning
gulf it had dug for itself. This event
Germany believed, or affected to be-
lieve, would take Russia out of the
war. and give her the Iong-sought
chance of striking unitedly at her
enemies in the West.
The bitterness of her disappointment
in this respect is reflected in the
crisis through which Germany is now
passing. A few weeks ago Russia's
allies were trembling lest she fall vic
tim to Teuton Establishments. Now
they are rejoicing in the outward as
poets of her regeneration, her new
military initiative. 1t is apparent that
a great new leader OF democracy has
arisen in the young Kerensky, who
has fired the armies with the spirit
Of victory. They are striking now at
many scattered points along the
Eastern front, and the Korniloff drive
in Galicia can no longer be minimized
by Prussian apologists. The Russ has
come back beyond any shadow of
doubt.
The real significance of that fact
is dawning on Berlin, and upon the
world. The cunning formula of mo
annexations, no indemnities;" the
manipulation Of Socialists; the lure
of a separate peace, have all gone to
the scrap-heap. The Russian military
power is going to wax stronger under
the inspiration OF freedom. No blind,
fatuous study Of the war map can
keep Germans today from an appraise-
ment Of the overwhelming power OF
their enemies, power which is certain
to increase as theirs is certain to de-
crease. That is the key to the Ger
man situation. and it is the key to
the whole war situation.